Xentra Transport adds overnight courier service for NYC businesses

Xentra Transport has launched scheduled overnight pickups and deliveries from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. across all five boroughs as New York City expands incentives for off-hour commercial deliveries. The move gives restaurants, retailers and other businesses a way to qualify for city support while avoiding peak-hour traffic and congestion pricing costs.

Why it matters: - New York City is pushing more commercial deliveries into overnight hours to reduce daytime gridlock and double-parking. - Businesses that shift deliveries off-peak can cut travel time and avoid higher congestion pricing tolls. - Xentra Transport's new overnight service gives small and mid-sized businesses a local carrier option that fits the city's incentive program.

What happened: - Xentra Transport - Same Day Delivery launched scheduled overnight pickup and delivery between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. for businesses in all five boroughs. - The launch came three weeks after New York City said it would spend $5 million in congestion pricing revenue to move commercial deliveries out of the busiest daytime hours. - The service is available for recurring routes and on-demand jobs. - Coverage includes Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island, plus New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

The details: - The NYC Department of Transportation announced its Off-Hour Deliveries program on September 24. - The program reimburses businesses for one-time setup costs tied to night deliveries. - Eligible costs include low-noise cargo handling equipment, building access changes so goods can be dropped without staff on site, and security cameras. - Up to 14 businesses will share more than $500,000 in the first round. - The remaining funds will be paid out in a second phase. - In exchange, participating businesses must receive off-hour deliveries for at least a year and share delivery data with the city. - NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said in the announcement that congestion pricing is helping combat gridlock in more ways than one. - NYC DOT says 27 known businesses already do off-hour deliveries across more than 1,120 locations. - Current participants include Whole Foods Market, Anheuser-Busch InBev and Wegmans. - The city's goal is 5,000 locations by 2040. - NYC DOT estimates that would move 62,000 daily truck trips out of peak hours. - Businesses that only receive parcel deliveries from carriers like UPS, FedEx or Amazon do not qualify for the program. - Applicants must work out the delivery schedule directly with the carrier moving their goods. - Xentra Transport works directly with each business to set the delivery window, drop point and access plan, then repeats that plan every night. - Before the first delivery, dispatch collects building access details, key or lockbox information, super contact details, safe drop locations and block noise rules. - The company says those notes travel with every job so a driver does not have to figure out the site in the dark. - On the night of a run, the driver checks in with dispatch, makes the drop and the online portal shows assignment and confirmation in real time. - Overnight runs use cargo vans or box trucks through the company's van and truck delivery service depending on load size. - Xentra Transport says 24/7 dispatch assigns a driver to every job.

Between the lines: - The city program favors carriers that can coordinate directly with businesses, which gives local couriers an opening national parcel networks do not have. - Overnight delivery is also a cost play for Manhattan stops because congestion pricing is far lower at night than during peak hours. - Under the MTA tolls in effect since January 2025, small commercial vans with E-ZPass pay $9 to enter the zone during peak hours and $2.25 overnight. - Small trucks pay $14.40 at peak and $3.60 overnight. - For a van entering the zone five weekdays a week, the tolls work out to $45 at peak versus $11.25 overnight. - For a small truck on the same schedule, the tolls are $72 at peak versus $18 overnight. - The service is aimed at restaurants, retail stores, medical and dental offices, and event and production teams. - Xentra Transport's pitch is that the bigger barrier is execution, not just funding.

What's next: - Businesses can line up a transport partner before applying for the NYC DOT incentive. - The program asks applicants to show how their deliveries will shift to off-hours. - Businesses can start with a single on-demand overnight job before moving to a recurring route. - To book an overnight delivery, businesses can call (877) 709-2711 or use the Xentra Transport booking portal.

The bottom line: - City incentives are making overnight freight more attractive, and Xentra Transport is positioning itself as the local operator that can make those nighttime deliveries work.