Westchester, Penn.-based freight transportation and supply chain services provider A. Duie Pyle recently announced it has opened up a new transportation service center in Bronx, New York.
Company officials said this new service center will augment its Northeast network and boost its morning delivery and pickup operations in metropolitan New York and Long Island.
And Pyle added that this all-weather location will bring with it roughly 100 new jobs, including truck drivers, fleet techs, dockworkers, and support personnel. The new service center is comprised of 77 doors, a full-service fleet maintenance garage, 6,846 square-feet of office space, and a three-deck parking structure, Pyle said. Other features include: 100% stand-by power generation, on-site snow removal capabilities, heated dock operations, secure fencing, 24/7 monitoring system, and various energy efficient features will be installed to ensure environmental and energy conservation.
Randy Swart, COO of A. Duie Pyle, told LM that there were various factors that led to the company opening up this new location, with company growth and getting closer to customers at the top of the list.
“We knew we were going to outgrow our Carteret Service Center, which serviced this area, over the next 3-to-5 years, and decided that rather than expanding the Carteret Service Center to continue servicing this area, we would rather be in the New York City metro area servicing it,” he said. “Additional considerations were traffic congestion getting to New York City, increases in bridge tolls and the opportunity to recruit from a new pool of potential employees who reside in the metro area. We began reviewing our options in 2011, and in 2013, after deciding we wanted to expand into the Bronx, we began our real estate search.”
The location benefits are key, with the new service center in close proximity to the Bruckner Expressway (I-278), which connects to I-95 and all other major northeast metropolitan areas, coupled with Pyle being well-positioned to reduce the impacts of congestion carriers frequently deal with when entering and exiting New York City from New Jersey during daytime transit, Pyle said.
“The top benefit to our customers is service, earlier delivery times and more flexible pick-up service,” Swart said. “With a facility nearer to their businesses, we are able to better meet their needs. We are able to provide ‘will call’ for local freight, and for those using our pool distribution, we are able to get their freight closer to their customers. We are also able to look at other business opportunities with local customers that we were not able to participate in before from across the river.”
While the former Carteret, N.J. service facility and the Bronx are not far from each other from a mileage standpoint, Swart explained that the high volume of traffic and number of accidents going into the city has had an effect on Pyle’s performance to the metro area, noting that by building a facility on the island, it has mitigated those issues.