common carrier

plural common carriers

1. rail transportA person or company that undertakes to transport goods for the general public or passengers on regular routes at agreed rates.

   The railways were 'common carriers' - they had to move any load they were offered, even if it was uneconomic to do so. Road hauliers could pick and choose their loads.

   2021 August 25, Richard Foster, “The rise and fall of railway's Big Four...”, in RAIL, number 938, page 56

   2 more examples

   Baldwin built the biggest by virtue of its rapport with the U.S. Steel roads. The largest of these properties is the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range. The Missabe is, to be sure, no granger; indeed DM&IR is only technically a common carrier.

   1959, David P. Morgan, editor, Steam's Finest Hour, Kalmbach Publishing Co., page 41

   Equally to be expected, in view of the trend of Government legislation and pronouncements over the past few years—but no less epoch-making for that—is the proposal that the railways and canals shall cease to be common carriers and be entirely free to fix their own passenger and freight charges, [...].

   1961 December, “Editorial: Führerprinzip for nationalised transport”, in Trains Illustrated, page 705

2. UScommunicationsA company providing public telecommunications facilities.