The Georgia and South Carolina port authorities are teaming up to ensure that cargo continues to move in the region.
Facing a chassis shortage for trucks, the port authorities have entered an agreement for a Southern States chassis pool.
In the past, ocean carriers provided chassis for their cargo.
“Now all ocean carriers are divested and sold their chassis to private chassis companies,” Griff Lynch said.
Private companies, known as intermodal equipment providers (IEPs), however, aren’t keeping up with port demand, Lynch said.
“The companies say there is no return (on their investment),” Lynch said.
The southern region — from basically Wilmington, N.C., to Savannah, Jacksonville, Fla., and Atlanta and Huntsville, Ala. — currently has about 53,000 chassis.