Peter T. Leach | Feb 07, 2011 10:44AM EST
Hapag-Lloyd said Monday it will phase out of the business of providing chassis for merchant haulage at ports and at inland intermodal rail terminals on the East and Gulf Coasts and in the Midwest starting on April 1.
The German Liner company said it would continue to provide chassis for "carrier's haulage" which are the store or warehouse deliveries it has contracted to provide to retail importers.
The liner company's phase-out of the chassis business follows the trend started last year when a number of major shipping lines announced they were getting out of the chassis business.
Trucking lines that previously used carrier-provided chassis are having to lease or buy their own chassis or rent then on a per-diem basis. "If truckers so desire they may use their own chassis," Hapag-Lloyd said in its notice to customers.
Hapag-Lloyd said it would phase out providing chassis over seven months, according to the following schedule:
April 1, 2011 Pittsburgh, Pa., Baltimore, Md., Philadelphia, Pa.
May 1, 2011 Dallas, Texas, El Paso, Texas, Houston, Texas, Laredo, Texas, Mobile, Ala., New Orleans, La., Kansas City, Mo., St. Louis, Mo.
June 1, 2011 Buffalo, N.Y., Boston / Worcester, Ma., New York / New Jersey, South Kearney, N.J.
July 1, 2011 Huntsville, Aa., Memphis, Tenn., Nashville, Tenn., Oakland, Calif., Denver, Colo., Salt Lake City, Utah.
August 1, 2011 Portland, Ore., Seattle, Wash.
September 1, 2011 Atlanta, Ga., Birmingham, Ala., Charleston, S.C., Charlotte, N.C., Jacksonville, Fla., Savannah, Ga., Tampa, Fla.
October 1, 2011 Chicago, Ill., Detroit, Mich., Indianapolis, Ind., Louisville, Ky., Milwaukee, Wis., Ohio Valley, Ohio, Minneapolis, Minn., Omaha, Neb.
To be Announced Phoenix, Ariz., Norfolk / Hampton Roads, Va.
-- Contact Peter T. Leach at pleach@joc.com.