Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/26699
INTERMODAL MUDDLE New regs fall short of getting roadworthy chassis for container haulers. BY MAX KVIDERA R R 38 OVERDRIVE MARCH 2011 egulations that brought intermodal equipment under the watchful eye of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration were supposed to lead to higher-quality chassis trailers. The trucking industry had long pushed for a maintenance and repair program for chassis, which, largely under steamship line control, had declined in overall quality. Today, two years after FMCSA rules were made final, owner- operators and drivers who work intermodal say that although the chassis quality has improved slightly, the program is far from perfect due to an unsettled transition in chassis ownership and responsibility. Owners are clearly responsible for chassis maintenance, but given the continuing inadequate care, truckers remain under the gun to make sure they’re not using defective equipment. FMCSA sees its efforts last year as “productive,” says Spokesman Duane DeBruyne. “We conducted a number of educational roadability reviews with intermodal equipment providers,” he says. “We held webinars. We attended industry- sponsored events. Our Enforcement Division worked very closely with our state partners.” Enforcement is more important than ever for drivers and carriers, given the launch of the federal Compliance, Safety, Accountability program that puts more emphasis on roadside inspections. Yet truckers are still picking up chassis with red tags that signify a mechanical problem, says Curtis Whalen, executive director of the Intermodal Motor Carriers Conference. “If you keep taking these things, you’re going to get nailed with it on the road, and even worse it may break and you’ll have a safety problem where somebody gets hurt,” The Port of Charleston, S.C., boasts some of the highest productivity in the industry. One measurement of that is its average truck turn time – 21 minutes per gate mission.