Right about this time in any “normal” year, ocean carriers and truckers would be entering their annual peak season for freight volumes, in expectation of that ever-reliable holiday shopping bonanza.

Memo to shippers: Do you know where your container is?

Ocean carriers, shippers and truckers can’t stop bickering over an issue that has plagued the transportation industry for years, and shows no sign of being easily solved: the ownership and management of chassis.

As if the global economic downturn weren’t bad enough, U.S. exporters are confronted by a raft of vessel cancellations that hinder their ability to fulfill what overseas sales they’re still able to make.