A license is not required in the following circumstances:

(a) Shippers. Any person whose primary business is the sale of merchandise may, without a license, dispatch and perform freight forwarding services on behalf of its own shipments, or on behalf of shipments or consolidated shipments of a parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or associated company. Such person shall not receive compensation from the common carrier for any services rendered in connection with such shipments.

(b) Agents, employees, or branch offices of an ocean transportation intermediary.

(1) A disclosed agent, individual employee, or branch office of an ocean transportation intermediary is not required to be licensed in order to act on behalf of and in the name of such ocean transportation intermediary.

(2) An ocean transportation intermediary must report branch offices to the Commission in Form FMC-18 or under the procedures in §515.20(e).

(3) An ocean transportation intermediary is fully responsible for the acts and omissions of any of its employees and agents that are performed in connection with the conduct of the ocean transportation intermediary's business.

(c) Common carriers. A common carrier, or agent thereof, may perform ocean freight forwarding services without a license only with respect to cargo carried under such carrier's own bill of lading. Charges for such forwarding services shall be assessed in conformance with the carrier's published tariffs.

(d) Federal military and civilian household goods. Any person which exclusively transports used household goods and personal effects for the account of the Department of Defense, or for the account of the federal civilian executive agencies shipping under the International Household Goods Program administered by the General Services Administration, or both, is not subject to the requirements of subpart B of this part, but may be subject to other requirements, such as alternative surety bonding, imposed by the Department of Defense, or the General Services Administration.

[80 FR 68731, Nov. 5, 2015, as amended at 85 FR 9683, Feb. 20, 2020]