Trucking giant Schneider has completed its conversion to a company-owned and managed chassis fleet after buying 15,000 intermodal container chassis over the past four years.

The company began implementing the program in 2014 to assure access to lightweight, quality chassis when and where shippers and drivers needed them.

“We began investing in chassis because we realized we could deliver a better experience to our customers and dray drivers by controlling our own assets,” explained Jim Filter, senior vice president and general manager of Schneider’s Intermodal division. “The shared chassis pool that carriers often use creates significant delays for drivers, primarily at the ramp or when experiencing a breakdown on the road. When there isn’t an available chassis, the container is grounded. When one becomes available from the pool, they are often older, heavier, and fraught with mechanical problems.”

Owning a chassis fleet also means that the weight of all Schneider’s chassis are the same. This allows the shipper to know how much weight they can haul with every load. Because the demand for chassis in shared pools can outstrip supply, Schneider says, it also will have an advantage because the company has more control.

Schneider can also control the condition of its chassis fleet, because it will maintain the equipment to identify issues and make repairs before they turn into more critical problems.

“With the Schneider chassis, shippers can expect fewer delays and greater efficiency, as we’ve supplied plenty of chassis at each ramp location,” said Filter. “We even created our own technology that tracks utilization, turn time and location, so we can ensure there is the right number of chassis at every ramp and we can keep shippers’ freight moving.”