Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

335 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Xanorable Paul T. Bolt, page 2 the amount of tonnage to be haulad midar euch certfflcataor par&t in aaount5;1aa5 them otbarwlaa pmafttad bl flaw? ‘2. If tha foregoIng quaation5 are RMWal-8U in the arrimaslt~, than In thora altuationarhsra feats and oIroamatanoardo not rcquira the Rellroed CoaalIaslonto flr the emount or tonne&r to bs hauled .undar 5uah orrtitloataor pamit ia awmnta 1~18 than otherwise psmulttsd br la*, le St tha amadatory duty of the Railroad CaimIaalon to arakea finding aed Iwluda in the car- tlflcata or permit a tarm or eoadltIoa stat- ing the amount of tonnage whiti may be haulad on any motor rahlcla under mob a aortlfloata Or FW5it Or by a g8RaX'81OZ'hr fix the 8SQRRt ai ten~ga to be haulad on enj aotar rahlole under any aeah oartIiScet8or parmlt 10 that It 5hall not 8Xe68d the apoOat 0th8r~Lre pmclttad by law? i?lllyou plcaaa e&VI88 thle ofrlee if SO:&OR 13 (a) by lew ettechre a oon- dltlon to each aartlfloataand permit iaauad. by the liailmaQ Waaierioa which aakae it a violation of tha tsnu of 8aiU par&t or eartlfloataanQ o? the pxoridoor: o? Artlale 911b for the holder or olaar tafeuah oarlrltl- aata or permit to traaaport prop5rtt in a- 0855 or the tonaagr allowad br eeceion 5‘ hrtiela 8276 of th5 Pea81 00a8. aete tran5port.s property Ln Trarir Oountf which can be reasonably blumaatteQ In ex- aea~ or 7,000 pouadlr in vlolatiaa of ma- tion 5 of Artielo 8278 of tha PSIla1Cod., nil1 suah tmnarrportatioa oi tox~$a of a greater uaQht theta 0*8erniea penalttad by lew oonetitute euah a oloLH4on of aeld ocrtlricetaor peraritend o,tthe prot5.6Ioma fb) end of Article 9llb aad or ru;lbs~;tIsIolur (a) of rrtials 1690b of t&a Pama Cods e* Honorable raul T. Bolt, ;ag 3 to authorles izaundar aubdlrtdom (b) of Artlola 169ob of the Fanal Coda to bring e anlt for Famltiaa and as to suthorlea~. me undsr sub&lsioa (c) of Artlala l690t of tDc feral Coda to bring suit to anjoln or raa~mln such aoootoroarrlex under uuah permit ut c4trtiri05t5trcinfurther trans- porting,property for hlrr in violation of Saetloa 5 of Artlola 8279 or tha Penal Coda?* We call pour'attantlonto Gsotion 13 (a) of Art&lo 9llb, 'V?rnon*aAmotetad Cltll Statutes,nhloh rsaQ5 In psrt ee follow5: *The Cozal55lcn is rested with poner and ecthorltp, and it la hereby maOa ita Quty to amrova or di5approrsthe naturs and the ohamatrr oftha aqul.ploant to be u580 tmdu any prrmlt or cartltloatr8tia tha amount awl aharaotar of tonnage whlah aaf b5 hauled thmaundar on any m&or va- hlala, trailer ox 88914r85lar, used 013a6r atlcrhpermit or certifiaata and In appror- log t&e amant and lM.raatar or tcmnaga to be hsuld on my much tahI8laa, trailer6 or 5aml-traIlsra uadu any penolt or 84tiiri- oata, It sasyfixth enumb er o r lf x aet bcmu, p~okag~es,bsrralrr,or bala5 of any partlcalar cro!naodlty tu be tranxportad oa any auah VI- hlclas, trellars OT awl-trallara under aush perhit or cfrtlflaata,and tha aathod of Siding such bozu5, paoka&laa, barrrlr, or bale5 or au& Eacwdlty oa tha laotortahiclaa, trailsra ad maal-trailarato be aaad under euah pemlt or aartIflast8;grovibad, howarar, aald Copualaa~onahall sot authoriao thr uma of any squipmnt of gr*atcr dir5saalom than permitted by law, nor any tbnntrga of greeter weight than otbarwlme per&ttad by law. . .