Common Carrier

A common carrier is a transportation company that holds itself out to move goods for any shipper willing to pay its published rates. Unlike contract carriers that serve select customers under negotiated agreements, common carriers operate under a duty to serve – meaning they cannot refuse freight from a qualified shipper without legal justification. In trucking, most LTL carriers operate as common carriers, publishing tariffs that any shipper can access.

Common carriers file their rates in publicly available tariffs – standardized pricing schedules that detail charges by freight class, weight bracket, origin-destination pair, and applicable accessorial fees. These tariffs form the legal basis of the shipping contract. When a shipper tenders freight to a common carrier, the published tariff governs the transaction unless a separate contract rate has been negotiated, which is increasingly the norm for shippers with consistent volume.

The distinction between common and contract carriers matters most when it comes to liability. Common carriers are held to a higher standard of care – they're presumed liable for loss or damage to freight unless they can prove it resulted from an act of God, public enemy, shipper negligence, or an inherent defect in the goods. This is why filing freight claims against common carriers follows a well-established legal framework under the Carmack Amendment.

In practice, many carriers hold both common and contract authority with the FMCSA, toggling between published tariffs for transactional freight and negotiated rates for their committed shippers. For shippers comparing carrier options, understanding whether you're shipping under tariff terms or a contract rate agreement affects everything from liability limits to accessorial exposure.