More consolidation for the intermodal chassis market

More change is occurring in the intermodal chassis market as Direct ChassisLink Inc. (DCLI) wrapped up the acquisition of TRAC Intermodal's domestic chassis fleet this week. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

With the addition of TRAC’s roughly 72,000 53-ft. domestic chassis to its fleet, DCLI now owns, leases, or manages approximately 136,000 marine chassis, along with approximately 80,000 domestic chassis, for a total chassis fleet of over 216,000 – making it one of the largest providers of such chassis in the U.S. transportation market.

Also, through its REZ-1 asset management platform, DCLI manages over 86,000 domestic intermodal containers for third parties.

“The addition of domestic chassis to our business accelerates our vision to create the leading intermodal asset leasing, management, and services platform for the transportation and logistics industries,” noted Bill Shea, CEO of DCLI, in a statement.

He added that DCLI customers will now benefit from a “single source” for intermodal, marine, and domestic chassis leasing services via an expanded national footprint that encompasses all major ports and railway terminals.

“We look forward to serving both our new and existing customers with our enhanced technology-enabled service offerings and an expanded national footprint across the marine and domestic intermodal markets,” Shea said.

A TRAC spokesman, however, characterized this deal as more of a “shift” in domestic business assets from one chassis provider (TRAC) to another (DCLI) rather than as true “consolidation.”

"With this sale, TRAC still remains the nation's leading intermodal equipment provider and chassis pool manager in the marine industry,” he explained.

TRAC added that it continues to operate network of over 600 marine locations, an active fleet of over 180,000 marine chassis, nine TRAC-managed chassis pools, eight TRAC-operated service centers and 60 depot locations across the U.S.