Motor Carrier Regulation and its Impact on Service: An Analysis of Texas Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Shippers

Recently there has been a trend toward economic deregulation of transportation by the federal government. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, the Staggers Rail Act of 1980, and the Motor Carrier Act of 1980 have reduced the regulatory role of the federal government and, in general, place increased reliance on the market for resource allocation. Earlier, the Motor Carrier Act of 1935 exempted from economic regulation the haulage of agricultural commodities moving in interstate commerce. In spite of the historic deregulation of agricultural motor carriage and the recent move by the federal government toward deregulation, the motor carrier deregulation question remains very important in many states.