Independent Action

Summary of Independent Action

The reserved right of a carrier participating in a Conference (read this legal term for further details) or rate agreement to deviate unilaterally from the common tariff and publish its own rate for a given commodity. In those tariffs that permit independent action, the common practice is for the group of carriers collectively to consider the rate proposal; if agreement cannot be reached, or if the party applying for the rate remains unsatisfied, a member line may negotiate directly with the shipper and may publish its own rate for the cargo.

(Main Author: William J. Miller)