Union Pacific Railroad is warning that chassis supply could get tight soon in several US markets and it will not allow shippers to use their own private chassis if DCLI, TRAC Intermodal, and Flexi-Van Leasing run out of equipment.

The backlog of ocean containers clogging intermodal hubs in the interior US has eased considerably in the past three months thanks to limitations placed on rail volumes flowing inland from major import gateways, but the ports themselves remain congested.

An exodus of drayage drivers to the flatbed and dry van truckload sectors is further limiting already constrained capacity and equipment availability in key inland markets.

Shippers moving goods to and from the Southeast may expect further disruptions in service as fuel shortages linger, pushing more freight to the spot market.