DISTRIBUTION PUBLICATIONS, INC.

Distribution-Publications, Inc. also known as DPI, provides a professional service for Ocean Carriers, NVOCCs and Terminal Operators subject to the tariff publication regulations of the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). This includes :

* Tariff publication in compliance with FMC Regulations.
* Timely confirmation of via e-mail and web.
* Publication of comprehensive tariff page documents in traditional format.
* FMC-compliant maintenance of tariffs on an Internet accessible database.

Who needs to publish a tariff?

- VOCC and NVOCC Tariffs: Each Vessel Operating Common Carrier (VOCC) or Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) serving the foreign commerce of the USA must publish a tariff listing "all rates, charges, classifications, rules, and practices." Tariffs must meet detailed requirements enforced by the FMC. These rates must include current freight rates. DPI provides a convenient and cost-effective tariff publication service that meets all FMC requirements issued in 46 CFR Part 520. For new carriers, we offer a tariff that provides all FMC required rules, the full text of your bill of lading, and commonly used commercial regulations.

- MTO Tariffs: Each Marine Terminal Operator (MTO) subject to the Shipping Act, may at its discretion, may make available to the public a tariff providing a schedule of its rates, regulations, and practices. DPI provides a complete tariff publication service for marine terminal operators in compliance with FMC regulations issued in 46 CFR Part 525. DPI publishes terminal tariffs on the web, in hard copy and in Adobe PDF formats.

To view examples of VOCC , NVOCC and Terminal Tariffs published by DPI, please enroll for a free Member ID, login, and select tariffs.

New Tariff Publication by DPI

DPI has published thousands of tariffs for clients around the globe. When you publish your tariff with DPI, we ensure more than just basic compliance with FMC tariff regulations. Our multilingual staff will recommend cost-effective tariff filing strategies, and show you how filing rates in your tariff can help you maximize your company's efficiency. Our online system allows for 24/7 access to tariff information and our simplified Filing Request Form makes rate filing easy and efficient.

Call or email DPI today to learn how we can help your company not only comply with FMC tariff publication requirements, but take advantage of tariff rate data to streamline your business and get a competitive edge.

Transfer an Existing Tariff to DPI

Lost in a sea of regulation? DPI has helped hundreds of clients with existing tariffs make the move to DPI and gain the knowledge they need to comply with U.S. Federal Maritime Regulations while increasing efficiency and lowering costs. We serve Ocean Carriers, NVOCCs, and Marine Terminal Operators.

Transferring an existing tariff to DPI is easy, call today to speak with a representative about how we can help you maintain a compliant tariff without compromising your company's goals.

Tariffs published by DPI are provided to tariff owners as PDF files. The PDF tariffs provide a complete copy of the tariff as of the PDF issue date. The layout of the PDF tariffs is identical to the traditional printed tariffs published by DPI, and may be easily printed. All the benefits of the traditional tariff page format are provided, plus the PDF tariffs provide a unique system of bookmarks and indexes that allow for quick access to tariff rules and commodity rates. Updated PDF tariff files are available on CD-ROM disks, or via download from the DPI web site.

DPI provides each client with Excel Rate Reports. The Excel Rate Report provides all rates on file in the tariff as of the Report issue date. The layout of the Excel Rate Report may be easily printed, sorted and edited to your specifications. Customized Excel Rate Reports can be sent directly to you or your staff. Please speak to a DPI representative for more information.

Click here to see a sample Excel Rate Report.
Sample Excel

DPI issues each client a comprehensive Confirmation Report to confirm tariff filing completion. These Reports are sent out to each client via email the day following tariff filings and are also available 24/7 via our web site. The Confirmation Report includes all filings made on behalf of the client on the date the Report was issued.

Click here to see a sample Confirmation Report.
Sample Confirmation Report

Distribution-Publications, Inc. (DPI) provides a professional service for Ocean Carriers, NVOCCs and Marine Terminal Operators subject to the tariff publication regulations of the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). DPI's services are as follows:

DATABASE MAINTENANCE: According to FMC regulations, all FMC-regulated Ocean Common Carriers, NVOCCs, and Marine Terminal Operators are required to maintain a complete and accurate record of each tariff published for five years. DPI maintains each customer's tariff in an Internet-accessible database in compliance with FMC regulations. To recover costs associated with this requirement we assess an annual fee of $432 per customer. DPI does not assess a minimum monthly fee; if a tariff is not updated, no charges are incurred beyond the annual database maintenance fee.

ADOBE PDF TARIFFS: Each tariff publishing customer is provided with their own tariffs in Adobe PDF format at no added charge. The Adobe PDF tariffs created by DPI provide complete tariff information in a single file using traditional tariff page format and bookmarks that make them easy to navigate. Please see PDFs or My Downloads on our web site for details.

