Concepts

Common Carrier

Also Known As Public carrier

Legal Concept

Citation Formats

General Reference

Transport Atlas. "Common Carrier." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://transport.interactiveatlas.org/concepts/common-carrier.

APA Style

Transport Atlas. (n.d.). Common Carrier. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://transport.interactiveatlas.org/concepts/common-carrier

BibTeX

@misc{transportatlas-common-carrier,
  author = {Transport Atlas},
  title = {Common Carrier},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://transport.interactiveatlas.org/concepts/common-carrier},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

A person or company that transports goods or people for any member of the public and bears responsibility for loss of the goods in transport. Operating under license from a regulator, it must serve without discrimination, unlike contract or private carriers who choose their clients; railroads, shipping lines and trucking firms are the classic transport examples.

Facts

Core Concern

The duty to carry for everyone, without discrimination, under regulation 1

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Common Carrier

WikipediaLead section

Quote, Lead section

A common carrier holds itself out to provide service to the general public without discrimination (to meet the needs of the regulator's quasi-judicial role of impartiality toward the public's interest) for the 'public convenience and necessity.'

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