In re Archer Messenger Service, Inc.

43 Fla. Supp. 128
CourtFlorida Public Service Commission
DecidedOctober 10, 1975
DocketDocket No. 72523-CCT; Order No. 12364
StatusPublished

This text of 43 Fla. Supp. 128 (In re Archer Messenger Service, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Florida Public Service Commission primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Archer Messenger Service, Inc., 43 Fla. Supp. 128 (Fla. Super. Ct. 1975).

Opinion

BY THE COMMISSION.

Pursuant to notice the commission by its designated hearing examiner, Leon F. Olmstead, held public hearings on this matter in Miami on April, 3, 4, 5, 6, 19 and 20, 1973.

By Order No. 12091 issued on May 14, 1975, this commission denied the application of Archer Messenger Service, Inc. (hereinafter Archer). Upon further consideration and for the reasons set forth hereinbelow, the commission has determined that Order No. 12091 should be reconsidered.

Following the denial of the application, Archer filed an extensive petition for reconsideration which in essence argued that the protestants herein were unable to serve the needs demonstrated by its supporting shippers and receivers. Protestants, Harper Delivery Service, Inc., et al, and Purolator Courier Corporation filed replies to the petition for reconsideration. Both assert the correctness of Order No. 12091.

Archer has applied for authority to transport in common carriage, between points in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, the following commodities —

1. Advertising material, proofs, cuts, mats, engravings, and related printed material and paper documents related thereto; press and news releases to the media;
2. Accounting data from or to stock brokerage houses, attorneys, accountants or real estate developers;
[130]*1303. Samples of manufactured products moving to or from retail outlets;
4. Exposed or processed film and prints, and electronic tapes and records;
5. Whole human blood, pacemakers and machines to be inserted into human body, blood derivatives, laboratory samples, specimens, parts of human anatomy, tissue sample serum specimens, medications and documents and records related thereto and hospital supplies and material; restricted against temperature control vehicles or use of dry ice for temperature control;
6. Data tapes, keypunch cards, microfilm, business papers, records and documents; restricted against movements from and to banks, banking institutions and banking service institutions, including computer centers on the premises of banks, as well as computer centers serving banks or owned by a bank;
7. Print cuts, critical replacement parts and machines used in connection with data processing; and lighting supplies;
8. Blueprints, building plans designs, building models, engineering tracing prints, material or supplies, flowers, and floral arrangements.

All shippers shall enjoy exclusive use of the vehicle in which their merchandise travels. All deliveries shall be performed within four hours of pickup.

Under the authority requested herein the applicant proposes an on-call, expedited, messenger service operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week which will pick up items as requested, transport them directly to the destination with delivery within four hours of pickup and, if necessary, wait for the item and continue it to another destination or return to the point of origin. Each shipper will have exclusive use of the vehicle while making his delivery.

As each delivery is completed, the driver will check with the dispatcher, either by telephone or radio, for further instructions. If there is no dispatch waiting for him at that time, he will stand by at that location until needed. Drivers will return to the office only to turn in their receipts and reports when going off duty.

Under its present operations in the Miami area all vehicles are leased from the driver and are not distinctively marked. With the grant of authority herein all vehicles will be distinctively marked by paint color and will have the company name and other required information clearly displayed thereon, the latter possibly through the use of magnetic signs. Currently only 12 vehicles are two-way radio equipped, however, additional radios are on order and additional vehicles can be leased or purchased if required. The company owners have operated a similar service in the New York area for ten years and have been providing this service in Miami since February 1, 1972, when they purchased the applicant. As we found [131]*131in Order No. 12Ó91, the applicant is qualified to render the proposed transportátion.

Thirty-four public witnesses testified in support of the application.

Nine of these witnesses were found in Order No. 12091 to have been served illegally by Archer in that transportation for them was performed beyond the exempt zone of the city in which they were located. That finding is reaffirmed herein. Their need for additional service is based on continuation of the illegal transportation provided by the applicant, therefore, their testimony must be disregarded, Camp Lumber Company v. Yarborough, 262 So.2d 649. The transportation needs of another witness are limited to the Miami exempt zone and therefore within the applicant’s present operations, and another only required emergency transportation of a 250 pound respirator between its place of business and various hospitals, which also is outside the scope of the application. The testimony of these two witnesses must also be disregarded.

The twenty-three remaining witnesses represented twenty different types of business including one law firm; a CPA firm; four advertising agencies; a trucking company; two hospitals; an interior decorator; an address list maintenance firm; a manufacturer’s representative; a collection agency; an airline; a manufacturer of “pacemakers,” artificial kidneys, catheters, etc.; a public relations and promotions firm; a stock broker; a printer; a funeral director; a real property management and sales firm; an industrial equipment sales and service agency; a paper distributor; a mobile home maintenance firm; and a mobile home owners’ association. A few had no shipping requirements to Palm Beach County, but the majority ship various items within those counties enumerated in the application, on a short notice, expedited basis, requiring pickup and delivery in the minimum possible time. Individual shipments run up to 4,000 pounds (Tr 631) and for some witnesses must be moved 24 hours a day, seven days a week (Tr 254, 348. 634 and 906). Twenty of the witnesses require exclusive use of the vehicle or were not concerned therewith so long as nothing interfered with the direct movement of their shipment from point of pickup to destination. Most of the witnesses who are located in the Miami exempt zone use the applicant’s service therein and find it satisfactory. All of the supporting witnesses need the expedited, notice service between points in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties to enable them to meet deadlines imposed by others such, as newspapers, courts, clients, competition; or, in the case of the two hospitals, to carry specimens to laboratories where time is critical to the success of the testing; or to carry blood and supplies needed for emergency treatment of patients where preservation of [132]*132human life is concerned. These witnesses are now using company-personnel for this transportation outside the Miami exempt zone which is not satisfactory.

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Related

Southern Armored Service, Inc. v. Mason
167 So. 2d 848 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1964)
Camp Lumber Co. v. Yarborough
262 So. 2d 649 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1972)

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Bluebook (online)
43 Fla. Supp. 128, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-archer-messenger-service-inc-flapubserv-1975.