In the 1983 case Interstate Commerce Commission et al. v. American Trucking Associations, Inc., et al., the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). The court held that ICC's decision to exempt certain types of transportation from regulation was within its power and did not violate any statutory requirements. The American Trucking Associations had argued that ICC overstepped its authority by granting these exemptions without considering whether they were in line with national transportation policy or if they would negatively impact regulated carriers' competitive position. However, the Supreme Court disagreed, stating that Congress gave broad discretion to ICC when it came to determining which forms of transport should be subject to regulation.

In the dissenting opinion for Interstate Commerce Commission v. American Trucking Associations, Inc., Justice White argued that the majority had misinterpreted Congress's intent in passing the Motor Carrier Act of 1980. He believed that Congress intended to give truckers more freedom from regulation rather than imposing additional restrictions on them as interpreted by the majority. The justice also disagreed with how much deference was given to administrative agencies like ICC in interpreting ambiguous statutes, arguing that courts should not simply accept an agency's interpretation without scrutinizing it thoroughly first. Furthermore, he criticized the court for failing to consider whether ICC’s new rule was a reasonable policy choice and instead focusing solely on its legal permissibility under Chevron doctrine.