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Anti-Trust Policy

Anti-Trust Policy

It is extremely important that association members and others involved with association business understand that the provisions of the antitrust laws regulate their conduct in association forums and at association meetings. Association members can be considered competitors. A thoughtless violation of the antitrust laws by a few members could result in expensive protracted litigation that could destroy the association and/or result in the prosecution of individual members. The most powerful Federal statute, the Sherman Act, provides substantial penalties for violation of the antitrust laws. Individuals can be fined up to $350,000 and imprisoned up to three years for violations. Corporations can be fined up to $10 million. In addition, defendants found guilty of violating the Sherman Act are subject to treble civil damages.

Anti-Trust Policy

  • Do not enter into any agreements with other Association members regarding or affecting prices
  • Do not discuss what you charge for your services with other members.
  • Do not agree with other members on pricing or profit levels.
  • Do not agree with other members to give or deny cash discounts or promotions. .
  • Do not agree with other members to give or deny credit to a specific carrier or customer, or to establish uniform credit terms.
  • Do not discuss allocation of carriers, territories, or markets.
  • Do not enter into agreements about other members’ price quotations or bids.

What You Can Do

  • Discuss better ways to educate and provide meaningful information to Association members about the industry.
  • Discuss economic trends and business forecasts, emphasizing that each company is free to use this information in the way it sees fit and should make its own business decisions.
  • Discuss technological advances and better ways to utilize them.
  • Do not discuss allocation of carriers, territories, or markets.
  • Discuss ways to improve the public image of the industry.

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