Whitman v. State

308 S.W.2d 884, 165 Tex. Crim. 486, 1958 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 3971
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 15, 1958
DocketNo. 29,420
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 308 S.W.2d 884 (Whitman v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Whitman v. State, 308 S.W.2d 884, 165 Tex. Crim. 486, 1958 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 3971 (Tex. 1958).

Opinion

WOODLEY, Judge.

[487]*487This is a conviction under the motor carrier act, Art. 1690b V.A.P.C. and Art. 911b V.A.C.S.; the punishment, a fine of $125.

The complaint and information allege that appellant was a motor carrier, operating a truck as a contract carrier for transportation of property for compensation and hire over a certain public highway, traversing said highway without first having obtained from the Texas Railroad Commission “a certificate declaring that the Public Convenience and Necessity required such operation over said highway” between Amarillo and Canadian, both incorporated cities.

Art. 911b V.A.C.S. defines the term “certificate” as meaning “certificate of public convenience and necessity issued under this Act.” (Sec. 1(e) Sec. 3 provides that no motor carrier shall operate as a common carrier without a certificate.

Nowhere in the information do we find an allegation that appellant operated as a common carrier.

On the contrary, the information alleged that appellant operated as a “contract carrier,” which term is defined in Sec. 1 (h) to mean any motor carrier as hereinabove defined, transporting property for compensation or hire over any highway in this State other than as a common carrier.

See. 3, which requires a certificate by a motor carrier operating as a common carrier, also provides that no motor carrier shall operate as a contract carrier without first having obtained from the Commission a permit so to do. Sec. 1 (f) defines permit to mean “the permit issued to contract carriers under the terms of this Act.”

We find also in Section 5 the requirement for a certificate by motor carriers operating as a common carriers.

In Sec. 5a (b), regulating motor carriers transporting certain property including cattle, motor carriers having contract carrier permits are excepted from obtaining certificate of convenience, whereas the portion of the statute dealing with permits to engage in the business of operating as a contract carrier is found in Sec. 6(a), wherein it is provided that such permit shall not be issued * * * unless the character of the business being done or to be done by the applicant strictly conforms to the definition of a contract carrier.

[488]*488That the permit required of a contract carrier is a separate and different thing from a certificate of public convenience and necessity is further shown by Sec. 6-bb of the Act which provides that no permit to operate as a contract carrier shall be granted by the commission to any person operating as a common carrier and holding a certificate of convenience and necessity; nor shall any applicant for certificate of convenience and necessity be granted by the commission to any person operating as a contract carrier, nor shall any vehicle be operated by any motor carrier with both a permit and a certificate.

It is apparent that the information is fatally defective.

We further conclude that under the undisputed evidence appellant was shown to be neither a common carrier, motor carrier nor contract carrier, as defined in the Act, but a private motor vehicle owner, as defined in Sec. la, (l)b, and Sec. lb of Art. 911b V.A.C.S. as amended in 1941.

Appellant was employed by one Jack Funderburg as a truck driver. Funderburg was a cattle man who owned two cattle trucks which he used in transporting his cattle. He was a dealer in cattle, operating among other places at the Amarillo Live Stock Auction Company.

Appellant was driving one of Jack Funderburg’s cattle trucks loaded with cattle on the highway when apprehended, his destination being a ranch which he would reach after traveling from Amarillo, an incorporated city, and passing through Canadian, also an incorporated city.

The cattle which were being so transported by appellant were cattle which were sold by Jack Funderburg to one Fred Farnsworth on the day they were loaded and hauled, under the following circumstances.

Farnsworth came from his place near Canadian to the Amarillo Auction Company to buy cattle. Funderburg had cattle there which Farnsworth was shown, and negotiations were entered into which resulted in an agreement being reached that Farnsworth would buy 70 head of cattle from Funderburg at a price of 19 cents per pound. A part of the agreement was that Funderburg would deliver the cattle to Mr. Farnsworth’s ranch for which Farnsworth would also pay Funderburg 39 cents per mile, the distance being 114 miles.

[489]*489The record is clear that the hauling of the cattle and the sum to be paid for such hauling entered into the negotiations which resulted in the sale of the cattle.

Farnsworth offered 19 cents. Funderburg was asking 20 or 21 cents. Funderburg said “If we can make a trade, will you let us haul them?” Farnsworth, who had no truck, being told that the hauling charge would be “just the ordinary, customary price” agreed, saying that he expected to pay some one for hauling the cattle. Funderburg said “that will take up some of the slack;” that he was cutting down on his price. He said “If you will let me haul the cattle, that will take up some of the difference and we will trade with you.”

Farnsworth gave a check to the Commission Company for $5,614.12, which included $5,525.20 for 29,080 pounds of cattle at 19 cents and also included the charge for the hauling.

The cattle were loaded on two trucks belonging to Jack Funderburg, one of which, driven by appellant, was stopped by an inspector for the Texas Railroad Commission. However, appellant was permitted to proceed and both trucks reached their destination and the cattle were delivered to the Farnsworth ranch as agreed.

The applicable portions of Art. 911b V.A.C.S. read as follows:

Section 1. “(g) The term ‘motor carrier’ means any person, firm, corporation, company, co-partnership, association or joint stock association, and their lessees, receivers or trustees appointed by any Court whatsoever owning, controlling, managing, operating or causing to be operated any motor-propelled vehicle used in transporting property for compensation or hire over any public highway in this State, where in the course of such transportation a highway between two or more incorporated cities, towns or villages is traversed; provided, that the term ‘motor carrier’ as used in this Act shall not include, and this Act shall not apply to motor vehicles operated exclusively within the incorporated limits of cities or towns.

“ (h) The term ‘contract carrier’ means any motor carrier as hereinabove defined transporting property for compensation [490]*490or hire over any highway in this State other than as a common carrier. As amended Acts 1931, 42nd Leg., p. 480, ch. 277, Sec. 1.”

“Sec. la (1) Provided, however, that the term ‘Motor Carrier’ and the term ‘Contract Carrier’ as defined in the preceding section shall not be held to include:

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Bluebook (online)
308 S.W.2d 884, 165 Tex. Crim. 486, 1958 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 3971, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/whitman-v-state-texcrimapp-1958.