As reported in today's New York Times, Fresh Direct has agreed to buy new, improved trucks that are equpped with shutoff systems so that they won't be idling in front of your building anymore.

Where there's a will there's a way. OR: where there's a crack down you really see some action. Why didn't they do this sooner. Probably because the new trucks are expensive…

An investigation into Fresh Direct revealed that the company's trucks were violating anti-idling laws. That's the law that says a car or truck cannot idle for no longer than one minute.

Anti-idling laws were already on the books. But Bloomberg in 2009 strengthened them by reducing the number of minutes from three to one minutes.

Even at three minutes, Fresh DIrect has been breaking that law for a long, long time. They idle for much longer when they make multiple deliveries on one block. Those trucks can sit there for upwards of 15 minutes at all hours of the day and night.

Yay for Andrew Cuomo for pursuing this investigation and  making this happen. He told the New York Times that idling is bad for public health and the enviornoment. But it also wastes fuel. Fresh Direct is paying $50,000 in fines  for violating state and city anti-idling laws. 

But guess what? The refrigeration noise that also bothers people will not be shut off. Well, there's no law against refrigeration noise AND you don't really want Fresh Direct to have to turn the refrigeration off because that would be gross.

Still, those shutoff systems are a great idea. I think it is the idling that's very annoying and I for one am thrilled that this is happening.