The intermodal chassis split-billing problem continues to escalate. Steamship lines and chassis leasing pools (TRAC, DCLI, Flexi-Van) routinely issue conflicting per diem invoices when a loaded container is returned to one marine terminal while the bare chassis is dropped at a different location. The result is thousands of dollars per month in erroneous charges that most drayage carriers simply pay because manual reconciliation is too time-consuming.
Traditional TMS platforms such as Truckmate, McLeod, and TMW capture driver settlements, fuel surcharges, and EDI 204/214/210 transactions but lack native visibility into the independent custody timelines of the ocean container and the IEP-provided chassis. Without synchronized telematics and automated dispute generation, carriers remain exposed to cascading per diem and demurrage penalties.
The Split-Billing Nightmare
When a container is stripped or loaded at a customer facility and returned to a terminal, the ocean carrier’s free-time clock stops. However, the chassis must still be returned to an authorized IEP pool location. If those two events occur at different physical sites, two separate billing streams are triggered. Steamship lines bill for container dwell; chassis pools bill daily rental. Without iron-clad proof of exact drop times and locations, both parties assess late fees. Manual paper gate slips and spreadsheet reconciliation cannot keep pace with the volume of 2026 intermodal moves.
The Strong Tower Chassis Shield Protocol™
Strong Tower Consulting, LLC and its sister company Exspeedite have engineered an automated governance layer that eliminates this exposure. The Chassis Shield Protocol leverages CheckPoint (https://exspeeditecheckpoint.com/login.php) to track the shipping container and the underlying chassis as two distinct assets.
- Dual-asset telematics tracking: CheckPoint records container and chassis GPS geofence events to the second. Split-drop occurrences are automatically flagged when the container gate-in timestamp and chassis drop timestamp diverge by location.
- Automated UIIA 30-day dispute generation: When an improper per diem invoice is detected, the platform assembles a formal dispute packet containing gate interchange receipts (TIR), GPS departure records, and synchronized custody timelines. The packet is transmitted within UIIA time limits.
- Ocean carrier free-time clock synchronization: Live monitoring of steamship line demurrage clocks runs in parallel with IEP chassis daily rental rates. The system alerts dispatch before cascading charges accumulate.
Holding Equipment Providers Accountable Under FMC OSRA-22 Rules
The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA-22) strengthened the Federal Maritime Commission’s authority to investigate unreasonable demurrage and detention practices. Carriers can now demonstrate that they made timely attempts to return equipment when a chassis pool depot refused bare-chassis intake due to inventory shut-out. CheckPoint’s immutable GPS and gate records provide the precise evidence required to prevail in FMC complaints and UIIA arbitration.
Independent by Design
Independent by design. Strong Tower Consulting, LLC and Exspeedite LLC are separately organized sister companies under common ownership (separate EINs; liability firewall). We engineer intermodal drayage profitability. You never have to buy our software to receive expert guidance. Phone: 763-244-1373.
Implementation Path for Motor Carriers
Carriers already running Truckmate, McLeod, or TMW can activate CheckPoint in under 48 hours. The platform ingests existing EDI 214 status messages and driver ELD data, then layers independent container and chassis telematics on top. Within the first 30 days most fleets see erroneous per diem drop by more than 90 percent while reconciliation labor collapses from weeks to hours.
Ready to eliminate chassis split billing leakage in your intermodal operation? Start with a free billing integrity assessment or schedule a technical briefing with our freight systems architects.
Frequently Asked Questions
What evidence is required to overturn an ocean carrier per diem claim when the designated depot refuses bare chassis returns?
Successful disputes require a combination of gate interchange receipts (TIR), GPS geofence timestamps from independent telematics, driver electronic dispatch logs showing attempted return, and documentation of depot chassis inventory shut-out conditions. CheckPoint automates the assembly of these records into UIIA-compliant dispute packets.
How does CheckPoint reconcile chassis daily invoices against driver electronic dispatch logs?
CheckPoint ingests EDI 214 status messages, driver ELD records, and TMS load events from platforms such as Truckmate, McLeod, and TMW. It then cross-references these against live telematics from both the container and the chassis to create an immutable timeline of asset custody. Any mismatch between billed per diem days and actual custody triggers an automated dispute.
Can the platform automatically transmit dispute dossiers directly to pool billing portals?
Yes. The CheckPoint Chassis Shield Protocol generates and transmits formal UIIA dispute notices with attached evidence directly to ocean carrier and IEP billing portals for TRAC, DCLI, Flexi-Van and most major steamship lines. Carriers receive confirmation receipts and track resolution status within the dashboard.
Does this solution require replacing our existing TMS?
No. CheckPoint is intentionally TMS-agnostic. It augments Truckmate, McLeod, TMW, and other dispatch systems by adding dual-asset visibility and automated dispute filing without disrupting driver settlement, fuel surcharge, or EDI 210 workflows.
Published August 2025 | Strong Tower Consulting, LLC - Minnesota-based freight systems architecture since 2008.