Customer Support Ruling

Motor Common Carrier Tariffs – Media Mail
Updated January 2001

PS-102 (473.2.2)

This Customer Support Ruling discusses the eligibility of motor common carrier tariffs at the Media Mail rates of postage.

Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) 473.2.2*, provides that books, including books issued to supplement other books, of at least eight printed pages, consisting wholly of reading matter, or scholarly bibliography or reading matter with incidental blank spaces for notations and containing no advertising matter other than incidental announcements of books may be mailed at the Media Mail rate of postage.

The term "tariff" in this ruling refers to a publication devoted to common carrier information on any or all of the following: rates, charges, classification ratings, rules, and regulations.  It may be in the form of a rate tabular listing of classification of articles or commodities, or a codification of rules and regulations or incidental charges.

The data referred to in the above paragraph is considered reading matter.  It is not considered to be advertising matter for postal purposes.  Thus, motor common carrier tariffs and their supplements are mailable at the Media Mail rate of postage for books provided they have at least eight printed pages, and do not contain advertising matter.  If the copies do not meet these requirements, they are subject to the applicable Standard Mail rate or Parcel Post rate according to weight.

*See also DMM 173.3.2 and 373.2.2.

(Signed)
Sherry Suggs
Manager
Mailing Standards
United States Postal Service
Washington DC 20260-3436