Antipooling

adjectiveStandard termRailroad

A historic regulatory policy that prevented competing railroads from combining their freight traffic or revenues.

Regulatory laws and policies designed to stop rival railroad companies from forming cartels to share freight tonnage or divide profits. These rules were enacted to force true competition on rates and service between carriers operating in the same territory, preventing monopolies from fixing prices against shippers.

Heard on the job

The old antipooling regulations meant both roads had to run half-empty trains just to keep their market share.