Ruan Transport Corp. v. Missouri Highway Reciprocity Commission

369 S.W.2d 220
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJuly 8, 1963
DocketNos. 49615, 49616
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 369 S.W.2d 220 (Ruan Transport Corp. v. Missouri Highway Reciprocity Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ruan Transport Corp. v. Missouri Highway Reciprocity Commission, 369 S.W.2d 220 (Mo. 1963).

Opinion

HYDE, Judge.

These are consolidated cases for declaratory judgment to determine meaning and effect of Sec. 301.277 with injunction asked against enforcement of defendants’ interpretation. (Statutory references are to RSMo and V.A.M.S.) The Court made the construction and declaration sought by plaintiffs and enjoined defendants who have appealed.

Sec. 301.277 is a part of the Act of 1958 (Laws 1958, p. 176, now Secs. 301.271-301.-279) creating the Missouri Highway Reciprocity Commission, with authority to make agreements with other states for licensing of fleets of commercial motor vehicles on an apportionment basis according to miles traveled in each state. Under this authority, the Commission did sign for Missouri a Vehicle Registration Proration and Reciprocity Agreement (referred to as the “Uniform Compact”) with 13 other states, north and west of this state; and a somewhat similar separate agreement was made with Illinois. Plaintiffs have fleets based and registered in Missouri; and the issue herein is whether plaintiffs have the right to use, for any trip in intrastate commerce in Missouri, vehicles of their fleets, so based and registered, without payment of the full Missouri registration fee. Defendants are members or officers of the Reciprocity Commission.

Defendants’ contention is that vehicles of a fleet registered in Missouri under the “proration of registration” provisions of the Uniform Compact may only be operated on interstate trips to other states, or on combined interstate and intrastate trips (which they say is carrying freight from one point in this state to another while on an interstate trip), but that any fleet vehicle used for intrastate trips must pay the full Missouri license fee. In short, if a fleet vehicle makes one intrastate trip during the year, the full Missouri registration fee of $800 must be paid for it even though the fees of other states, in which it had traveled, also would have to be paid on the basis of miles traveled in each other state.

Plaintiffs contend that the owner of a fleet based and registered in Missouri under the “proration of registration” provision of the Uniform Compact is entitled to operate fleet vehicles both on interstate trips to other states and on intrastate trips in this state and pay for its registration on the basis of the total number of miles traveled. (The applicable percentage for determining the license fee per unit in each state may be found by dividing the number of miles traveled in that state by the total number of miles traveled in all states.)

During the years 1960 and 1961, plaintiffs were permitted to operate their fleet vehicles both interstate and intrastate on an apportionment basis. The fees were apportioned among the states on the basis of the number of miles the fleet vehicles traveled in the various states. During the year 1961, the Commission ruled that beginning on January 1, 1962, a full license fee of $800 should be paid to the State of Missouri on any vehicle whether a unit of a fleet or not if the vehicle were to be used even for a single intrastate trip. A portion of the notice or memorandum sent by the Commission to all prorate carriers was as follows: “Missouri prorate licenses (whether base plate or decal) authorize operation only in interstate commerce or combined interstate and intrastate commerce. They do not authorize an operation which is solely intrastate. To determine whether a vehicle is properly licensed we consider the movement being made at the time in question. We do not consider how the vehicle may have been operated yesterday or how it may be operated tomorrow. Even though a vehicle may be operated in [222]*222interstate commerce 90% of the time (and for such operation could properly be prorated), if it makes a trip which is solely intrastate it must have a full fee Missouri license to legally make such a wholly intrastate trip.” (“Decal” refers to the identification given prorate fleet vehicles in contracting states other than their base state.)

Sec. 301.273 established the Commission and with Sec. 301.275 stated some of its duties and powers. Sec. 301.277 gives it authority, by Subsection 1(1), to exempt vehicles licensed in other states from Missouri registration laws to the extent equivalent exemptions are extended to vehicles licensed in Missouri. This is true reciprocity for which Sec. 301.271 also makes provision unless there are agreements otherwise by the Commission. Subsection 1(2) authorizes the Commission to make agreements, with other states, such as the Uniform Compact, for “licensing of fleets of motor vehicles and trailers or combinations thereof operated in interstate or combined interstate and intrastate commerce * * * on an apportionment basis commensurate with and determined by the miles traveled on and the use made of said state’s highways.” Subsection 1(3) authorizes such agreements when vehicles are not licensed in the state of the owner’s residence but are based in and operated from a place of business in another state. The controversy in this case mainly is over the construction and effect of paragraph 3 of Sec. 301.277 which is as follows: “3. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no reciprocity shall be granted under any statute or agreement for the operation of any commercial motor vehicle within the state of Missouri solely in intrastate commerce, but all vehicles so engaged must be duly registered and licensed in the state of Missouri.”

Missouri executed the Uniform Compact November 9, 1959, with certain restrictions, No. 3 of which is as follows: “Commercial motor vehicles transporting persons or property in interstate commerce and/or combined interstate commerce and intrastate commerce are subject to this agreement. Commercial motor vehicles transporting persons or property solely in intrastate commerce must be duly registered and licensed in the State of Missouri.” This was considered to be in compliance with and required by Sec. 301.277, subd. 3. Defendants’ contentions are that Sec. 301.-277, subd. 3 prohibits operation of commercial motor vehicles in movements within this state solely in intrastate commerce on the basis of a prorate registration; that the prohibition contained in Sec. 301.277, subd. 3 against granting reciprocity extends to all types of reciprocity, claiming the registration based on proration is a type of reciprocity; that Sec. 301.277, subd. 3 prohibits defendants from entering into an agreement providing that operations solely in intrastate commerce may be conducted on a prorate registration; and that the Uniform Compact and the Missouri Appendix thereto do not require that plaintiffs’ vehicles be permitted to operate in Missouri in intrastate commerce.

Certainly the purpose of the 1958 Act was to authorize proration compacts such as the Uniform Compact, which was in existence and operation before the 1958 Act was adopted. Prior to that only straight reciprocity was authorized in this state so that only residents of other states, permitting Missouri residents to operate their vehicles therein without payment of license fees, were allowed the same privileges in Missouri. This straight reciprocity did not cover modern motor transportation needs because owners needed to base motor fleets in states other than that of their residence or incorporation. Nevertheless, the 1958 Act recognized and retained such reciprocity by authorizing the Commission to make agreements therefor (301.277, subd. 1(1)) and to provide for it in the absence of agreements (301.271). However, such reciprocity is applicable to individual vehicles, while the fleet proration registration is a new and different concept.

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Bluebook (online)
369 S.W.2d 220, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ruan-transport-corp-v-missouri-highway-reciprocity-commission-mo-1963.