In re Wade Bros.

38 Fla. Supp. 96
CourtFlorida Public Service Commission
DecidedMarch 5, 1973
DocketDocket No. 72285-KC. Order No. 10559
StatusPublished

This text of 38 Fla. Supp. 96 (In re Wade Bros.) 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 Wade Bros., 38 Fla. Supp. 96 (Fla. Super. Ct. 1973).

Opinion

BY THE COMMISSION.

By this application, Wade Brothers Transfer Company seeks a contract motor carrier certificate authorizing transportation of major appliances from Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami to all points in Florida and return, on irregular routes and schedules under contract with General Electric. The proposed contract was admitted into evidence pursuant to Commission Rule 25-5.05.

As a result of the evidence received at the above public hearing, the examiner concluded —

That the applicant is fully qualified to provide the proposed transportation;
That the contract in question seeks to provide for general commodity carriage at the FIRB tariff for general commodity carriers;
That the FIRB tariff is silent with respect to any incidental or extra labors;
That there was no mention in contract of any type service contemplated other than pure transportation;
That the contract does not contain a full disclosure of the provisions of the agreement between the parties;
[98]*98That public convenience and necessity does not require the grant of the application; and
That the grant of authority would adversely affect existing transportation facilities in the territory involved.

Accordingly, the examiner recommended that the application be denied.

Exceptions to the examiner’s recommendation were timely filed on behalf of the applicant. In its exceptions the applicant urges —

That the examiner failed to give any consideration to the needs of the public;
That the protestants cannot and will not perform the services proposed by the applicant;
That the commission has granted authority to other carriers to perform the same services as proposed by the applicant;
That thé applicant’s agreement to charge the same rates as charged by the protestants was acceptable to the commission;
That the contract was not insufficient since it set forth the proposed service in general terms with the total operation outlined in detail at the public hearing; and
That the record clearly shows a need for the proposed transportation that cannot be fulfilled by existing carriers.

Replies to the applicant’s exceptions were filed on behalf of each protestant. Generally speaking, these replies reiterated the findings and conclusions of the hearing examiner.

After a thorough examination of the entire record in this case, the commission concurs with the examiner’s finding that the applicant is fully qualified to provide the proposed transportation. The applicant is a corporation, and its president has conducted the same transportation of the type proposed here for approximately eight years with V. F. Carter Delivery Service which holds Contract Carrier Certificate No. 870.

The commission further finds that the proposed contract, when read in conjunction with the transcript of the public hearing, sufficiently outlines the operation proposed by the applicant. The contract and testimony of the applicant’s operating witness clearly indicates that the service proposed by Wade is that of a contract carrier. Wade will station equipment and maintain its office at General Electric’s facilities; it will make job site deliveries; it will assist in obtaining the appliances from the warehouse inventory in [99]*99loading them on the motor vehicle equipment; it will deliver the appliances at job sites; it will provide exact time deliveries; and it will make deliveries directly from the warehouse to the job site on the same day. At the job site Wade will perform a setup service which will include the placing of the appliances in the mobile home, apartment, or other type of residence. Wade will make certain that the equipment functions properly; it will level the appliances; arrange for the disposal of the crating material; and it will return the appliance if it fails to function properly.

The commission also finds that public convenience and necessity requires the grant of the subject application and that the grant of authority will not have a material adverse effect on existing transportation facilities. The record clearly reflects that no protestant is capable of providing the service proposed by the applicant herein. The record contains the following testimony by witnesses for the protestants —

Cross-examination of Mr. S. M. Webster, terminal manager for Alterman Transport Lines (TR. p. 177) —

Q. Now, Mr. Webster, if General Electric called your company Monday morning and said, “We have got 17 appliances and we want you to take them to Orlando to a job site and set them in,” would you be able to do that?
A. Not in the terms I have heard it illustrated today.

Cros-examination of Mr. George P. Lewis, sales representative in charge of sales and supervision of operations for Schreiber Express (TR. pgs. 187-188) —

Q. Did you advise Mr. Golgrove [General Electric] that your company could provide the setting in service?
A. No, sir.
Q. As a matter of fact, you don’t provide that service?
A. No, sir.
Q. Did you advise Mr. Golgrove that you could handle uncrated appliances?
A. No, sir.
Q. As a matter of fact, you don’t handle uncrated appliances?
A. No, sir.
Q. Did you advise Mr. Colgrove that you could make definite appointment deliveries or timed deliveries?
A. No, sir.
Q. As a matter of fact, your company doesn’t hold itself out to provide time deliveries?
[100]*100A. If we sign the bill of lading that stipulates a timed delivery, we will make every effort to perform this service.
Q. I realize that you will make effort to do it, but if you failed to do it, you are not going to agree to make payment of any claim that may result because of your failure?
A. No, sir.

Cross-examination of Mr. John F. Edwards, assistant vice president of traffic of M. R. & R. Trucking Company (TR. p. 221) —

Q. Mr. Edwards, your company holds itself out to provide uncrated service on appliances?
A. No, sir.

Cross-examination of Mr. Earl S. Joyner, vice president, Gator Freightways, Inc. (TR. pgs. 250-251) —

Q. Mr. Joyner, if your driver in his pickup and delivery unit would appear at General Electric next Monday and they had an uncrated refrigerator, what would you say?
A. At the present time I couldn’t handle it because I am almost positive that because it’s not in the tariff that we can’t handle an uncrated appliance at this time. I think it could be put in the tariff where we would be allowed to handle it.
Q.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
38 Fla. Supp. 96, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-wade-bros-flapubserv-1973.