Scarlet Truck Service, Inc. v. Bevis

289 So. 2d 701, 3 P.U.R.4th 204, 1974 Fla. LEXIS 4455
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedJanuary 9, 1974
DocketNo. 43708
StatusPublished

This text of 289 So. 2d 701 (Scarlet Truck Service, Inc. v. Bevis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Scarlet Truck Service, Inc. v. Bevis, 289 So. 2d 701, 3 P.U.R.4th 204, 1974 Fla. LEXIS 4455 (Fla. 1974).

Opinion

BOYD, Justice.

This cause is before us on petition for writ of certiorari to the Florida Public Service Commission. The facts of the case are as follows:

Petitioner, protestant before the Commission, seeks review of Commission Order No. 10597, dated March 27, 1973, which had denied petitioner’s request for reconsideration of Order No. 10435, dated December 20, 1972. Order No. 10435 states well both the facts and law involved in the instant case, and said Order is set forth below :

“Siboney Trucking Company seeks a contract motor carrier certificate to serve Quaker Oats Company transporting bagasse in Palm Beach, Hendry, Glades, Martin, Lee, Collier and Bro-ward Counties, Florida.
“Siboney is a newly formed corporation organized to obtain and operate under the authority requested. The owner and operating official has many years’ experience in transportation. The applicant is qualified to provide the proposed transportation.
“Siboney has been providing the proposed transportation pursuant to temporary grants of authority by Orders No. 10360 and 10397, dated November 8, 1972, and November 21, 1972, respectively-
“The protestant herein, Scarlet Truck Service, holds certificated common carrier authority to transport bagasse within the area involved, and has, for a matter of fact, provided the required transportation for Quaker Oats Company. [702]*702Incidentally, Scarlett [sic] is the only carrier holding authority to transport ba-gasse within Florida.
“An examination of the record in this case shows that the Quaker Oats Company actually tendered the traffic involved to the protestant, Scarlet Truck Service, Inc. However, Scarlet refused to perform the transportation services at the rate provided in its approved tariff and, at the same time, has not petitioned this Commission for an increase in its rates. This is clearly set forth at Pages 123 and 124 of the transcript of the October 2, 1972 hearing, where Mr. F. J. Rath-bun, President of Scarlet Truck Service, Inc., testified as follows:
“Q. All right, sir. Did they (Quaker Oats Co.) offer you another contract to do the same hauling as you did last year, at the same price ?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Did you turn it down ?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Mr. Rathbun has failed in subsequent attempts to explain away his previous refusal to render the service since his testimony still indicates that he will not handle the traffic involved without an increase in rates. This he cannot legally do.
“Section 323.03(c) [323.03(3)(c)], Florida Statutes, F.S.A., provides:
‘When application is made by a motor carrier for a certificate to operate as a common carrier in a territory or on a line already served by a certificate holder, the Commission shall grant same only when the existing certificate holder or holders serving such territory fail to provide service and facilities which may reasonably be required by the Commission.’
“The Supreme Court of Florida, in the case of Alterman Transport Lines v. Carter, 88 So.2d 594 (1956), held that a new certificate to operate as a common carrier may be granted by the Commission on proof of public convenience and necessity if the existing holder has had an opportunity to provide the service and has failed to do so. This would apply with equal force to an application for contract carrier authority.
“This Commission has certain procedures whereby a common carrier may obtain authority to increase its rates, if such is warranted. However, until this Commission approves the modification of a carrier’s rates, said carrier is bound by law to provide its services in accordance with the tariff it has on file with our Rate Department. This, Scarlet Truck Service, the only carrier authorized to transport bagasse in Florida, is not only failing to provide what may be considered reasonably adequate service and facilities, it has, in essence, refused to provide any of the services or facilities so desperately needed for the shipment of bagasse. Therefore, this Commission finds that public convenience and necessity requires the grant of Siboney’s application.
“The Commission further finds, since Scarlet has refused to provide the services in question under its existing tariff, and because it has not filed for any rate increase, that the existing transportation facilities will not be affected by this grant of authority.
“. . . . It is therefore,
“ORDERED by the Florida Public Service Commission that the application of Siboney Trucking Company, U. S. Highway 27 at First Street, South Bay, Florida, for a contract carrier certificate to serve Quaker Oats Company, transporting bagassee in Palm Beach, Hendry, Glades, Martin, Lee, Collier and Bro-ward Counties, Florida, be and the same is hereby granted. . . .”

Petitioner has raised two points before this Court. First, he alleges that the Com[703]*703mission departed from the essential requirements of law in considering Siboney’s operation under temporary authority granted to them improperly by Order No. 10360 and No. 10397 [referred to in Commission Order 10435 above].

Secondly, petitioner argues that the Commission refused to follow the essential requirements of law in Section 323.04, Florida Statutes, F.S.A., and its findings are not based on substantial competent evidence.

As to the first point, it is petitioner’s contention that both Orders were issued in violation of the applicable statutes and the Commission’s own rules and regulations, and that the Commission did not have the authority to issue them under the circumstances, thus rendering the Orders granting the authority void when issued. Petitioner alleges that the Commission did not follow its rules, in that: no notice was given to petitioner, either personally or by first class mail; that the application for temporary authority had been filed, although a copy of the petition had been served on petitioner’s attorney; that no notice was served on the mayor or chief magistrate of each city and town in or through which the applicant desired to operate, or the chairman of the board of county commissioners of each county in which the proposed service would be operated, or to the Secretary of the Department of Transportation.

Petitioner alleges that according to Commission rules, if a hearing is requested, the application for temporary authority will not be acted upon until the protestant is given an opportunity to be heard; and, in the instant case, petitioner’s protest was filed within four days of the date of the petition for temporary authority, and a specific request for a hearing was made. Yet, the Commission completely ignored such request, and entered Order No. 10360 without benefit of a hearing.

Petitioner alleges that, while satisfactory showing must be made to the Commission by affidavit from a person or persons other than the applicant that an immediate and urgent transportation need exists, in the instant case only one affidavit was attached to the application, and nowhere was there stated that such a need existed.

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Related

Alterman Transport Line v. Carter
88 So. 2d 594 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1956)

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Bluebook (online)
289 So. 2d 701, 3 P.U.R.4th 204, 1974 Fla. LEXIS 4455, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/scarlet-truck-service-inc-v-bevis-fla-1974.