Common Carrier

Common carrier is a licensed individual or company that renders its services to the general public for transportation of people, goods or property from one place to another in exchange of payment from any person or business. A common carrier is authorized by law to provide transport to the general public, is responsible for safeguarding the goods and persons and for any loss or damage that may occur during the transport. Common carriers are required to demonstrate that they are “fit, willing and able” and are impartial in carrying out the authority vested upon them to provide transport to the general public.

Legal aspects
Common carriers are governed by special laws and regulations and they are, by law held fully liable in case of damage or loss. However, there are exceptions to the general rule. The presence of these exceptions may be a ground not to impose the prescribed penalties to the common carrier. One of the exceptions is an act of Nature .If a sea carrier acted with reasonable care in transporting goods but an act of nature such as fire or unforeseen storm intervened and wrecked or caused damage to the ship including the goods it carried, then the common carrier may escape liability. This is of course if there is an absence of negligence such as ignoring a storm declaration, on the part of the common carrier. The rest of the exceptions for the common carriers to be exempted from liability are act of the public enemies, fault of the shipper and inherent defect in the goods.

Common carriers generally render land, air and sea transportation services for business purposes. Examples of common carriers are taxis, buses, trains, ships, airplanes and in some states, limousine services and amusement parks with rides like roller coasters. As mentioned, common carriers assume responsibility for full protection of the subjects of their transport services and liability in case of any loss and damages of goods or lives. The major and most common incident where common carriers are held liable is when there is negligence on the part of the transport vehicle driver. Accidents may result from over speeding, maintenance failure or inadequate or lack of training on the part of the driver.

Whenever you encounter an accident, it is relevant to of course get medical attention and file a police report in the absence of the law enforcement officials on the scene. Then you can submit a claim on the damages or the injuries you suffered from the accident. It is important to remember that some states don’t honor claims that are submitted 6 months or more after the occurrence of the accident.

Accidents can pretty much be avoided by practicing different preventive measures. However, they are also inevitable and the need for protection carries along with using any mode of transportation. Insurance for common carriers specializes in covering accidents while you are using a common carrier. It pays benefits if you are injured or pays your beneficiary in case you are killed in the accident. Insurance for common carriers applies to accidents which occur when you are using airplanes, ships, taxis, trains and buses when traveling.