Chassis providers are piloting a temporary stop/start yard for the return of bare chassis, as well as empty containers awaiting return to Asia, in an effort to mitigate mounting congestion problems at Southern California ports.
The Pool of Pools — the entity established by intermodal equipment providers (IEPs) Direct ChassisLink, TRAC Intermodal, and Flexi-Van Leasing to manage the chassis fleet in Southern California — launched the new yard on Dec. 2. The site is located between the Fenix Marine Services and Everport Terminal Services facilities at the Port of Los Angeles.
Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said establishing a site for chassis and container storage is only the first step. “The next step is to infuse technology to continue improving port fluidity,” he said. The Pool of Pools said it will evaluate the operation of the Los Angeles site after 45 to 60 days and will announce any changes in location status following the evaluation.