§13701 Requirements for Reasonable Rates, Classifications, Through Routes, Rules, and Practices for Certain Transportation

Summary

The Board must make sure certain transportation rates, rules, and practices are reasonable. That covers moves of household goods, water carrier rates in noncontiguous domestic trade, and rates or rules set jointly by motor carriers. Through routes and how joint rates are split must also be fair. If the Board finds a violation, it must set the proper rate, rule, through route, or split. Shippers may file complaints about noncontiguous domestic trade rates. A rate or split in noncontiguous trade is treated as reasonable if its total change is no more than 7.5% higher or 10% lower than the rate in effect one year before the proposed change, adjusted up or down by the one-year change in the Producers Price Index before the rate first took effect. If a complaint shows a rate is outside that range, the Board will decide and, if it finds a violation, require carriers to return amounts collected above the reasonable rate, and for government complaints may order returns with interest, as practicable.