The Gray Chassis Pool allows truckers to pick up and drop off chassis at ANY of the terminals served by the three chassis pools. That’s right ANY of the twelve terminals. The project was launched on March 1st, 2015 by TRAC Intermodal, Flexi-Van Leasing and Direct Chassis Link.
“This is a historic agreement that will help our ports overcome a major challenge that has played a significant role in the congestion we’ve experienced,” said Port of Long Beach Chief executive John Slangerup. “We applaud DCLI, Flexi-Van and TRAC for partnering with us to meet the needs of our customers and advancing permanent solutions to improve the flow of cargo.”
Well, truckers arrived at a terminal only to find lines miles long causing them to wait for hours to pick up a chassis. Once they had a chassis, getting the container should have been quick right? Not if the chassis was at a different terminal. The driver had to go in another line miles long and wait for several more hours to pick up the customer’s container. Frustrated yet? Many have been for months. This process contributed to a major loss in profits for truckers and carriers creating higher prices and increased demand from customers.
The new Los Angeles-Long Beach Gray Chassis Pool means greater availability, lower costs, and quicker turnarounds for carriers. With shorter wait times, truckers can pick up a chassis and container at the same terminal. This results in a domino of savings for the trucker, carrier and customer. As carriers begin to experience relief, they will be able to take on more drayage requests and offer competitive rates.
The new LA-LB Gray Chassis project went live only weeks ago. Experts expect there to be kinks in the system as it takes off and will change over time to refine the process. Overall, this project has been designed to spark greater synergy throughout the Southern California ports. In the following months, customers of drayage services can expect to experience the benefits of the LA-LB Gray Chassis Pool.