Railroad Regulation:
Shipper Experiences and Current Issues in ICC Regulation of Rail Rates
RCED-87-119: Published: Sep 9, 1987. Publicly Released: Oct 15, 1987.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
In response to a congressional request, GAO provided information on: (1) the Interstate Commerce Commission's (ICC) implementation of the market dominance and rate reasonableness provisions of railroad deregulation legislation; and (2) shippers' ability to obtain rate relief from ICC under the legislation.
GAO found that: (1) most of the rate dispute cases were settled through shipper and railroad negotiations; (2) although ICC believed that many shippers obtained rate relief through contract rates, out of 19 cases where ICC ruled that a rate was unreasonable, only 6 cases resulted in a negotiated contract, and only one of the shippers involved believed the contract rate to be rate relief; (3) ICC published coal rate guidelines to help railroads set reasonable rates, help shippers evaluate proposed rates, and encourage negotiated rates; (4) the guidelines contained no practical method for apportioning fixed costs among shippers, which resulted in widely varying methods of calculating upper limits on costs; and (5) recent case decisions have helped clarify what approaches to determine these costs ICC will find acceptable.
Feb 18, 2021
General Aviation:
Stakeholders Expressed Mixed Views of FAA Policies on Private Pilot Expense SharingGAO-21-285: Published: Feb 18, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 18, 2021.
Jan 28, 2021
-
Unmanned Aircraft Systems:
FAA Could Strengthen Its Implementation of a Drone Traffic Management System by Improving Communication and Measuring PerformanceGAO-21-165: Published: Jan 28, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 28, 2021.
Jan 7, 2021
-
Aircraft Noise:
Better Information Sharing Could Improve Responses to Washington, D.C. Area Helicopter Noise ConcernsGAO-21-200: Published: Jan 7, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 7, 2021.
Dec 18, 2020
-
Automated Technologies:
DOT Should Take Steps to Ensure Its Workforce Has Skills Needed to Oversee SafetyGAO-21-197: Published: Dec 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 18, 2020.
Dec 17, 2020
-
Emergency Responder Safety:
States and DOT Are Implementing Actions to Reduce Roadside CrashesGAO-21-166: Published: Dec 17, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 17, 2020.
Nov 24, 2020
-
Reagan National Airport:
Information on Effects of Federal Statute Limiting Long-Distance FlightsGAO-21-176: Published: Nov 24, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 24, 2020.
Nov 19, 2020
-
Federal-Aid Highways:
States and Local Governments Reported Benefits to Federal Highway Fund Swapping, but Impacts Cannot be Definitively DeterminedGAO-21-88: Published: Oct 20, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2020.
Nov 16, 2020
-
Aviation Certification:
FAA Needs to Strengthen Its Design Review Process for Small AirplanesGAO-21-85: Published: Nov 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 16, 2020.
Nov 9, 2020
-
Aviation Safety:
FAA's Office of Aviation Safety Should Take Additional Actions to Ensure Its Workforce Has Needed SkillsGAO-21-94: Published: Nov 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 9, 2020.
Oct 29, 2020
-
Puerto Rico:
Perspectives on the Potential to Expand Air Cargo OperationsGAO-21-21: Published: Oct 29, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 29, 2020.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here
Explore our Key Issues on Transportation
Explore our other Key Issues here
