Let's Put The Blame Where It Belongs
Trucking has had enough of taking the hit for junk container chassis.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's on-again, off-again approach to addressing unsafe intermodal container chassis is on again. That raises hope for lifting a serious burden from motor carriers who contract with chassis owners to haul them.
For years, trucking companies have been held responsible for the condition of container chassis when they're on the road. That's just not right. The ocean lines, railroads, ports and terminal operators who own the chassis should have to keep them in shape.
All too often, they don't. And up until now the feds have said they can't regulate the situation because there's not enough information available to prove that it's a major safety problem. That's scary.
Take a drive near any port and check out the container chassis going in and out. Some of them are pure junk; accidents waiting to happen.
They represent the real world of container hauling because they aren't being properly inspected and fixed in their home terminals. Then, when a chassis fails a roadside inspection, the motor carrier gets the citation, which goes into his safety record. It doesn't take many of those to smear his DOT safety rating and drive his insurance rates up.
One veteran container hauler says the chassis owners' attitude toward their own inspections is, "If it's not about to fall off, it doesn't get fixed." And if the carrier's really unlucky, the chassis owner will blame him for any problems and try to make him pay for the repair.
The move to place responsibility where it belongs has developed powerful momentum. The American Trucking Assns., Owner-Operator Independent Driver Assn., the Teamsters Union and longshoremen's groups are all pushing for action, be it through regulation or a law passed by Congress.
The Senate has already approved its version of such a law, and a House version is in committee. Ideally, it will be tacked on to upcoming highway reauthorization legislation. Also ideally, it will place responsibility where it belongs, with penalties to back it up.
Meantime, FMCSA says it will soon produce a new rule assigning chassis owners DOT numbers, so safety data can be recorded. The results, we're sure, will prove what everybody already knows.
Chassis owners have argued that there isn't a safety problem, but they also have complained that bringing their equipment to new standards will be costly. Something's wrong with that picture.
This situation needs fixing, and fast. Either FMCSA or Congress - preferably both - should move in all haste. The pressure should stay on until they do.
Doug Condra
President
E-mail Doug Condra at dcondra@truckinginfo.com, or write PO Box W. Newport Beach, Calif. 92656.
