A truckload carrier company headquartered in Nebraska, Seward Motor Freight, Inc., can trace its origins back to the 1940s, and in 1969 the company was incorporated when purchased by Wayne and Joan Tanderup. In the following years, the owners of Seward Motor Freight filed for authority from the Interstate Commerce Commission, obtaining permission to cross state lines which gave the company the ability to carry freight throughout the contiguous United States of America.
Founded in the 1880s, the Interstate Commerce Commission came about as a way to regulate the railroads. As the first federal regulatory entity in the United States, the commission governed how railroads charged for passage and freight.
By 1940, the commission had extended into other areas of transportation, including trucking. Members of the commission were given the power to examine and establish fair rates across several transportation sectors. The commission lost jurisdiction over certain aspects of trucking and rail as a result of a move toward deregulation in 1980, when the Staggers Rail Act and the Motor Carriers Act were passed. Both pieces of legislation were intended to loosen federal control over the rail and trucking industries.
After the Interstate Commerce Commission disbanded in 1995, its responsibilities were dispersed between other federal agencies, such as the Federal Highway Administration and the Surface Transportation Board.
