Q&A: Triple G Express’ Randy Guillot on Chassis and Trucker’s Choice
By David Cullen
We caught up with Randy Guillot, president of Triple G Express Inc. and Southeastern Motor Freight, at a recent industry event where he gave us his take on how a growing lack of choice and competition in the chassis pool environment is impacting intermodal motor carriers, their customers, and potentially consumers, too.
HDT: As an American Trucking Associations vice chair and past chair of the International Intermodal Motor Carriers Conference, you’re engaged in fighting the designating of chassis providers. Please explain the issue.
Guillot: Ocean lines have begun to require that motor carriers here use designated providers of chassis [for ISO containers]. The ocean carriers control the selection of the chassis and the rates to use them. American trucking companies have to pay more to use the chassis, incur longer delays at ports, and get little to no choice to select the safest and most efficient chassis.
HDT: What’s the difference now from what was it was historically?
Guillot: Up until five to seven years ago, chassis were provided by the ocean carriers, as part of their service. But in the rest of the world, they are provided by the truckers. As more of the ocean lines have come under foreign ownership, they want the same here— to not bear the chassis expense. The problem is some are dictating which chassis we must use and at what rate. What we are seeking is to have it be the trucker’s choice so we can operate more safely and efficiently.
Randy Guillot Photo: Triple G Express
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HDT: Can you explain what happens at a facility where you don’t have, as you put it, “trucker’s choice” in chassis selection?
Guillot: Since chassis ownership has begun transitioning away from the ocean lines, motor carriers have limited to no choice in selecting chassis. …Read the rest of this story