- Frap: the above artlola, ~3 oba~ma that lo a propar case tha Railroad Coxalasioh has the authority to llmlt the aaount of tonnags hauled under.a crubif- lcata or a ~-emit. The CoIPaiaaion, howmel*. eaanot H~n~rabla Paul T. Halt, >e&e L auttrorizathe hauling of any tonnsga OS greater uaight than othsmiaa Faraittad by law. Should the Rdlroaa Cmla%loa find that tha pllsximus tonnage to ti%haulad anbar a p%rtl%ular oartifloataor p-it to be’ I mass th%n 7,000 pounds, then ft met determine what the particularpuximulaweight shall be and antrr an order to that 0rrO0t. In those altut&iionarhsra facte and cirot& wmoarr bo not require the Railroad Caar~iaaion to six tha amount ot tonmga to ba hauled over a oartiflaata or Fa.mit, than th% carrier la%?haul the maximum ton- M&a, am% being 7,000 pounds, aa pviad r0r by Mtiola 82711,Section 5, Panel Coda. We rind nothing la tha Motor Carrier Act rb~lohioposee a mandabory duty on the Railrosd Co+ miraion to a%ka a finding aad intludo in the cartlfi- oata or wrmit a term or conilltion 8tatlng thr ammat of tonnaga whlob ,sayba haulad by nar motor aarrlar under 8uch aar,tlfloata or pamlt. liaithardo.we find anythlng In aaid Act vfhlohImposer a mandatory duty on tha Railroad Gomiaaion to aakr a ganarel order dcslgn%ting the amouut of tOM%ga to be beulad by potor oarriarr oprratfng tan@ a U6rtlff%ataor ,pamlt. In %ay avant, the l?ailnMd Gomsl8slon haa never plaoad suoh a oonrtmiattoa upon tha kfotor Carrlar Aot. ior it has mv%r placed mmh ra8triotlon%in tha osrtlri- oata anb parmitrr, nor haa it aatarad any general or- der pertaining to.Qhs amount o? tcninaga that a mater haul: Exsrpt In rare lnatanaa8, carriar-‘may the RaU- road Commlaeion her nator attempted to regulate th% amount o? Qonna~a tc be hula6 by a mator aarrler. The only llmlt%tiOn up00 a motor carrier eon%erting th weight or his load &a ff3unaln helate &27e, saotion 5, aupra, which arts the load llnitiat 7,GOO pona4a. ITaare of the opinion that Saotlon 13 (a) of Artlala 911b, aq~%, doas not, aa a matter of law, attach a oondltlun to sash oclrtiflnrutaand permit bumad, byethe R%llro%& Gamilssion whlah caak%aIt a viol%tloa of tha taralaof %a14 oartimJata QF parmlt end CJ?the proviuicinaof Artiala qllb, %upri, ~QT, the heiM(Eror %?yneror euoh eartif%oato to tmnagort roperty fm axcaa8 of t&a tmanagaalltwad by Artdole 27a, Sootion 5, Peas1 OHa. Ji 3 Bonorabla Feul T. E0l.t.pa&a 5 The provialon fn Section 13 (a), ArtiolS 9llb, aupra, to the affaot that the Reilroad C~mal.eelonehall not author126 the hauling of a2y tonnwa 0r.graatar wight then otharrlaa provided by lau close not h2ra the aifaat of lnaorpaautlagthe Load Lldt Law, ATtii3168270, saotiaa 5, eu?ra, Into the Motor Carrier Act, Article 91lb, . Tharafora a carrier haullw in amsea of 7,006 poppa la violet& the Load LinrltIaw, and not the titer Card ar Aat. Artlola 16FGb (b) or the Fsoal Coda rkeU6 as followa: “(b) Svary