Cite as: 511 U. S. 431 (1994)
Opinion of the Court
permissible under this Court's test in ICC v. American Trucking Assns., Inc., 467 U. S. 354 (1984). 996 F. 2d, at 1524-1526. Finally, the court rejected Security Services's argument that its failure to participate formally in the HGCB Mileage Guide was a mere technical defect excused by its substantial compliance with the rule requiring it to file its rates with the Commission. Id., at 1526.
We granted certiorari, 510 U. S. 930 (1993), to resolve a Circuit conflict over the validity of the ICC void-fornonparticipation regulation,1 and now affirm.
II
A motor carrier subject to the Interstate Commerce Act must publish its rates in tariffs filed with the ICC. 49 U. S. C. §§ 10761(a), 10762(a)(1). The carrier "may not charge or receive a different compensation for that transportation . . . than the rate specified in the tariff . . . ." § 10761(a). We have held these provisions "to create strict filed rate requirements and to forbid equitable defenses to collection of the filed tariff." Maislin Industries, U. S., Inc. v. Primary Steel, Inc., 497 U. S. 116, 127 (1990); accord, Reiter v. Cooper, 507 U. S. 258, 266 (1993); Louisville & Nashville R. Co. v. Maxwell, 237 U. S. 94, 97 (1915) ("Ignorance or misquotation of rates is not an excuse for paying or charging either less or more than the rate filed"). The purpose of the filed rate doctrine is "to ensure that rates are both reasonable and nondiscriminatory," Maislin, supra, at 119 (citing 49 U. S. C. §§ 10101(a), 10701(a), 10741(b) (1982 ed.)), and failure to charge or pay the filed rate may result in civil or criminal sanctions. See 49 U. S. C. §§ 11902-11904.
1 Compare Overland Express, Inc. v. ICC, 996 F. 2d 356 (CADC 1993); Security Services, Inc. v. P-Y Transp., Inc., 3 F. 3d 966 (CA6 1993); Brizendine v. Cotter & Co., 4 F. 3d 457 (CA7 1993), with the decision below, 996 F. 2d 1516 (CA3 1993); see also Atlantis Express, Inc. v. Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc., 989 F. 2d 281 (CA8 1993); Freightcor Services, Inc. v. Vitro Packaging, Inc., 969 F. 2d 1563 (CA5 1992), cert. denied, 506 U. S. 1053 (1993).
435
Page: Index Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 NextLast modified: October 4, 2007