New chassis leasing pool for LA/LB drayage truckers opens

Direct ChassisLink, a marine chassis and asset management services provider, has launched a new chassis leasing service offering motor carriers and other drayage providers who operate at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

   A new option has emerged for drayage truck drivers looking for chassis to use when hauling goods to and from the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex.
   Direct ChassisLink, Inc. (DCLI), a marine chassis and asset management services provider, on Monday announced it has opened what it calls the Inland Premium Pool, a service offering motor carriers and other drayage providers who operate at LA-Long Beach a new option when it comes to their chassis equipment.
   DCLI, which is one of a small handful of private entities that leases out chassis at the port complex, says that when a chassis is reserved and picked up at its Inland Premium Pool, truckers can keep it for as long as the equipment is needed, with no maximum contracted time.
   “Having reliable access to premium, high-quality chassis equipment can make a significant difference in our customers’ ability to meet the expectations of their clients,” DCLI President Brian Taylor said in a statement.
   Under the company’s tiered pricing structure, one to seven days of usage will be billed at the current daily market rate of $24.95 per day, while day eight and each day thereafter will be billed at $20 per day.
   “Our customers tell us quite often that they want options when it comes to their chassis equipment,” DCLI Chief Commercial Officer Ryan Houfek said. “Port congestion, equipment pick-up lines — any such delay to a trucker’s schedule can impact service levels to their customers. The [Inland Premium Pool] offers them another choice.”
   The chassis, which come equipped with radial tires and LED lights, can be reserved via DCLI’s online reservation system and picked up at new facility, which is located at 1711 Alameda Street in Wilmington, Calif., minutes away from the port complex.
   DCLI, which is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., owns, leases and manages over 135,000 marine chassis and manages over 85,000 intermodal containers for third parties. The company’s owned by EQT, an investment firm headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.
   The private chassis leasing market has grown substantially at LA-Long Beach and across the U.S. over the past several years as ocean carriers began phasing out its practice of providing container chassis on the docks.