Running on Empties.

BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo

U.S. exporters have plenty of customers. What they need are containers.

Export demand is growing by 20 percent a year, but shippers are losing sales because they have to wait three weeks or more for ocean carriers to reposition empty containers to their warehouses and packing facilities.

"Products are rotting in the field because we can''t get containers," said Terri Bartle, Portland operations manager at Oregon freight forwarder TLR.

Equipment-leasing companies have what appears to be an ideal solution. They have thousands of empty containers scattered across the country. The leasing companies have to reposition …