STB Logo

  Home > People and Functions > Mission    
           

Who's Who and What Does it Do?

Addresses
Public Records

Officials
Public Assistance

Regulations
Retained Functions

What Do We Do?
Eliminated Functions


Commissioners' Biographies

 

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD

1925 K Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20423-0001

Phone: (202)565-1500
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

400 Seventh Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20590

Phone: (202) 366-4000


Appointed Officials

Chairman

Roger Nober

Vice Chairman

Vacant

Commissioner

Vacant

Policy Offices

Director, Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis and Administration

Leland L. Gardner

General Counsel

Ellen D. Hanson

Secretary

Vernon A. Williams

Director, Office of Compliance and Enforcement

Melvin F. Clemens, Jr.

Director, Office of Proceedings

David M. Konschnik

Director, Office of Congressional and Public Services

Dan King

 

[For the Department of Transportation statement of Regulations, Title 49, Part 1, Subpart A] organization, see the Code of Federal Regulations

The Surface Transportation Board (Board) was established on January 1, 1996 as a decisionally independent, bipartisan, adjudicatory body organizationally housed within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), with jurisdiction over certain surface transportation economic regulatory matters. It was created by a December 29, 1995 Act of Congress (49 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.) known as the ICC Termination Act of 1995 (ICCTA). The ICCTA terminated the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) effective December 31, 1995; eliminated various functions previously performed by the ICC; transferred licensing and certain non-licensing motor carrier functions to the Federal Highway Administration within DOT; and transferred remaining rail and non-rail functions to the Board. Passage of this legislation represented a further step in the process of streamlining and reforming the Federal economic regulatory oversight of the railroad, trucking, and bus industries that was initiated in the late 1970's and early 1980's.

The Board adjudicates disputes and regulates interstate surface transportation through various laws pertaining to the different modes of surface transportation. In this regard, the Board's general responsibilities include the oversight of firms engaged in transportation in interstate and in foreign commerce to the extent that it takes place within the United States, or between or among points in the contiguous United States and points in Alaska, Hawaii, or U.S. territories or possessions. Surface transportation matters under the Board's jurisdiction in general include railroad rate and service issues, rail restructuring transactions (mergers, line sales, line construction, and line abandonments) and labor matters related thereto; certain trucking company, moving van, and non-contiguous ocean shipping company rate matters; certain intercity passenger bus company structure, financial, and operational matters; and certain pipeline matters not regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The Board is headed by Board Members appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Board is authorized to have three members, each with a five-year term of office. The Board's Chairman is designated by the President from among the Members.

In the performance of its functions, the Board is charged with promoting, where appropriate, substantive and procedural regulatory reform in the economic regulation of surface transportation, and with providing an efficient and effective forum for the resolution of disputes. Through the granting of exemptions from regulations where warranted, the streamlining of its decisional process and the regulations applicable thereto, and the consistent and fair application of legal and equitable principles, the Board seeks to facilitate commerce by providing an effective forum for efficient dispute resolution and facilitation of appropriate market-based business transactions. The Board continues to strive to develop, through rulemakings and case disposition, new and better ways to analyze unique and complex problems, to reach fully justified decisions more quickly, to reduce the costs associated with regulatory oversight, and to encourage private-sector negotiations and resolutions to problems where appropriate.

Public Records. Requests for access to public records should be made to the

Office of the Secretary
Suite 700
Surface Transportation Board
1925 K St
  N.W.
Washington, DC 20423-0001

Phone: (202) 565-1674.


Public Assistance. Requests for public assistance with pending or potential proceedings should be addressed to:

Office of Congressional and Public Services
Suite 840
Surface Transportation Board
1925 K St. N.W.
Washington, DC 20423-0001

(202) 565-1592.

For further information, contact:

Office of Congressional and External Affairs
Suite 840
Surface Transportation Board
1925 K St. N.W., Washington, DC 20423-0001

(202) 565-1594.



