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23
Sep
No easy fix for chassis conundrum: speakers
Issues involving chassis interoperability, shortages, and dislocation continue to hamper productivity at US ports and inland rail ramps, and there is no single solution on the horizon that will make those problems go away, speakers at the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) conference in Long Beach said this week.
In fact, with each stakeholder in the supply chain — ocean carrier, trucker, railroad, and intermodal equipment provider (IEP) — doing what best serves their own interests, the industry may eventually be forced into the unwanted condition where it has to choose between regulation and free markets before a solution is found, the speakers said.
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09
Sep
FMC to gauge detention/demurrage fairness on flow merits
The top United States maritime regulatory agency on Friday unanimously approved interpretive rulemaking recommendations aimed at helping it gauge whether levied demurrage and detention fees truly incentivize the retrieval of cargo and return of containers.
The Federal Maritime Commission agreed to the recommendations stemming from a year-and-a-half effort led by commissioner Rebecca Dye to address complaints from cargo owners and drayage drivers over what they considered unfair fees for failing to pick up cargo and return equipment in a timely manner. (more…)
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06
Mar
Shippers, truckers hit chassis roadblock in Memphis
A coalition including shippers attempting to solve chassis problems in Memphis, Tennessee, has encountered an obstacle in its effort to launch an interoperable grey pool.
Two chassis providers — TRAC Intermodal and DirectChassis Link, Inc. (DCLI) — killed a proposed solution agreed upon by an association of ocean carriers and coalition of beneficial cargo owners (BCOs), truckers, and Class I railroads. TRAC and DCLI contend the interoperable pool isn’t the answer, at least not right now. Flexi-Van Leasing supported the initiative. (more…)
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