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What Is a Common Carrier?

Understand how a Common Carrier fits into the supply chain

A common carrier is a company or individual, private or public, that transports goods, freight or cargo for a fee and is available to the public for hire. In common carriage, freight is moved by multiple third-party carriers on an as needed and transactional basis. Vehicles involved in common carriage can be anything that gets cargo from point A to point B, though regulatory compliance is often required depending on the type of transport being used.