COMMISSION CONTRACTS WITH THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCE
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is the federal agency responsible for implementing and enforcing the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA). The FMC announced on Monday that it contracted with the National Academies of Science (NAS) – in compliance with Section 19 of the OSRA – for an objective study of the intermodal chassis pool. The committee is expected to establish recommendations and best practices for chassis pool management at U.S. ports. NAS committee members will be selected in the coming weeks and will serve without compensation. People interested in serving on or recommending candidates for the intermodal chassis pool study committee are encouraged to contact the NAS Transportation Research Board.
The study will:
- Consider whether the existing chassis pool models have aligned incentives in ownership, management, repair, and provisioning that facilitate supply chain effectiveness, and
- Evaluate efficiency-enhancing communications, information sharing, and knowledge management practices across chassis pool models
CHASSIS POOL SHORTAGES
Chassis pool issues abound despite efforts by ports to increase their chassis fleet, incentivize chassis returns, and offer extended gate hours. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) agreed to cover 50% of the purchase price of 1,060 new chassis for the Port of Houston to mitigate challenges facing the U.S. agricultural sector due to chassis shortages at the Port of Houston.
NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCE
The National Academies of Science (NAS) was established by an act of Congress and signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. A private, non-profit organization, NAS’s mission is to provide independent, objective advice on scientific and technological matters of national significance. An estimated 500 current and deceased NAS members have won Nobel Prizes.
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