STB, up to speed: Democrat nominee Mulvey has the experience for the job, but shippers will want empathy. (US Surface Transportation Board, Frank Mulvey).(Rail & Intermodal)

Frank Mulvey has a simple explanation for why Sen. Tom Daschle, D-N.D., recommended that the White House nominate him to the Surface Transportation Board:

"I guess because he thought I was qualified for the position."

But to shipper representatives in Washington these days, being qualified may not be enough.

After consecutive rate case decisions in November and December that observers believe boosted the railroads' market power, rail shippers are anxious for someone who will provide some counterweight on a board that some shippers believe is stacked against them.

In a recent interview, Mulvey, nominated to fill one of the two vacant positions on the three-member board that oversees the railroads, wouldn't discuss the specifics of Duke Power vs. Norfolk Southern or Carolina Power & Light. He noted he has yet to be …