RELAXING MOTOR CARRIER REGULATION - THE MASSACHUSETTS ATTEMPT

The progress of a bill to relax motor carrier regulation in Massachusetts is recounted and the causes of the bill's failure are discussed. In March 1973 the governor of Massachusetts filed legislation to relax the degree of entry and rate controls in the motor carrier industry in the state, and to reorganise the responsibilities of the existing state agencies towards the industry. Motor carriers, in the main, opposed the proposed changes, and the reorganisation component was attacked on many fronts. A series of hearings was held but the bill failed to receive sufficient support because, it is suggested, of the lack of strong advocacy support. The opposition to the bill, on the other hand, was well mobilised, broad based and greatly outweighed the supporting statements. The author suggests that the motor carrier industry were wary of changes in the regulations but the support for the bill shown by some individual carriers suggested that their general support might be cultivated if the idea of regulation relaxation was actively sold to them. The author also suggests that the decision to incorporate major institutional changes and regulatory modifications in the same bill may have contributed towards the failure of the bill. /TRRL/

• Corporate Authors:

  University of British Columbia, Vancouver

  Faculty of Commerce
  Vancouver, British Columbia  Canada 
• Authors:
  • Lieb, R C
• Publication Date: 1975

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 193-201
• Serial:
  • LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORTATION REVIEW
  • Volume: 11 N
  • Issue Number: 2

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Freight transportation; Laws; Legislation; Motor carriers; Motor vehicles
• Uncontrolled Terms: Modifications
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Old TRIS Terms: Motor vehicle laws & regulations
• ITRD Terms: 1556: Legislation; 9048: Modification; 8122: USA
• Subject Areas: Economics; Freight Transportation; Highways; Law; Motor Carriers; Planning and Forecasting; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00134204
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 16 1976 12:00AM