New FMC probe of ocean carriers restricting chassis for truckers, shippers
The Federal Maritime Commission has opened a new probe into allegations that some ocean carriers are restricting access to chassis needed to move containers. The issue affects both truckers and shippers by limiting the equipment required to pick up and deliver freight to and from marine terminals.
Chassis are the wheeled frames that containers sit on for over-the-road moves. When chassis availability is limited or controlled in ways that restrict who can use them, it can slow down container pickups, extend turn times, and create missed appointments—problems that land directly on drivers and drayage operations trying to keep freight moving.
For truckers, chassis restrictions can mean arriving at a terminal with a clean plan and leaving without the equipment needed to haul the load. That can lead to extra trips, added wait time, and scheduling chaos that’s hard to recover from in the middle of a workday.
For shippers, chassis constraints can translate into delays getting imports out of terminals or getting exports delivered on time. Those delays can ripple through supply chains, adding storage or detention-related exposure and disrupting planned production or distribution schedules.
The FMC’s involvement matters because the commission oversees certain practices in international ocean shipping, including how carriers and related parties manage access to services that impact cargo movement. By opening a probe, the agency is signaling that it is taking complaints about chassis access seriously and is looking into whether current practices are unfairly restricting competition or hindering the efficient flow of freight.
The investigation adds to long-running tension in the port drayage world, where equipment access—especially chassis—often becomes the make-or-break factor for whether a container can move smoothly from a terminal to a customer and back again.