Port Houston Chassis Availability – Recovering After Harvey

The availability of intermodal chassis supply remains tight at Port Houston following Hurricane Harvey impact.

Remarkably most of the intermodal chassis at Port Houston escaped damage, however, because of flooding and a six day port shutdown many of the chassis are out of position to be used and demand for the equipment has been escalating.

The port has been processing container ships at an expedited rate since it reopened. It normally handles 14 ships per week. Since reopening that number increased to 40 container ships per week.

Shippers, truckers, and carriers gave high praise to the port authority for reopening as quickly as possible to handle the influx of import containers. Chassis demand is extremely high and equipment turnaround is critical to prevent further backlog and congestion at the terminals.

Another factor affecting availability is inspecting the equipment for damage to determine if the equipment is safe and roadworthy or if repairs are required.

Drayage and warehouse operators are also noting that chassis supplies are tight. Contributing factors are high volume demand, congestion at roads and terminals, slower than the usual turnaround, equipment tagged for inspection and units sitting under loaded containers in backlogged warehouses.

It is estimated that it will be a month before the port is back to normal operations.

 

Contributor: James Diehl

 

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