Western Railroad Discussion > IL: Is Union Pacific blocking chassis releases to draymen?

In a paywall article, the Journal of Commerce reports that DCLI believes Union Pacific is holding onto container chassis in rail yards, which prevents local truckers from grabbing containers and taking them to consignees / recipients.  Union Pacific denies that, and asserts that it isn't restricting anything. DCLI owns the chassis / wheeled frames onto which containers are loaded for their final haul to customers.  Although the business is competitive, DCLI is among the largest owners of these frames. Chassis are often stacked at rail yards, awaiting  containers from incoming trains.

This may be part of the ongoing fight over accusations that shippers and railroads are speeding empty containers back to (mostly) China to be reloaded. Rather than leaving them around to be reloaded with export products from the US. The container owners, railroads, and shippers have been fighting for months over the accusations.

Does anyone know more about this?

The UP provides chassis on 53' containers they own (EMP or UMAX) or on private 53's where they have an agreement with the owner such as Hub Group. 

The UP does not provide chassis on international containers.  The owner of the international containers is required to provide chassis to the UP.  If no chassis are available, the containers are stacked and railroad storage charges are billed until it can be removed from the ramp.

Yes, the steamship lines are pushing to get empties to Asia as soon as possible.  Several have embarged loaded containers to Asia as loaded containers take awhile to unload.  There is a large backlog of loads in Asia waiting for empty containers to deliver all over the world.
 

Watch for major changes this year.  Ocean Lines are doubling or more the rates for containers from Asia to US Ports.  With this increase, every freight forwarder and shipper will be looking for reduced dray costs to offset the ocean costs.  Going to change the world of container logistics.

7 to 14k?

I seen this before, complain to the media of an equitment shortage at one terminal while another one has more empties than they know what to do with.

Having worked on the intermodal side of my company I can tell you chassis are a really fouled up affair. In St Louis only a certain railroad or depot will receive or give out chassis on a certain day. And just because they are available doesn't mean they are useable, I have spent hours going thru chassis looking for one with current inspection and good tires, lights, brakes. BNSF,UP, and CSX all horde chassis on any day depending on inbound chassis. The only reason NS doesn't is they are live unload only on 20 and 40 footers. We have our own chassis but there is a charge to get a container "flipped " onto a private chassis
Michael t Kerner
Collinsville, IL

Posted from Android

Mkerner finaly a post that seems to know exactly what goes on without all of the others comments that seem more like the feel of the need to post something. Thanks



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/13/21 07:40 by BAB.

It's up to the lease company, they'll restrict outgating if the yard is short.

Dcli chassis are tight, plenty of inbound.

flarails882 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I seen this before, complain to the media of an
> equitment shortage at one terminal while another
> one has more empties than they know what to do
> with.

---

mkerner Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Having worked on the intermodal side of my company
> I can tell you chassis are a really fouled up
> affair. In St Louis only a certain railroad or
> depot will receive or give out chassis on a
> certain day. And just because they are available
> doesn't mean they are useable, I have spent hours
> going thru chassis looking for one with current
> inspection and good tires, lights, brakes.
> BNSF,UP, and CSX all horde chassis on any day
> depending on inbound chassis. The only reason NS
> doesn't is they are live unload only on 20 and 40
> footers. We have our own chassis but there is a
> charge to get a container "flipped " onto a
> private chassis
> Michael t Kerner
> Collinsville, IL
>
> Posted from Android

I just looked for any chassis that could escape the gate. Lights
would take a while to charge, landing gear that refuses to crank,
stubborn slideing tandems. Etc My favorite was getting to outgate
only to be told to get your chassis flipped because it has a hold.
Or its assigned to UPS.
Once you finally got down the road there was
A realistic chance one of those 8 tires manufactured overseas was
Going to fail.

Lkirts Wrote:
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> Dcli chassis are tight, plenty of inbound.
>
In your picture, what does it take to remove one of those chassis so you can use it?  A special forklift?  TIA!

mapboy

mapboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lkirts Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Dcli chassis are tight, plenty of inbound.
> >
> In your picture, what does it take to remove one
> of those chassis so you can use it?  A special
> forklift?  TIA!
>
> mapboy

Yes, there are forklifts configured with special hardware to stack and unstack chassis to a semi-vertical position. 

https://youtu.be/SGumMdWe3AI

mapboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lkirts Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Dcli chassis are tight, plenty of inbound.
> >
> In your picture, what does it take to remove one
> of those chassis so you can use it?  A special
> forklift?  TIA!
>
> mapboy