Yang Ming, HMM join widening liner chassis termination

TAIWAN`s Yang Ming has joined South Korea`s Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) following other carriers phasing out the provision of container chassis to trucker in the United States, the only country where liners have extended such services.

HMM will withdraw its own chassis from the US east coast from November 1, which will expand to the rest of country in the new year, starting with Worchester, Massachusetts; Baltimore; Philadelphia; Buffalo; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Miami.


Yang Ming (America) said it would provide no chassis from November 1 at Baltimore, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Miami and Tampa, Philadelphia; Pittsburgh, South Kearny, New Jersey and Worcester.


Said a Yang Ming statement: "This new, multiphase chassis policy will improve efficiencies on many levels within the international and local supply chain. Truckers will now have greater flexibility, and terminal congestion will be reduced."


Said an HMM statement: "The new policy will make the international and local supply chain function more efficiently. Turning the responsibility for chassis to owner-operators and drayage companies will provide greater flexibility for the trucker, reduce terminal congestion."


The two lines join Hong Kong`s OOCL, Maersk, NYK, CMA CGM and transatlantic Atlantic Container Lines (ACL) in ending the chassis service.


Truckers object to having to absorb the cost and now must buy or lease chassis, with trucker estimating that acquiring a chassis fleet will cost up to US$28 million. "It will be the shippers that pay," he said.