Southwestern Greyhound Lines, Inc. v. Railroad Commission

99 S.W.2d 263, 128 Tex. 560, 109 A.L.R. 1235, 1936 Tex. LEXIS 448
CourtTexas Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 25, 1936
DocketNo. 7104
StatusPublished
Cited by101 cases

This text of 99 S.W.2d 263 (Southwestern Greyhound Lines, Inc. v. Railroad Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Southwestern Greyhound Lines, Inc. v. Railroad Commission, 99 S.W.2d 263, 128 Tex. 560, 109 A.L.R. 1235, 1936 Tex. LEXIS 448 (Tex. 1936).

Opinion

Mr. Justice SHARP

delivered the opinion of the court.

On February 19, 1935, Edward A. Jackson filed with the Railroad Commission of this State his application under the Texas Motor Carrier Act (Acts 1927, c. 270, p. 399, as amended, now Art. 911a, Vernon’s Ann. Civ. St.), for a certificate of convenience and necessity to operate a motorbus service, exclusively for interstate purposes, from Anthony, N. M., a point just across the New Mexico line, over Texas highways, via El [563]*563Paso, Abilene, and Fort Worth to Dallas, Texas. The Railroad Commission granted such certificate on September 27, 1935. The Southwestern Greyhound Lines, Inc., an interested party - and competitor, appealed from such order by filing suit in the District Court of Travis County to set aside the order and for an injunction to restrain Jackson from operating under such certificate, and to restrain the Railroad Commission from permitting him to do so. The temporary injunction was by the trial court granted, as prayed for, on October 5, 1935; from which order Jackson and the Railroad Commission appealed. The Court of Civil Appeals dissolved the injunction as being issued improvidently, and remanded the cause. (92 S. W. (2d) 296). This Court granted a writ of error.

This cause brings into review for the first time by this Court the Federal Motor Carrier Act, 1935, Acts 74th Congress, Senate Bill 1629, U. S. C. A., Title 49, Secs. 301 to 327, inclusive. This law was approved by the President of the United States on August 9, 1935. The act is very comprehensive in its terms, and clearly shows that it was the purpose of Congress to legislate and to declare its policy to regulate transportation by motor carriers engaged in interstate commerce on the highways. We shall mention only those parts pertinent to a decision of the question before us. Section 302 of this Act sets forth the declarations of policy and delegation of jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and in order to show the full purpose of the Act we copy the whole section:

“(a) It is hereby declared to be the policy of Congress to regulate transportation by motor carriers in such manner as to recognize and preserve the inherent advantages of, and foster sound economic conditions in, such transportation and among such carriers in the public interest; promote adequate, economical, and efficient service by motor carriers, and reasonable charges therefor, without unjust discriminations, undue preferences or advantages, and unfair or destructive competitive practices; improve the relations between, and coordinate transportation by and regulation of, motor carriers and other carriers; develop and preserve a highway transportation system properly adapted to the needs of the commerce of the United States and of the national defense; and cooperate with the several States and the duly authorized officials thereof and with any organization of motor carriers in the administration and enforcement of this chapter.
“(b) The provisions of this chapter apply to the transportation of passengers or property by motor carriers engaged [564]*564in interstate or foreign commerce and to the procurement of and the provision of facilities for such transportation, and the regulation of such transportation, and of the procurement thereof, and the provision of facilities therefor, is hereby vested in the Interstate Commerce Commission.
“(c) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to affect the powers of taxation of the several States or to authorize a motor carrier to do an intrastate business on the highways of any State, or to interfere with the exclusive exercise by each State of the power of regulation of intrastate commerce by motor carriers on the highways thereof. (Feb. 4, 1887, c. 104, Part II, § 202, as added Aug. 9, 1935, c. 498, § 1, 49 Stat. 543.)”

Section 303 contains the definitions and exceptions contained in the Act.

Subsection 10 thereof reads: “The term ‘interstate commerce’ means commerce between any place in a State and any place in another State or between places in the same State through another State, whether such commerce moves wholly by motor vehicle or partly by motor vehicle and partly by rail, express, or water.”

Subsection 12 reads: “The term ‘highway’ means the roads, highways, streets, and ways in any State.”

Under various subsections the terms “motor vehicle”, “common carrier by motor vehicle”, “contract carrier by motor vehicle”, “motor carrier”, “private carrier of property by motor vehicle”, and “broker” are defined.

Subsection 19 reads: “The ‘services’ and ‘transportation’ to which this chapter applies include all vehicles operated by, for, or in the interest of any motor carrier irrespective of ownership or of contract, express or implied, together with all facilities and property operated or controlled by any such carrier or carriers and used in the transportation of passengers or property in interstate or foreign commerce or in the performance of any service in connection therewith.”

Subsection 20 reads: “The term ‘interstate operation’ means any operation in interstate commerce.”

Under subsection (b) of Section 303 are described the vehicles excepted from the operation of this Act.

Section 304 describes in exhaustive detail the powers and duties of the Interstate Commerce Commission in the enforcement of this law.

Section 305 describes in what manner the Commission shall administer the provisions of the Motor Carrier Act.

[565]*565Section 306 relates to the certificate of convenience and necessity, and in part reads:

“No common carrier by motor vehicle subject to the provisions of this chapter shall engage in any interstate or foreign operation on any public highway, or within any reservation under the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States, unless there is in force with respect to such carrier a certificate of public convenience and necessity issued by the Commission authorizing such operations.”

Section 307 describes the issuance of the certificate, and Subsection (b) thereof reads as follows:

“Certificate not to confer proprietary or property rights in highways. No certificate issued under this chapter shall confer any proprietary or property rights in the use of the public highways. (Feb. 4, 1887, c. 104, Part II, § 207, as added Aug. 9, 1935, c. 498, § 1, 49 Stat. 551.)”

Section 308 describes the terms and conditions of the certificate, the specification of routes and termini, extension of routes, and restriction on additions to equipment.

Section 325 reads as follows:

“Investigation of motor vehicle sizes and weights and qualifications and hours of service of employees.
“The Commission is hereby authorized to investigate and report on the need for Federal regulation of the sizes and weight of motor vehicles and combinations of motor vehicles and of the qualifications and maximum hours of service of employees of all motor carriers and private carriers of property by motor vehicle; and in such investigation the Commission shall avail itself of the assistance of all departments or bureaus of the Government and of any organization of motor carriers having special knowledge of any such matter... (Feb. 4, 1887, c. 104, Part II, § 225, as added Aug. 9, 1935, c. 498, § 1, 49 Stat.

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Bluebook (online)
99 S.W.2d 263, 128 Tex. 560, 109 A.L.R. 1235, 1936 Tex. LEXIS 448, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/southwestern-greyhound-lines-inc-v-railroad-commission-tex-1936.