Transportation Intermediaries Association asks government to support non-vessel operating common carriers

The Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) has recently filed comments with the United States Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) requesting that the agency support non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOCCs) having confidential transportation agreements with their customers.

Among those that jointly filed the comments were TIA, National Transportation Industrial League (NITL), BAX Global Inc., BDP International Inc., CH Robinson Worldwide, Inc., FedEx Trade Networks Transport & Brokerage, Inc., and UPS.

The submissions requests that the FMC grant all NVOCCs an exemption from the tariff publication requirements of current shipping laws; find that this exemption is justified on the extensive record already established; and move as expeditiously as possible. Under the proposal offered, NVOCCs would file their transportation arrangements with the agency as vessel carriers file their service contracts today.

“Since passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act unfairly disenfranchised transportation intermediaries, TIA and its members have been working to finish the job of deregulating ocean transportation,” says Bob Voltmann, TIA President and CEO. “TIA welcomes the League’s support of the deregulation petitions currently pending at the FMC. In all other modes of transportation 3PLs are free to compete for business without costly and useless tariffs and with the ability to tailor contracts to meet their customer’s needs. The petitions pending at the FMC will bring about necessary reforms to further the job of economic deregulation.”

“There is no reason for 3PLs to be regulated for the ocean leg of transportation when they are fully deregulated in all other modes.” “In fact, it is only the US that perpetuates these archaic regulations,” says Voltmann. “The countries of the EU and Asia have already fully deregulated ocean transportation and the corresponding 3PL industry.”