LUBBOCK, Texas (RFD News) — California agricultural exporters depend on more than ships and containers. They also need chassis availability to keep farm products moving competitively through ports.
A USDA Agricultural Marketing Service summary says chassis, the road trailers that carry containers, remain a key pressure point for containerized agricultural exports through Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland.
Agricultural exports fill more than 40 percent of loaded containers leaving California ports. When chassis are in short supply, exporters face higher transportation costs, longer transit times, and reduced freight reliability.
The pandemic exposed those risks as import surges, labor shortages, equipment disruptions, and port congestion slowed container movement. The report says California exporters lost billions in foreign sales during that disruption.
Researchers say resilience could improve through cooperative chassis pools, dedicated agricultural access, more long-term leasing, GPS tracking, digital platforms, and better forecasting. For perishable and seasonal products, reliable access to equipment is a market-access issue.
