Severe equipment imbalances characteristic of several trade lanes are being evaluated. Empty containers stacked at depots remind us that it is now almost cheaper to buy a new container in China than to reposition an empty back there for reloading. This represents a partial unbundling of equipment expense to the customer. It also makes the resulting North American ocean rates more comparable to other trades, where the steamship line does not provide chassis leaving that responsibility to the customer and trucker. To reduce expense, steamship lines continue to invest in information technology.
Some companies use the old standards of electronic data interchange, phone and fax.
But more and more capabilities are being delivered over the Internet. A wide spectrum in Internet services is available. Ocean carriers tend to move as a herd. Integration of the Internet into business is no exception. Two consortia have been established to provide neutral platforms for industry access.