Ocean Carrier Chassis Phase Out Well Underway

Among the most assertive of the global carriers in the phase out of its world-wide container chassis inventories, OOCL announced this month it will extend its no-chassis policy into its third stage of the policy for customer haulage. This phase effects haulage to and from Denver, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, Mobile, New Orleans, Oakland, Salt Lake City and Wilmington, N.C. OOCL first announced this policy in Sept of last year naming Baltimore, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In January they added Buffalo, El Paso, Harrisburg, Huntsville, Jacksonville, Laredo and Tampa.

OOCL announced that all trucking companies, either working as suppliers for OOCL, or its customers, must provide chassis for the shipments in all impacted cities and bill the chassis usage directly to their customers.

Most ocean carriers have announced a similar phase-out over the last year. in light of these developments shippers and forwarders should bolster relationships with trucking companies expanding their chassis inventories in preparation for an expanded role.