Keystone Freight Lines, Inc. v. Pratt Thomas Truck Line, Inc.

37 F. Supp. 635, 8 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 1050, 1941 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3532
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 24, 1941
DocketNo. 584 Civil
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 37 F. Supp. 635 (Keystone Freight Lines, Inc. v. Pratt Thomas Truck Line, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Keystone Freight Lines, Inc. v. Pratt Thomas Truck Line, Inc., 37 F. Supp. 635, 8 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 1050, 1941 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3532 (W.D. Okla. 1941).

Opinion

VAUGHT, District Judge.

The plaintiff in its complaint alleges that it is a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of Oklahoma, having its principal place of business at Tulsa, Oklahoma;- that it is a citizen of that state; that it is now and has been for some years engaged in business as a common, carrier of property by motor vehicles in interstate and foreign commerce under the Motor Carrier Act of 1935, as amended, 49 U.S.C.A. Chap. 8, § 301 et seq., and also in intrastate commerce in Oklahoma, transporting commodities generally over the highways of the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Texas.

That the defendants are all corporations, individuals, or business associations engaged in business as common carriers of property by motor vehicle in interstate and foreign commerce under the Motor Carrier Act of 1935, as amended.

That in the course of the conduct of such interstate business as a common carrier, the plaintiff receives and transports shipments of property from the public generally direct from the shippers, and also receives and transports shipments initiated on the lines of other common carriers at points beyond the termini served by the plaintiff and destined to points along the routes over which plaintiff operates, which shipments it receives as a connecting or interlining carrier from such other motor carriers, the defendants herein, and receives and transports shipments originating at points along the routes which it serves destined to points beyond such routes, which it delivers to such other carriers as interlining or connecting carriers for ultimate delivery to the consignees; that in the course of the conduct of its business as such common carrier, it operates terminal facilities in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and elsewhere on its routes, and maintains and operates pickup and delivery service at such terminals.

The complaint classifies the defendants as motor carrier defendants, freight forwarding defendants, and cartage defendants, and describes particularly the functions which they perform as interstate carriers operating under said Motor Carrier Act.

The plaintiff further alleges that prior to approximately September 10, 1940, the business relations between this plaintiff and the various defendants were harmonious and that said defendants, each and all, performed their functions and duties as interstate carriers; that they received from, and delivered to, this plaintiff, freight and other commodities as provided in said Motor Carrier Act; that on or about September 20, 1940, and immediately thereafter these defendants, without notice and practically simultaneously, ceased and. refused to interchange or interline any shipments whatsoever with this plaintiff; that the freight forwarding and the cartage defendants ceased and refused to deliver or receive any freight handled by the plaintiff or have any business relations with it of any nature; that the motor carrier defendants ceased and refused to deliver shipments moving over their lines and routed by the shipper over the line of the plaintiff as a connecting carrier and diverted such shipments, contrary to the shippers’ directions, over the lines of other carriers; that said motor carrier defendants also ceased and refused to interchange unrouted shipments with the plaintiff for transportation over the plaintiff’s line, which it normally had received as a connecting carrier until such cessation, and that said defendants have discriminated against this plaintiff; that said motor carrier defendants have refused to accept and receive shipments moving over the plaintiff’s system for transportation over their respective lines as connecting carriers ; that the freight forwarding defendants ceased and refused to deliver shipments to the plaintiff for transportation after the pooled car or truck load was broken up for delivery, where the shippers had routed such shipments over the plaintiff’s line, and had diverted such shipments to the lines of other carriers, contrary to the shippers’ directions; that said freight forwarding defendants have ceased and refused to deliver to the plaintiff the unrouted shipments which it would normally' receive as one of the motor carriers among whom the freight forwarding defendants normally divided [637]*637such business; that the cartage defendants have ceased and refused to handle any freight which has moved over the plaintiff’s system, or to render the service above mentioned which they had formerly been rendering prior to such cessation.

The plaintiff further alleges that the said defendants have ceased to do business and are continuing to refuse to do business with the plaintiff as aforesaid although constantly requested by the plaintiff to render the service which the defendants had formerly been rendering; that the aforesaid actions of the defendants are wholly without justification and due to no fault of this plaintiff; that all of the shipments which the plaintiff has tendered and continues to tender to them, are those covered by the joint through tariffs and of the type of commodities handled by the defendants; that all of said shipments are in strict conformity with the statutes of the United States and the rules and regulations of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and are the same type of shipments heretofore handled by the defendants up until said cessation; that the shipments moving over the defendants’ lines which the plaintiff has requested and demanded be delivered to it, as had formerly been delivered prior to said cessation, are the same character of shipments delivered to other carriers rendering the same character of service as the plaintiff, and are those which the plaintiff is authorized to handle under the Motor Carrier Act under the authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and covered by the aforesaid joint through tariffs; that all of the above outlined business transactions between the plaintiff and the defendants, either direct or indirect, were in strict conformity with the laws of the United States, the rules and regulations of the Interstate Commerce Commission and of the various states.

The plaintiff further alleges that as a direct result of the aforesaid unauthorized acts of said defendants the plaintiff has been seriously injured, crippled and paralyzed in its business operations, and the service which it has been rendering the public, and which it is authorized to render under said Motor Carrier Act and the authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission; that a substantial portion of its business 'consists of the interchange shipments with said motor carrier and freight forwarding defendants; that the unlawful acts and conduct of said defendants as herein set forth, since the aforesaid date, have caused the plaintiff to lose approximately $500 daily as revenue and the continuation of said unlawful acts and conduct will increase such daily loss of revenues; that said conduct up to date has caused the plaintiff to lose the confidence of the shipping public and its customers, and its business and business standing are rapidly being destroyed.

That the plaintiff and the motor carrier defendants at all times mentioned herein and at the present time subscribed to, published, and have on file with the Interstate Commerce Commission common joint through tariffs or freight rates which provide for through rates and service over the lines of the plaintiff and said motor carrier defendants and other carriers, and such tariffs are used by the public in shipping and routing freight, and are used by the parties hereto in the interchange or, interlining of shipments.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
37 F. Supp. 635, 8 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 1050, 1941 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3532, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/keystone-freight-lines-inc-v-pratt-thomas-truck-line-inc-okwd-1941.