Deck 12: Governmental Roles in Transportation

Question 1

The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) is usually described as:

A) an arm of the Congress
B) an expert body providing a continuity to regulation that neither the courts nor legislature could do.
C) the reason that the railroad industry was in such poor condition prior to 1980
D) an agency with somewhat limited powers

Answer 1

an expert body providing a continuity to regulation that neither the courts nor legislature could do.

Question 2

Amtrak was created to:

A) relieve the railroads of the burden of non-profitable passenger business
B) allow federal planners to create a balanced system without the profit motive of the private sector
C) Be the first step towards nationalization of the modes of transportation
D) relieve the pressure of automobile traffic on the highways by providing an alternate mode of transport.

Answer 2

relieve the railroads of the burden of non-profitable passenger business

Question 3

Transportation project planning is:

A) a public activity seeking increased trade and lower cost of living
B) best done by the private sector as they recognize return on investment
C) accomplished with little regard to financial return
D) not concerned with congestion

Answer 3

a public activity seeking increased trade and lower cost of living

Question 4

Domestic water carriers have received two major forms of federal promotion. They are:

A) research that led to bigger and more powerful tugboats
B) subsidies to plants that located on rivers to use barges
C) the work done by the Army Corp of Engineers and the Coast Guard
D) exempting water carrier from regulation and ice breakers on the Mississippi River

Question 5

What is the formal method used by Congress to influence national transportation?

A) congressional committees
B) appointment of the heads of the STB and FMC
C) formulating laws
D) standing committees

Question 6

Some railroads have benefited from:

A) imposition of federal safety regulations relieving the carrier of this task
B) subsidies to operate abandoned rail lines the states and others continue to operate
C) the government operated research facility at Pueblo, Colorado
D) the new hours of service for truck drivers which reduced their productivity

Question 7

Industry associations serve two purposes in connection with policy development. They:

A) Lobby and raise funds for political parties
B) Meet with regulators and state agencies
C) Develop policy and position papers
D) develop proposed legislative and administrative ruling concepts, or serve as a united front to proposals harmful to the group

Question 8

Since the economic deregulation of the modes, safety regulations:

A) have received greater attention
B) have also been deregulated
C) Have been delegated to the states funded with block grants
D) Were turned over to the Department of Homeland Security

Question 9

Which mode is not covered under the National Transportation Policy?

A) Water carries
B) Exempt carriers
C) Air carriers
D) Rail carriers

Question 10

While the motor carrier industry does not receive any direct government promotion, they still benefit from:

A) the oversight provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
B) the highway trust fund
C) research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
D) the fact that most highway projects are done with government funds.

Question 11

States can regulate:

A) interstate commerce
B) interstate commerce if it terminates in that state
C) certain safety issues that do not create an undue burden on interstate commerce
D) intrastate commerce if it originates and terminates in that state

Question 12

What agency was created to secure America from terrorist attacks?

A) Coast Guard
B) Department of Homeland Security
C) The Special Forces
D) Federal Bureau of Investigation

Question 13

Which sentence best describes the current regulation of transportation?

A) The federal government controls all aspects of transportation
B) The federal government has removed most economic control but continues to oversee aspects of transportation safety
C) The government still economically regulates portions of the motor carrier industry
D) The airline industry is free of all regulation but the railroads are still closely regulated

Question 14

Which legal system relies upon principles or rules of law that were developed from court decisions?

A) statutory
B) judicial memory
C) common law
D) common market

Question 15

Which is a major controversy regarding the Federal Highway Trust Fund?

A) whether the remaining portions of the federal suburban highway system will ever be built
B) whether it is legitimate to collect federal excise taxes on road tires
C) whether taxes should still be collected since the interstate highway system is 96 percent complete and it is doubtful if the remaining 4 percent will be constructed
D) whether states should obtain revenues through vehicle registration fees that are assessed on a vehicle weight basis

Question 16

What is the federal government's policy toward transportation?

A) It allows the market to control all aspects of transportation
B) a series of often conflicting programs driven by politics
C) that this is an issue for the states
D) is composite of laws, rules, funding programs and regulatory agencies

Question 17

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) was created to:

A) pay subsidies to U.S. flag carriers who were having difficulty competing against foreign carriers.
B) be certain that there would be employment for U.S. sailors and mariners
C) prevent the economic decline of the U.S. flag ocean carriers
D) Address the needs of ship lines and builders wanting federal aid.

Question 18

User fees:

A) do not impact wasteful use
B) Are designed to discourage use of a facility by private firms
C) may equalize intermodal competition
D) encourage private investment

Question 19

The benefits of a public planning project could be:

A) facilitation of trade movement
B) increases social cost of delay
C) provides services in competition to those private industry would invest in
D) to create long term entitlements

Question 20

What is the best justification for a national transportation policy?

A) without one each mode would optimize its own operations
B) the business community would impose its will on the carriers
C) national dependence upon the transportation systems of other countries and the nation's ability to be competitive
D) the significance of transportation to commerce and defense

Question 21

The Robinson-Patman Act:

A) Prohibits sellers from practicing price discrimination among buyers
B) Was created in 1890
C) Came about due to the dot com boom in the 1990s
D) Was declared illegal in 2010

Question 22

What is statutory law based on?

Question 23

Why are the timing and time value of funds important in any capital project analysis?

Question 24

The Staggers Act of 1980:

A) Founded two new rail associations
B) Eliminated many of the exemptions from antitrust laws
C) Abolished the Motor Carrier Act
D) Does not exist

Question 25

Why was the Department of Homeland Security established? Pick one of its component parts, name and define its role.

Question 26

Transportation project planning is described as a public activity where purely financial return is not the overriding benefit to be attained. Give the reasons why this activity is a major part of the public activity in the U.S. economy.

Question 27

What the primary mission of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration?

Question 28

Describe the key provisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995.

Question 29

Transportation safety continues to receive significant government attention. Is this linked to economic deregulation? Explain your answer. What is the intent of federal safety regulations?

Question 30

What does common law rely upon?

Question 31

The establishment of transportation policy and the development of transportation is complicated by the number of groups that are involved. Which groups are involved?

Question 32

What is the role of regulatory commissions? How do the courts complement that role?

Question 33

Discuss the rationale and problems associated with assessing user charges against carriers.

Question 34

Which legal system is based upon the Roman legal system?

A) Statutory law
B) judicial memory
C) common law
D) common market

Question 35

What is the role of the executive branch in connection with establishment of transportation policy?

Question 36

Describe the key governmental agencies involved in transportation safety and the transportation area they deal with.

Question 37

What is the role of industry associations in connection with policy development?

Question 38

What law allowed collective rate making by the transportation carriers?

A) The Sherman anti-trust act of 1890
B) The Clayton Act of 1914
C) The Reed-Bulwinkle Act of 1948
D) The Robinson-Patman Act of 1936

Question 39

What is a "per se" violation under Anti-trust law?

Question 40

The FAA provides which of the following?

A) Aircraft safety rules
B) Aircraft construction rules
C) Pilot certification
D) All of these are correct.

Question 41

What are the various forms of government benefit the domestic air carriers receive?

Question 42

Describe the purpose of transportation policy.

Question 43

Describe the key statements with respect to pipeline national transportation policy that were included in the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-88):

Question 44

Describe the key statements with on national transportation policy with respect to the railroad industry that were included in the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-88):