[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 49, Volume 5]
[Revised as of October 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 49CFR378.9]

[Page 146-147]
 
                        TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION
 
                      DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
 
PART 378_PROCEDURES GOVERNING THE PROCESSING, INVESTIGATION, AND 
DISPOSITION OF OVERCHARGE, DUPLICATE PAYMENT, OR OVERCOLLECTION CLAIMS--
 
Sec.  378.9  Disposition of unidentified payments, overcharges, duplicate 
payments, and overcollections not supported by claims.

    (a)(1) Carriers shall establish procedures for identifying and 
properly applying all unidentified payments. If a carrier does not have 
sufficient information with which properly to apply

[[Page 147]]

such a payment, the carrier shall notify the payor of the unidentified 
payment within 60 days of receipt of the payment and request information 
which will enable it to identify the payment. If the carrier does not 
receive the information requested within 90 days from the date of the 
notice, the carrier may treat the unidentified payment as a payment in 
fact of freight charges owing to it. Following the 90-day period, the 
regular claims procedure under this part shall be applicable.
    (2) Notice shall be in writing and clearly indicate that it is a 
final notice and not a bill. Notice shall include: The check number, 
amount, and date; the payor's name; and any additional basic information 
the carrier is able to provide. The final notice also must inform payor 
that: (i) Applicable regulations allow the carrier to conditionally 
retain the payment as revenue in the absence of a timely response by the 
payor; and (ii) following the 90-day period the regular claims procedure 
shall be applicable.
    (3) Upon a carrier's receipt of information from the payor, the 
carrier shall, within 14 days: (i) Make a complete refund of such funds 
to the payor; or (ii) notify the payor that the information supplied is 
not sufficient to identify the unapplied payment and request additional 
information; or (iii) notify the payor of the carrier's determination 
that such payment was applicable to particular freight charges lawfully 
due the carrier. Where no refund is made by the carrier, the carrier 
shall advise the payor of its right to file a formal claim for refund 
with the carrier in accordance with the regular claims procedure under 
this part.
    (b) When a carrier which participates in a transportation movement, 
but did not collect the transporation charges, finds that an overpayment 
has been made, that carrier shall immediately notify the collecting 
carrier. When the collecting carrier (when single or joint line haul) 
discovers or is notified by such a participating carrier that an 
overcharge, duplicate payment, or overcollection exists for any 
tranportation charge which has not been the subject of a claim, the 
carrier shall create a file as if a claim had been submitted and shall 
record in the file the date it discovered or was notified of the 
overpayment. The carrier that collected the charges shall then refund 
the amount of the overpayment to the person who paid the transportation 
charges or to the person that made duplicate payment within 30 days from 
the date of such discovery or notification.

[43 FR 41040, Sept. 14, 1978, as amended at 44 FR 66832, Nov. 21, 1979]