Container Chassis

Overview

What is a container chassis? It's a specialized ground trailer, also called a portacontenedor or container semi-trailer, designed to transport intermodal shipping containers between ports, rail terminals, and other destinations. Unlike a conventional cargo truck, it has no body of its own — the container locks directly onto the chassis using twist locks, allowing the same container to move between ship, rail, and road without transferring the cargo.

Specifications

	20' Container	40' Container	45' Container
Approx. Dimensions	5.90 × 2.35 × 2.39 m	12.03 × 2.35 × 2.39 m	13.56 × 2.35 × 2.69 m
Payload	Up to 28 tons	Up to 30 tons	Up to 30 tons
Approx. Volume	~33 m³	~67 m³	~86 m³

The chassis is available for 20', 40' and 45' containers, each with its own load capacity, detailed in the table above. Some chassis are extendable, allowing a single unit to accommodate different container lengths.

What Can It Carry?

Container chassis are used for containerized consumer goods, manufacturing materials, imported products, machinery, retail goods, and other international freight. They are especially relevant for industrial freight, port operations, and national freight connected to international supply chains. A chassis is not designed to carry loose cargo directly — cargo must be packed and secured inside a compatible shipping container. For oversized freight that cannot fit inside a container, a Flatbed may be more appropriate.

Which Size Should You Choose?

The 20' chassis is used when the container assigned to the shipment is 20 feet, typical for lower-volume imports/exports or dense, heavy cargo (such as chemicals or metals) that doesn't need extra space. The 40' chassis is used when the container is 40 feet, the most common configuration for general merchandise, retail, and manufacturing in international trade. The 45' chassis is used when the container is 45 feet, chosen when a shipment needs to maximize cargo volume without exceeding weight limits — common for lightweight, bulky goods like packaged consumer products or textiles. An extendable chassis is useful for carriers that regularly handle both container sizes, since it avoids operating two separate units.

Common Uses

Container chassis are commonly used by shipping lines, port terminals, import/export companies, and logistics operators handling intermodal traffic. It's a good fit when cargo is already traveling in a shipping container and needs to move between the port and its final destination by road, without transferring it to another type of body. OpenFR8 connects shippers with carriers for container chassis rental and container transport in Mexico.