ASSESSORIALS AND TABLES: As an optional service, DPI can provide assessorials and table programming to support "bottom-line rate” calculation used by ATFI compatible systems.

NEGOTIATED RATE ARRANGEMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: As an optional service, DPI offers an NRA Management System (NRAMS) to assist its licensed NVOCC customers with FMC requirements for Negotiated Rate Agreements (NRAs). This system maintains NRA history in a secure database and includes built-in quality controls to ensure NRA data is created and maintained in compliance with FMC regulations. The annual fee for NRAMS is $396.

REGULATORY CONSULTATION AND RESEARCH: As an optional service, DPI offers its expertise to clients in need of assistance with service contracts, agreements, Special Permission, Docket Applications, and OTI License Applications. The FMC license fees quoted herein are assessed by FMC and are subject to change by FMC.

SIGNALS™: All customers receive a complimentary subscription to SIGNALS™, the newsletter of Distribution-Publications, Inc., which provides detailed and timely information on new FMC regulations and enforcement activities.

WEB SITE ACCESS: Tariffs published by DPI are accessible at https://www.dpiusa.com. Tariff rules published by DPI are available to the public at no charge. Tariff publishing customers are provided with a User ID and password to access their own rate and rules tariffs at no added charge. Additional User IDs are available at a fee of $50 per quarter. Web access to all FMC rate tariffs published by DPI is available to the general public for a fee of $100 per month, with a minimum enrollment of three months (access to the tariff rules is free of charge to the public).

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:   All services are provided are subject to the terms and conditions, which are also printed on the reverse of our Price List.

* Shipping Act. This document contains the full text of the Shipping Act of 1984 with amendments made by the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998 (OSRA). This is the re-codified version of the Act as provided in 46 U.S.C. 40101 thru 41309.

* Complete FMC Regulations. This document contains the full text as published in the US Code of Federal Regulations 46-CFR Part 500 Series.

* Select the Electronic Reading Room on the FMC home page to get access to Dockets, Orders, Proposed and Final Rules, and other information made public by the FMC.

* FMC news releases may be viewed and searched accessed on its home page.

* An extensive and useful list of frequently asked questions and answers is provided by FMC via its home page.

* The FMC’s Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services (CADRS) provides a number of services designed to assist shippers, carriers, cruise operators and other industry participants resolve commercial disputes or problems related to the business practices of regulated entities.  This Office can be contacted at tel: 202-523-5087 or email: complaints@fmc.gov

The Federal Maritime Commission’s rules on NVOCC Negotiated Rate Arrangements (NRAs) provide an additional pricing option for NVOCCs.

What is an NRA?
A Negotiated Rate Arrangement (NRA) is a written arrangement between an NVOCC and an NRA Shipper to provide specific transportation service for a stated cargo quantity, from origin to destination, on and after receipt of the cargo by the NVOCC.

NRAs may act as a substitute for tariff rate filings – this means rates in NRAs do not need to be filed into FMC tariffs. This offers an exemption for qualified NVOCCs from filing and publishing tariff rates in their FMC tariffs.

NRAs can be used to provide freight rates for specific commodities, or can apply on Cargo, N.O.S. and thereby apply to all kinds of cargo tendered by the shipper who agrees to it. An NRA can be effective for any time period but does have important limitations to consider as detailed below.

What is required to use NRAs?
NRAs are available only to Non-Vessel Operating Common Carriers (NVOCCs) that are licensed (NVOCCs in the USA) or registered (NVOCCs outside of the USA), with a posted notice in a publicly accessible FMC tariff indicating your company’s use of the NRA filing option. DPI’s suggested NRA Rule helps many our customers quickly satisfy this notice requirement. NVOCCs must also end all tariff access charges to their FMC rules tariff. DPI’s standard tariff publishing services help satisfy many of these requirements for our Members.

Once an NVOCC satisfies the requirements above, it must do three key things:

• a. Change its rate quotation format to make these into NRAs that comply with the new FMC regulations;
• b. Ensure that the terms of the NRA are agreed to by both parties. See ‘NRA Agreements’ below;
• c. Put procedures in place to maintain NRA records as required by the new regulations.

NRA Agreements
An NRA must be agreed to by both parties before the NVOCC receives the shipment covered by the NRA. This agreement can be in the form of written communication (email), or a signed agreement, or with the NRA Shipper’s booking of a shipment after receiving the NRA terms from the NVOCC.

