W. T. Mayfield Sons Trucking Co. v. United States

234 F. Supp. 655, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8288
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Georgia
DecidedOctober 12, 1964
DocketCiv. A. No. 8809
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 234 F. Supp. 655 (W. T. Mayfield Sons Trucking Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
W. T. Mayfield Sons Trucking Co. v. United States, 234 F. Supp. 655, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8288 (N.D. Ga. 1964).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

This is an action brought under Sections 1336, 1398, 2284, and 2321 through 2325 of the Judicial Code, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1336, 1398, 2284, and 2321 through 2325, to enjoin, annul and set aside an order of the Interstate Commerce Commission (hereinafter referred to as the Commission) entered June 12, 1963, and served on June 21, 1963, in Docket No. MC—103926 (Sub-No. 8), W. T. Mayfield Sons Trucking Co.—Interpretation, 92 M.C.C. 167.

The report and order in question was issued after remand by this Court1 to the Commission with the direction that “the Commission shall take such action as it shall deem proper and in accord with this Opinion”. In remanding the matter to the Commission, this Court said, at page 626:

“ * * * [t]he Report of the Commission in the Interpretations Case should be clarified, and made certain, and definite guide lines should be established that are not ambiguous, in order that the plaintiff may continue its operation without jeopardizing its certificate.”

In its report on further consideration dated J une 12, 1963, the Commission considered the opinion of this Court and concluded (92 M.C.C. at 171-172):

“To summarize, petitioner’s certificate heretofore issued herein, insofar as it authorizes the transportation of 'contractors’ machinery and equipment’, authorizes the transportation of all forms of machinery and equipment which are, at the time of movement, without further processing or manufacturing, in a form and condition to be used by contractors, and which, (1) at the time of movement, are known by petitioner to be, or are ascertained by petitioner with reasonable certainty to be, intended for use by a contractor, or (2) are predominantly used by, or which have no, or virtually no, other use than by, contractors, without specific inquiry as to their intended future use, provided petitioner does not have knowledge or some notice of an intended use other than as just stated.”

Plaintiff’s petition for reconsideration and oral argument was denied by an order dated December 18,1963.

This action was commenced on March 4, 1964. ' •

[657]*657The first question presented to this Court concerns the question of whether or not the Commission’s report on its further consideration of the case establishes definite guide lines delineating the scope of plaintiff’s authority as directed by this Court on remand. This Court had previously determined:

“ * * * [t]he Report of the Commission in the Interpretations Case should be clarified, and made certain, and definite guide lines should be established that are not ambiguous, * * *«

The Commission considered at length one important decision which was rendered after the first Mayfield Commission decision and prior to the instant Mayfield Commission decision. The Commission stated:

“Predominant use was again considered in a recent case, Mitchell Bros. Truck Lines-Investigation, 91 M.C.C. 267, decided September 27, 1962. It was noted there that we have permitted carriers with authority governed by the intended future use of the commodities to transport commodities which are predominantly use in, or which have virtually no other use than in, the particular activity for which such authority authorizes transportation, without investigation or inquiry as to the actual use to be made thereof, provided the carrier has no ‘knowledge’ of a use other than in the particular activity specified. With respect to this exception in cases of ‘knowledge’ of some other use than that indicated in the certificate, it was recognized that the Commission had not theretofore fully spelled out what was intended. It was pointed out, however, that ‘we certainly have not said that a carrier may close its eyes to facts within its possession that would cause a reasonable man to doubt that a commodity is to be used in the particular activity specified in the carrier’s authority.’ The respondent in the Mitchell Bros, case had contended that specific inquiry as to intended use was not necessary, providing the carrier has no actual, as distinct from constructive, knowledge that the item to be transported was to be used other than in the particular activity involved and that notice of any type that the commodity was to be so used did not constitute the required actual knowledge. Division 1 held that when the carrier has some notice that the commodities tendered it for shipment may not be used in the activity involved, then it must establish that the commodities at the time of movement are in fact intended for use in that activity before it may transport them. It was stated that at the very least, investigation is required if it is apparent that a shipment is destined to a class or type of consignee not normally dealing in or using the commodities in question.”

After the discussion of the various Commission decisions which elaborate the specific bounds of the “intended use test” the Commission concluded, 92 M.C.C. 167 at 170-172:

“In light of the above, we think it clear that Mayfield may transport equipment and machinery predominantly used by contractors when consigned to contractors, or distributors of, or dealers of these commodities, without investigation as to the ultimate use to be made of them, so long as it does not know or have some notice that the items being transported are likely to be used by someone other than a contractor. In the absence of such knowledge or notice, it is justified in assuming that such commodities ultimately will be used by contractors. On the other hand, if such knowledge or notice is present the carrier has the burden of acquiring knowledge of the actual intended user. For example, if the consignee is a branch of the Federal Government, such as the armed forces, or a County or State highway department, Mayfield would not be justified in assuming that a shipment is [658]*658intended for use by a contractor, and it could not transport such a shipment unless it established that at the time of movement the shipment actually was intended for the use of a private contractor rather than a Government agency. In this connection, it makes no difference that the consignee will use the machinery or equipment as a contractor would use them since the use intended at the time of shipment must be by a contractor.2
“Mayfield argues that it should be able to transport commodities ‘normally’, as distinct from ‘predominantly’, used by contractors without investigation as to the actual intended use. To the extent the words quoted are different, and we think the former to be less constrictive, ‘predominantly’ has found acceptance in the industry, and has we think, as used in the rule of reasonableness explained herein, proved to make that rule with respect to the requirement of knowledge or investigation, a workable one.

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Bluebook (online)
234 F. Supp. 655, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8288, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/w-t-mayfield-sons-trucking-co-v-united-states-gand-1964.