§13521 — Title 49 Transportation | U.S. Code

§13521 General jurisdiction

Title 49 › Subtitle SUBTITLE IV— - INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION › Part PART B— - MOTOR CARRIERS, WATER CARRIERS, BROKERS, AND FREIGHT FORWARDERS › Chapter CHAPTER 135— - JURISDICTION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - WATER CARRIER TRANSPORTATION › § 13521

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary and the Board have authority over trips that use water carriers in three main situations. First, they cover travel by water between a place in one State and a place in another State, even if some of the trip happens outside the United States. Second, they cover trips that use both water and motor carriers between States, but if part goes outside the United States the Secretary only controls the motor parts that happen inside the United States and the water parts that move from one U.S. place to another U.S. place. Third, they cover trips between a U.S. place and a place outside the United States, but only for the parts that occur in the United States: motor-carrier legs in the U.S.; water-carrier legs that go from a U.S. place to another U.S. place before leaving the country; and water-carrier legs that go from a U.S. place to another U.S. place after arriving from abroad. "State" and "United States" here include U.S. territories and possessions.

Title 49, §13521

Transportation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary and the Board have jurisdiction over transportation insofar as water carriers are concerned—

(1)by water carrier between a place in a State and a place in another State, even if part of the transportation is outside the United States;

(2)by water carrier and motor carrier from a place in a State to a place in another State; except that if part of the transportation is outside the United States, the Secretary only has jurisdiction over that part of the transportation provided—

(A)by motor carrier that is in the United States; and

(B)by water carrier that is from a place in the United States to another place in the United States; and

(3)by water carrier or by water carrier and motor carrier between a place in the United States and a place outside the United States, to the extent that—

(A)when the transportation is by motor carrier, the transportation is provided in the United States;

(B)when the transportation is by water carrier to a place outside the United States, the transportation is provided by water carrier from a place in the United States to another place in the United States before transshipment from a place in the United States to a place outside the United States; and

(C)when the transportation is by water carrier from a place outside the United States, the transportation is provided by water carrier from a place in the United States to another place in the United States after transshipment to a place in the United States from a place outside the United States.

(b)In this section, the terms “State” and “United States” include the territories and possessions of the United States.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in section 10541 of this title prior to the general amendment of this subtitle by Pub. L. 104–88, § 102(a).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective Jan. 1, 1996, except as otherwise provided in Pub. L. 104–88, see section 2 of Pub. L. 104–88, set out as a note under section 1301 of this title.