Chassis 

A chassis, also referred to as a container chassis or an intermodal chassis, is a specially designed trailer used to transport shipping containers via road. 

Chassis are designed for both 20’ and 40’ containers, with special locks that secure the container in place. Because of their design, container chassis can be quickly loaded and unloaded by crane, forming a key part of inland supply chains. Chassis are commonly used to transport containers between ports, warehouses, container depots, rail yards, and other shipping facilities, referred to as drayage. 

Chassis are reasonably simple equipment pieces, consisting of a strong steel frame designed to hold a shipping container, a brake system, axles, and tires. There are three varieties of chassis that shippers and other supply chain professionals should know about: 

The Common Container Chassis 

Common chassis are relatively easy to find as they are the standard option for transporting 20’ and 40’ dry containers. Common container chassis require the use of overhead cranes for loading and unloading. 

Tilt Container Chassis 

A tilt container chassis comes with a hydraulic system that lifts the front end of the container, from which it can be safely unloaded from the chassis without needing additional equipment. Because of the additional engineering and the demand for its simplified unloading capabilities, tilt container chassis come with a higher price but are necessary when other unloading equipment is unavailable. 

Extendable Container Chassis 

Similar to a common container chassis but with an extendable back end, extendable container chassis allow motor carriers and shippers to transport containers of virtually any size, both standard and non-standard dimensions.