STB Final Offer Rate Review

  • News

Court Sides With Rails Against STB Rate Ruling

An attempt by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to decide complex maximum freight-rate challenges by choosing one of two suggested remedies—one by the shipper; the other by the railroad—was derailed Aug. 20 in a unanimous decision of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. The court found the STB’s 2022 Final Offer Rate Review (FORR) rulemaking exceeded the agency’s statutory authority.

AAR: FORR NPRM “Unlawful”; SMDA Should Be Limited in Scope

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) on Nov. 12 filed comments with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) regarding two NPRMs (Notice of Proposed Rulemakings): Final Offer Rate Review (FORR) and Streamlined Market Dominance Approach (SMDA). The former, AAR said, should be scrapped because it is “unlawful” and lacks standards. The latter requires substantial limitations in scope.