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Guidebook for Assessing Evolving International Container Chassis Supply Models | NCFRP Report 20 | 1 Introduction Ocean container chassis supply, ownership, and management in the United States are in a state of transition unlike at any other time in the more than 50-year history of container shipping. Conventionally in the U.S., ocean carriers ha ve supplied, owned, and incurred the responsibility for managing ocean container chassis. This is unlike other regions of the world where chassis a re supplied largely by motor carriers and logistics companies. Due to a number of external and internal factor s, including a desire to cut costs, increasing liability relating to chassis, an d a greater focus on their core competencies, ocean carriers are now beginning to dismantle the 50-year status quo of supplying, owning, and managing chassis in the U.S., forcing the responsibility and cost of chassis supply, ownership, and management onto other U.S. supply chain stakeholders. By necessity, new and differing ocean container chassis models are emerging in response to this shift. But a great deal of uncertainty remains about evolving chassis supply models and their implications throughout the intermodal stakeholder constituency. The evolving chassis supply landscape in the U.S. is also resulting in a patchwork of different models and regional disparities, adding to the complexity of the transition process. Moreover, each chassis stakeholder groupâfrom beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) to carriers and terminal operators to public officialsâhas different interests and concerns with respect to chassis supply and varying levels of understanding of the implications of evolving chassis supply models. This Guidebook, produced under NCFRP Project 43, is intended to inform chassis stakeholders including BCOs and public officials about alternative container chassis supply, ownership, and management models in a clear and st ructured way, including the advantages, disadvantages, and key considerations of alternative models, as relevant to the interests of each key stakeholder group. Given the complexities of chassis supply in the U.S., this Guidebook seeks to provide a simplified view of t he most salient issues. It is not intended to be comprehensive or address every nuance within U.S. ch assis supply markets. Also, the purpose of this Guidebook is not to recommend chassis supply model(s) or manufacturers, but to help chassis stakeholders in the U.S. make well-informed decisions regarding the planning and execution of their own chassis supply transitions. Note to Readers This Guidebook was developed between November 2011 and May 2012 using a range of information sources, including, but not limited to, previous research and literature on chassis matter s and truck drayage in the U.S. and internationally, a variety of chas sis data and supply chain information from public and private sources, consultations with over 80 chassis supply stakeholders in the U.S. and abroad, and the expertise and experience of team members. Appropriate references have been included; stakeholder input has for the most part not been attributed for reasons of commercial sensitivity or stated preference. The CPCS Team does not warrant the accuracy of information or data provided by third parties, although best efforts were made to use information from credible sources. The findings in this Guidebook were also subject to a broad external validation process.
