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May 23, 2002 9:05 AM, EDT

(TT File Photo) A worker prepares to steam clean a tank trailer at a Maryland truck stop.

Tank truck carriers continue to struggle with overcapacity and sagging profits despite the failure last year of one of the nation’s largest chemical haulers.

Matlack Inc. may have disappeared, but its capacity did not. Other carriers quickly absorbed the bankrupt company’s assets, and shippers had no difficulty consigning liquid bulk commodities and calling the shots on rates.

The scenario comes as no surprise to transportation and chemical industry experts who say what is needed now is a fundamental change in the way shippers and carriers do business.

For the full story, see the May 20 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.