ICC Termination Act of 1995

RETAINED FUNCTIONS

Rail Regulation (all administered by STB):

Common Carrier Obligation.
Exemptions.
Rail Mergers.
Line Transfers, Leases, and Trackage Rights.
Line Sales to Noncarriers.
Labor Protection.
Rate Regulation for Common Carriage, including:
     Public Disclosure of Rates and Service Terms.
     Advance Notice of Rate Increases or Changes in Service Terms.
     Maximum Rate Reasonableness for Captive Traffic.
Contracts for Transportation of Agricultural Products requirements, including:
     Filing of Summaries.
     Protest and Matching Rights.
     Equipment Limitations.
Rail Cost Adjustment Factor (RCAF) Computation.
Reasonableness of Practices.
Rate Discrimination.
Car Supply and Interchange.
Emergency Service Orders.
Competitive Access.
Line Constructions, including Line Crossings.
Line Abandonments, including:
     Financial Assistance.
     Rails-to-Trails.
     Public Use Provision for Right-of-way.
Feeder Line Development Program.
Collective Ratemaking (and Antitrust Immunity)
InterLocking Officers and Directors
Recording Liens.
Data Collection and Oversight

Motor Carrier Regulation:


Common Carrier Obligation (together with freedom to provide Contract Service).
Exemptions (by STB and DOT Secy., applicable).
Registration of Carriers - Trucking and Bus Companies (DOT Secy..).
Insurance Requirements (DOT Secy.)
Rate Reasonableness (STB) for
     Residential Household Goods Moves.
     Joint Motor-Water Rates in Noncontiguous Domestic Trade.
     Collectively-set Rates.
Collective Ratemaking (and Antitrust Immunity) (STB).
Pooling (STB).
Undercharges (STB).
Background Commercial Rules (but not informal dispute resolution) (DOT Secy) for:
     Owner-Operator Leasing.
     Lumping.
     Loss and Damage Claims.
     Duplicate Payments and Overcharges.
Household Goods Operations, including:
     Tariffs (not filed) (STB).
     Mandatory Arbitration (DOT Secy.).
     Rules for Binding Estimates and Guaranteed
     Agent-Van Line Relations (DOT Secy.) with Antitrust Immunity (STB)
     Performance Standards (DOT Secy.)
Preemption of Intrastate Regulation.
Data Collection and Oversight (DOT Secy.).
Freight Forwarders -- Registration and Insurance (DOT Secy.)
Brokers - Registration and Insurance (DOT Secy.)
Bus Company Mergers (STB).
Bus Company Through-Route Requirements (Sir).
Mexican Carriers (DOT Secy.), including:
     Registration and Insurance.
     Enforcement of NAFTA restrictions.

Regulation of Domestic Water Carriage:


Tariff Filing and Rate Reasonableness Requirements for Noncontiguous Domestic Trade (STB).

Regulation of Pipelines
(all administered by STB):

Common Carrier Obligation.
Rate Regulation, including:
     Public Disclosure of Rates and Service Terms.
     Advance Notice of rate Increases or Changes in Service Terms.
     Reasonableness.
Reasonableness of Practices.
Rate Discrimination.

Intermodal Regulation
(STB):

Rail-Water connections for non-contiguous domestic trade.




ICC Termination Act of 1995




ELIMINATED FUNCTIONS AND PROVISIONS



Rail Regulation:

Tariffs.
Rate investigation and suspension process.
ZORF (Zone of rate freedom).
Minimum rate regulation.
Contract rate regulation for non-agricultural commodities, including:
     Filing requirements.
     Percentage limitations on equipment commitments.
     Complaint and matching rights.
Joint rate surcharge and cancellation supervision.
Recyclables special rate standards.
Labor protection for:
     Class III carriers.
     Noncarrier line acquisitions.
     Feeder line cases.
Intermodal ownership restrictions.
Commodities clause restrictions.
Interlocking officers and directors restrictions for Class III carriers.
State certification and regulatory authority.
Securities issuances.
Valuation.
Passenger train discontinuances.

Motor Carrier Regulation
:

Licensing - need-based criteria (except for certain subsidized passenger carriers)
               - permanent license (must now be renewed).
Contract carriage - limitations and restrictions removed.
Control and transfer transactions for trucking companies.
Collective activity - permanent approval (must now be renewed).
Tariff filing (except for noncontiguous domestic trade).
Rate regulation (except for residential household goods moves, noncontiguous domestic trade, and collectively-set rates). Undercharges - Sept.30, 199O cut-off for unreasonable practice provision.
Informal dispute resolution in the following areas:
     Owner-operator leasing.
     Lumping.
     Loss and damage claims.
     Duplicate payments and overcharges.
     Household goods and auto-driveaway carriers.
Intercity bus route discontinuances.
Intrastate preemption -- Sunset date for Hawaii intrastate regulation.

Regulation of Domestic Water Carriage:


All regulation, except for noncontiguous domestic trade.
     (Residual jurisdiction retained for preemption purposes.)

Regulation of Pipelines:

     Tariff filing.
     Rate investigation and suspension process.

Organizational:


    
Interstate Commerce Commission
     Joint Boards
     Rail Services Planning Office
     Rail Public Counsel

 

Return to Top of Page




















































2 -