Don H. Norman Associates, Inc. (DNA) was established as an entrepreneurial venture in 1952. During its formative years, the company was essentially the Washington representative/liaison to the former Interstate Commerce Commission for the major motor carrier rate-making bureaus.

From its offices within the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) Building, the initial services included "watching service" of rates and decisions released daily by the Commission; rate quotations and analysis; research of operating rights, financial data and other public documents.

Responsive to the demands of the industry, additional services were added which included authority applications, tariff publications, applications for rule relief and protest/reply statements for changes in the rate structure. Shortly thereafter, DNA extended its regulatory transportation expertise into the merger and acquisition field, and its practice to the Civil Aeronautics Board and Federal Maritime Commission. In essence, DNA became an extension of its clients' traffic department.

DNA managed the Mobile Housing Carriers Conference, a Section 5(a) rate bureau representing transporters of mobile homes and modular buildings. Through our input to Military Traffic Management Command, we were instrumental in establishing the initial tender of service by those carriers to the MTMC.

The recession of the early 1980's, together with substantial deregulation of both rail and motor carriers, also brought an upheaval to the company. The upward spiral of commercial tariff publication, contested authority applications, challenges to changes in the rate structure became a part of history.

DNA performed the initial rate research and analysis in the Maislin case heard before the Supreme Court, which decided the future of the "filed rate doctrine." We also produced for the shipper the rate analysis which produced the first rate reasonableness decision by the ICC in "Georgia-Pacific Corporation -- Petition for Declaratory Order -- Certain rates and practices of Oneida Motor Freight, Inc." (Docket 40265)

A major rail carrier utilized the technical expertise of our company in a two-year program to provide source pricing updates and analysis for conversion of that carrier's tariff format pricing to an electronic storage and retrieval system. At the conclusion of that program, we were awarded the Marketing Service Department's Special Recognition Award for Performance and Achievement. This was the first and only time this award has been given to an outside firm.

Our broad background in the regulatory process has allowed our firm to effectively represent many companies' trucking interests.


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