Freight glossaryDrayageEquipmentFreight Documentation
UIIA
Definition
The UIIA (Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement) is the standard contract that governs how intermodal equipment, such as containers and chassis, is interchanged between motor carriers and equipment providers.
What it means
The Intermodal Association of North America, which administers it, calls the UIIA "the only standard industry contract that governs the interchange of equipment" between intermodal motor carriers and equipment providers; per diem and use-charge disputes under it can go to binding arbitration.[1] Federal safety rules name the agreement in their definition of an interchange agreement.[2]
In practice it is a gate requirement: the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey tells truckers to have proof that their trucking company is registered with the UIIA before arriving at a terminal.[3]
Example
A new drayage company wants to pull containers at Port Newark. Before its drivers can take out a steamship line's containers on pool chassis, the company signs up to the UIIA so the equipment providers will interchange with it.
Related
Related terms
- ChassisA chassis is a wheeled trailer frame built to carry a shipping container over the road; the container is...Glossary
- DrayageDrayage is the short-distance truck move of ocean or rail freight, such as hauling a container from a marine...Glossary
- Street TurnA street turn is reusing an empty import container for an export load without first returning it to the...Glossary
- TWICA TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential) is the federal credential that workers, including...Glossary
Sources
- Intermodal Association of North America, “Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement (UIIA),” Industry association. Accessed September 2026.
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, “49 CFR § 390.5, Definitions (intermodal equipment),” Federal regulation. Accessed September 30, 2026.
- Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, “Truckers Resource Guidebook (revised July 2023),” Port authority guidance. Published July 2023. Accessed September 30, 2026.
General operational information, not legal, customs or regulatory advice. Rules and rates change; confirm current requirements with the agency, carrier or contract that governs your shipment.