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September 13, 2000 10:42 AM, EDT

As the federal government considers establishing shipper and owner responsibililty for the roadworthiness of container chassis, some carriers that serve maritime ports in states with similar intermodal laws already on the books say nothing has changed there.

Meanwhile, American Trucking Associations fears that Department of Transportation officials have no intention of issuing a national regulation, while other intermodal interests say one is not needed.

The roadability issue revolves around who is responsible for the upkeep of intermodal chassis, trailers and containers. Truck operators claim they are forced to haul substandard equipment and get stuck with the fines and violations when stopped for inspections. If they decline to use the substandard equipment, they can either go to the repair lane or “flip it” — get a new piece of equipment.

Truckers say the problem with these options is that both cost them time and money.

For the full story, see the Sept. 11 print edition of Transport Topics. .