This week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration began enforcing its Intermodal Chassis rule that requires intermodal equipment providers (IEPs), motor carriers and drivers to share responsibility for the safety of intermodal equipment used on our highways. Intermodal equipment or chassis are the trailers used in the transfer of goods from a ship or rail car to trucks for final delivery. Under this final rule, providers must implement systematic inspection, repair and maintenance programs for intermodal chassis, and repair or replace defective equipment. Each provider must submit an IEP Identification Report and establish safety programs by December 17, 2009. In addition, each IEP must identify its equipment with a USDOT number by December 17, 2010. The Intermodal Chassis rule is available for review at www.fmcsa.dot.gov.

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