A chassis is the wheeled frame that carries an ocean container on the road. When chassis are in short supply at the San Pedro Bay ports, containers can't move — even if a truck is ready and the box is released.
Why chassis run short
Chassis are a shared, pooled resource. During volume surges they get stuck under containers waiting to be unloaded, leaving fewer available to pull new boxes. The result is a bottleneck that has nothing to do with truck capacity.
How it hits your freight
No chassis means no pickup, which means your last-free-day keeps ticking. Chassis shortages are a leading hidden cause of demurrage at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
How a 3PL mitigates it
Carriers that manage their own equipment and stage close to the terminals navigate chassis pools more effectively — and fast devanning returns chassis to the pool sooner for everyone.
