Dozens of harbor truckers in Southern California notified the Uniform Intermodal Interchange Agreement, as well as a number of shipping lines, that because of the severe port congestion and labor disputes on the West Coast, they will not be held responsible for paying carrier-imposed charges for the late return of equipment.
By invoking force majeure, which states that companies cannot be held responsible when their service is interrupted due to circumstance beyond their control, the drayage companies are taking a page out of the ocean carriers’ playbook because shipping lines have force majeure clauses in their UIIAs, or in their addendums to the UIIA.
Source: Journal of Commerce