oiriasr, agent, earmnt or aeqloyaa or any oorgorrtlonan5 every other param rho vlolataa or fall8 to 00raplywith or proouraa, aide or abate in the violetion 0% any provision or this Aot or atk~vlb~a~ta~a or falls to obay, obaana or ocqly with my taXia order, daoldon, rule or ragul.etLoa,~ airaotloa, demand or raqulramaatof the Gom- rlaalon ahell In addltloa be aobject to an& shall pay a paadlty oM uaaadbg One Bun- drad Dollar0 ($100.00).for each and eve d*y of sueh vlolatlon. psttah~pcnalty ehel 1 be rraovara5 in eny Gaurt of oometant juriadfotloain the county in rbioh the riolation ai3otw.‘. Suit for auoh paaalty et pan8ltfaa shall be inatltota&em5 aon- duotad by the Attoraay Genanl of the Stats ot Taxes, 0r by the County or DlettriotAttOr- nay in the oounty in which tha violetloo oo- 6~8, ip the zzamaof the State of Taxae.* The above u&ted Artiola authorioae the Attoraay General or any Diet+e & or Cmtdy Attormy to b%?lugcult for yrnaltiaa agakat the Wed parsons for any violetion 0f the r(btorCaSrlar Aat a%?tar violetLou or eliylawful Order, 4aoluioa~‘rulaor rC~letlon, dlractloa, de-send, or raqairamsat df the LirdUweb a6sri8a10an. A garaon uho ha% rioiatad t&a Load Limit Law ia not subfact to t&S paneltiae of the above maetion~ Artlole on the theory that auoh Aot Iis a violation (3t tha lbtor CaPriariAot, for the maeo2 that the ma Ll.dt hw,. Ast&3la BWa, Seation 5, aupra, la not s per6 ot the *tar CarrSar AoE, bat ie a part of an antirdly different ati la p a r etia Aot, arrd'leof gauazal~applloetlon. Honorable Paul T. Rolt, peg4 6 3?6quote froplArticlr l&Ob, Scation (0). Penal Coda, esar ba%ng the penal ~prorlrlonof Artlala 91lb, sapra, Sactlcn 16, as followsr "(Cl Upon the vlol4tloa Of 4ny pro- vlslon ol this Act, or upon the violet&on or any rule, repuletion,or4er or dearer or the Coaoiaaion promulgatrdundqr tb toraa OS thla Aot, any Distrlst Court of any County ahera auah violatloa oocurs' ahall hara ~thapmrar to restwin and enjoin the pdreon, m-5 ar corporetion10 ormding frod further rialsting the psovi4iozr ot thb A4t cm from furthsr vlOlatl~ any 4f the rul48. rcgulatlons, or44r8 and 48oram or the coaaxla a ion. Soch lnJunctlte rsll8t oay br granted upan tha appllaatlonor the Commlaelon, the Attcmey Gemral or sny Dlstrlct or Coanty AttorMy. . . .* You will obrsno th4 above quoted sratlonn that or ~~~014 for the inJanctiv4 169ob. aupra,'provl&4s rnm4dp t0 apply to rlolstlona ,arilrlag pndrr th4 provlttlona or th4 Motor Camlsr Rot, 64~44 brins Arti 911b. wpra, sad to thr rlolatloa of any rule, rrgalatlon,orttrr or dearer cf t&4 Railroad Oom&l8rlonprmulg4toQ ondor the tame8 ot 8ald Act. Sinaclthe 7,000 pound 16a4 lbit law, 44~4 belng Art1414 8278, 8ea8ion 5, Petwl Code. 16 not a pert or the ibtor Carrier Aot an4 In tho44 lnetanou whtlv tha RaUroad Ctmslmion'haq not irsra4U any 1~14, regulation, crrd4r or 44cr44 linlting th6 ta- nngr to .bi hauled by, a ajotor oarrl6r w are of tha opinion thet Artiola 169Ob, Seotlon ~c).,eupra, do44 not give thr Attorney Oansrel or enp diatriat or oo.unty abtornay the authority to brine;imjunotirapr~a444lngs f#@alaot a motor cramler for violating the Lw4 Lkriit Ler.