How South Carolina Ports Uses Phillips Connect to Modernize Chassis Management Through GPS Visibility
Ports worldwide have traditionally operated without dedicated chassis management or GPS-based asset tracking, relying instead on manual processes that grow harder to sustain as volume increases. South Carolina Ports recognized the inefficiencies built into that approach and in 2022 made a strategic decision to launch its own chassis management program. A dedicated team of 12 staff took on responsibility for roughly 10,000 chassis, with a clear mandate: bring visibility to equipment that had effectively been operating blind once it left the terminal.
The challenge was not unique to SCPA, but it was acute at their scale. Once chassis left port facilities, their locations became difficult to track, and units frequently migrated into other markets, driving up retrieval costs and disrupting operations. Intermodal Equipment Providers, who manage trailers across the country, struggled with the same limitation, hampered by technology that could not deliver accurate, real-time tracking. Inaccurate or delayed data compounded the problem, making it difficult for SCPA to verify chassis locations with any confidence. Solving this meant equipping the fleet with GPS and telematics that could finally close the visibility gap.