Fundamental change spreads across country as carriers cut costs
    OOCL announced the second phase of its policy to drop chassis coverage as part of its services on Monday, adding seven cities to the areas where it will no longer provide equipment for trucking ocean container shipments.
    The Hong Kong-based carrier, which has already phased out supplying chassis in three East Coast cities, said it will no longer provide chassis as of Jan. 1, 2011 in Buffalo, N.Y., El Paso, Texas, Harrisburg, Pa., Huntsville, Ala., Jacksonville, Fla., Laredo, Texas and Tampa, Fla.
    OOCL already stopped providing chassis in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh as of Sept. 1.
    OOCL said all motor carriers, either working as suppliers for OOCL or OOCL customers, must provide chassis for these shipments.
    The carrier was among the first to start phasing out chassis service in the U.S., a fundamental change that has spread across the country this year as ocean carriers have cut back costs in part by carving away what they see as secondary services outside their core port-to-port operations.
    "For motor carriers that do not own their own equipment, chassis are available at these locations from one or more of the major leasing companies on a daily use basis," OOCL said. "Chassis usage fees for merchant moves should be billed by the motor carrier directly to their customer."
    Other carriers that have since announced the phasing out of chassis include, Evergreen Line, Atlantic Container Lines, CMA CGM, Cosco, NYK Line, Hyundai merchant Marine, Yang Ming and Hanjin Shipping.

Source: JOC