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September 29, 1999 8:10 AM, EDT

Two shipper groups have asked the Surface Transportation Board to “suspend and investigate” rate increases proposed by four motor carrier rate bureaus.

The National Small Shipments Traffic Conference and the Health and Personal Care Distribution Conference, both based in Washington, D.C., contend the increases would be unjustified and fail to address a concern that unsophisticated shippers might be paying twice the market rate for freight services because they are unable to negotiate discounts on published tariffs.

Nasstrac General Counsel John Cutler said the organizations will not challenge rate increases by individual carriers, even though those increases are equivalent to, or higher than, those posted by rate bureaus.

“That’s unregulated,” Cutler said. “That’s the free market, and we urge shippers to use contracts to protect themselves.”

For the full story, see the Sept. 27 print edition of Transport Topics. .