To use the NRA Shipper’s booking of a shipment as the NRA agreement, FMC requires the NRA terms to include the following text in bold font and all uppercase letters: THE SHIPPER'S BOOKING OF CARGO AFTER RECEIVING THE TERMS OF THIS NRA OR NRA AMENDMENT CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF THE RATES AND TERMS OF THIS NRA OR NRA AMENDMENT. All NRA offers created on DPI’s NRA Management System (NRAMS) include this text by default.

NRA Amendments
Effective 22Aug2018, NRAs may be amended after the time the initial shipment is received by the NVOCC, but such changes may only apply prospectively to shipments not yet received by the NVOCC.

Surcharges, Assessorial Charges, and GRIs
If the rate is not an “all-inclusive” rate, the NRA must specify whether additional surcharges, assessorial charges, or ocean common carrier General Rate Increases (GRIs) will apply.

The NRA may list additional charges in the NRA notes, including pass-through charges, or reference specific charges in the NVOCC’s rules tariff. If these additional charges are in the NVOCC’s rules tariff, those charges and amounts are FIXED once the first shipment has been received by the NVOCC. Only an amendment of the NRA will result in updated references to rules and charges in the NVOCC’s tariff. This is an important consideration for NVOCCs thinking about using NRAs.

For any pass-through charge for which a specific amount is not included in the NRA or the rules tariff, the NVOCC may only invoice the shipper for charges that the NVOCC incurs, with no markup.

Limitations of NRAs
While NRAs present an attractive new pricing option for NVOCCs, they do have two critical limitations.

First, the charges and amounts applicable to an NRA that are filed in the NVOCC’s rules tariff are FIXED once the first shipment has been received by the NVOCC. An amendment and new agreement to the amended NRA is required before applying any updates surcharges, assessorial charges, and GRIs in the NVOCC’s rules tariff.

Second, NRAs are subject to inspection and reproduction requests by the FMC. The regulations require NVOCCs to produce requested NRAs promptly in response to any request by FMC. All records produced must be in English or be accompanied by a certified English translation. It is also very important to note all NVOCCs must continue to maintain tariffs - these are required by FMC for tariff rules, and for tariff rate history.

Changes to FMC’s regulations governing NRAs
The Federal Maritime Commission established NRAs as a new pricing option for licensed NVOCCs effective April 18, 2011.

On July 19, 2013 the FMC amended its regulations and made the NRA option available to all NVOCCs. FMC Docket 11-22 amended the FMC regulations in 46 CFR Part 532 to give NVOCCs outside the USA the option to use NRAs.

On August 22, 2018 the FMC amended its regulations again. FMC Docket 17-10 amended the FMC regulations in 46 CFR Part 532 to authorize NRA amendments, the use of shipper’s booking as acceptance of NRA offers, the ability to add third party pass-through assessorial charges, and allowing non-rate economic terms in NRAs.

How can DPI help with the NRA requirements?
An NVOCC may do all this on its own, or utilize a third party to help. As an optional service, DPI offers an NRA Management System (NRAMS) to assist its Members with these requirements. Our NRAMS provides a menu driven procedure for creating new NRAs via a web browser, offering these to shippers, obtaining shipper acceptance, and updating status. It maintains NRA history in a secure database with appropriate data security. Quality controls built into NRAMS ensure all FMC required data is included. Easy access to your tariff rules, especially surcharge rules, is a key feature of NRAMS. Changes to NRA status are tracked by NRAMS and confirmed via automated emails.

Watch DPI's informational video on NRAs for information regarding the NRA requirements and a look at DPI's NRA Management System (NRAMS).

Click here to view a sample of an NRA created, saved and offered to an NRA Shipper via NRAMS.

The annual fee for NRAMS is US$ 396 – this provides unlimited use for one User ID, with no transaction fees. DPI Members who qualify can begin using NRAMS very quickly. If your company's tariff is maintained at www.dpiusa.com you qualify. DPI already provides public access to your FMC tariff rules free of charge – this has been a standard part of our FMC tariff publishing services since May 1999. You will only need to add the NRA rule to your existing tariff, and agree to the terms and fees for NRAMS. Click on the button below or contact your DPI Account Representative to request the authorization agreement for NRAMS. We will send it to you promptly along with additional details that explain how NRAMS will provide you with a paperless solution for NRA management.

The FMC provides a web page that summarizes the NRA requirements and the steps an NVOCC must take in order to use NRAs. See our NRA Management System Information Sheet for a summary of NRAs and NRAMS.

Tariff Rate Filing, NRA or NSA - which should an NVOCC use now?
Do you have questions about the recent changes to FMC’s tariff regulations for NVOCCs? Click here to see an updated summary and analysis written by DPI’s President, James Devine, on 22Aug2018 that will help answer your questions:

FMC Tariff Rule and Rate Filing Requirements for NVOCCs