I have heard that for years, I made it a point to stay out of the city, so can't prove it by me though.
Not unless you used to work for Western Express. And they go into NYC frequently,flatbed and van alike!
I've heard that about NY too. One guy told me he was stopped with traffic behind him in a tight turn in a tunnel and couldn't get around a car on the shoulder. Cop came up and said "You can't hold up traffic, just roll over the top of it!"