Comments on the Motor Carrier Reform Act, S. 2245

Views were provided on a requirement included in the proposed Motor Carrier Reform Act (S. 2245). Section 13 of the act would require the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Comptroller General to submit separate reports to Congress on the probable effect of eliminating antitrust immunity from the discussion of single-line rates and on the need for continued antitrust immunity with respect to joint rates. It was recommended that the reporting requirement stipulated in section 13 of the act not be adopted. Useful estimates of the probable effect of eliminating antitrust immunity could not be effectively addressed because the act requires an analysis of the effects of collective ratemaking as separate and distinct from rate regulation, entry regulation, and other factors which have interactive and joint effects on industry performance. In addition, the requirement that three different agencies do the same task would be potentially wasteful; a preferable approach would be for one of the agencies to carry out the task in consultation with the other two. Finally, the legal requirement for a GAO study is unnecessary because GAO already has sufficient authority to carry out such studies, and alternative methods exist for congressional committees to obtain needed information with less risk of disrupting or displacing other GAO work.