OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
0IRA.u) c. MI”ll
111O”“cv as”-
nzzle 12, 19a9
Honorable EOmer 08rPi8On, +?F.
Wp@hll6At Of Fubllo 3afeEy ,
AWtiU, TeXaa ,'
mu SF:
oginlen IJO* o-
Ret ii'hether
btrek_g look upon ei\$rucqin
ordef ta umload the
ie traitspoi~ted"l&d and the Urlrsr of the truck
Olait~S th+t.h% ha8 Ilb key, but that this 1OCk ia
p&aced SJ *he van at thta point of Fsrl&in and tho
receiver of the merchandise has 4 .%8ter key with
wbich to remove the lock and unload the 630da.n
You request :Jur OpiizbA hs.to rhetiiar 3r not under
euab cirowaetoncelr a Uaense ? seleht :napector h4a the nu-
thorlty to bremk the 13ck end deturmlne whather 3r not t&o
motor tehlole has bees correotly rcglsterea: that is, -ðer
the truak eotuailg we&h8 a8 aueh as the re&lstration paperr
woulb'indiaate,thereby detetinfng the net load trmnlrportea
OA #O SIOtOr Vebhle.
"on. Ifooter
tarri8on, Jr., Page 2
,.xtlol& t?27n, YOCtion Sa, ima1 Code, reads aa fol-
lows:
*(a) Epon aFplloatlonfor reglstratlonor
any commarolal motor vehicle, truck-tractor,
trallar or semi-trailer,the applicant shall
deliver to the tax collector, x one gf'his
duly authorizeddeputies, an affldarlt, duly
swers to before an orficor authorized to adaln-
later oaths, showing the weight or aaid vehicle,
whloh affidavit shall be kept on tila by the
0ol:eator. The lioesse reaeipt issued to the
applicant shall also show said a-elght. A copy
of said receipt shall be <:arrled at all time
on any such rehlcle while SBF~Ois upon the pub-
lic hirjhway. &oh affidavit,or a certified
eopy tharsof, my be introduoed ~8 evldanoe
showing th4 wal@it of esld v+hial.e,and such
affidavit shall be prism faale evidence 3 th-.
well;httberaot; yrovlded,however, that Pt my
be shorn that said affidavit is false or that
said pralgbtinsarted therein is incorrect."
A:rticle&27a, 5eation 6 or the venal zoe reads as
roll.:Wa:
vnny license an% w&&t loa,pootor of the :tate
Righway department,hsVl:igrceson to baliove that,
the gross weight of e loaded vehicle la unlurful.,
1s authorlsodto weigh the same either by mane
of portable or stationary scales, and to royuire
that suah vehlole be driven to the nuarest soales
in the event such saales are within two n&lea.
The iziapectormay theA req,ilrethe driver or oper-
ator to unlosd imediately suoh portion ~3 the
load as say be nescssary to decrease the gross
weight of suah vehicle to the mrimus gross wei&ht
spealfled by this Wt."
To the facto submitted to us, you iadvisethat e Li-
cenae a :~alghtTD3peCtOr believes that a truck 1s transporting
mora than 7,000 psunds, histhe r,redicateior atorplng the
truok Ix- tha purpose of wel&ing the~sme. ..Bwould mntion
th.stthe acre belief of SUO!Ion lnspeotor that a truok is
transportingnore than 7,COO pouc%s would not b!?sufficientto
authorize such a >roce%ureon the rart 3f the izsgeotor. ;TiS
balief,sustbe supported by r~~sanablegrounds.
7 In the case of ihlteheadVS. Xicharddron, 127 S.W.-
fed) 512, the Cl6trlot court had entorsd a Juderent perman-
c (
Hon. Eoner Garrison, Jr,, page 3
antly enjsinlng tile rubllo Safety :omisalon 3f Texas and
its zmnbers ami tha ?‘exzs tIif:hway I’atrol trorp unloading
mtm trucks belmficg t3 ay,pFtllants In order to -IUIU+Z~it;
ame, tlnrl to ascertain tbelr weight when empty. :s
of civil gpeals of Lallrtereversed 2nd rendered such juidg-
incntdissolvingcluohrestraint snd holdin& t!iatwhen &tn
inapeotorhse ceaaan to believe that the law is b815g vio-
lated, and that such owrse ia deemed necessary to verify
the iiliraotlon, he may unload all or any portion of a load
sound on such a vehicle for the purpose or datuminis6 the
correct we*hts and ascartainiagrhether the law is being
violated. In support of such holding, we cite also the ca&ws
0f k%W ‘isay Lmber C0111pany vs. Smith, 96 S.N. (2ti)282; .%at8
of Texa5 vs. r'er::uson, at al, 125 ti.';!.(Zd) 272; and ijlohtird-
son VS. Rurley, 126 s.W. (2d) 1COl.
?;hhen an inspector oom~s upon 3 motor truok, which
he ha8 good reason to bellsve and doeo believe is oarrying a
load in excess of thiit-2llowedby law, it is hi3 duty to
wei;-hsuoh loaded truok and then to unload the S~~:ZE xld
Weigh it empty anti In tkrttway to ascertain whether tta .iuw
Is bei@ violstad. San the truclroperator defeat.the lr;wucd
frustrate the officer In the performance of hi6 duty ty re-
fuelnq to ulllookthe van anb permit the processes cd the law
to be oarrled out in an orderly and peaoefi;lzanner? :;e
think 307.. ‘,h% 6CtiOn Ji such OfiiCers i;i~td~hiCg the load-
ed tmck, In anpty?:q the s(lds(and ~:si:_hi.n~:
It mgty is in
the nrtture~1f'a search. If neo86aury in tii% cxecutlon 3f 0
searoh warrant an officer my break ~;d anter the gremisss
wtict, are to be searcked. 56 2.J. 1242; 24 :?.i.L.700.
;PhereM sificer has tie authority to uako u search without
a warrant it wzul& seem that his powers and duties shoulirbe
the 8s~ as lf he had ipsearch war ant authorizinqthe same
kind of a search.
.issumfrgthat the inspector has xirfio?entground6
for hfe belief that the truck oarlrs a loa& in excess of
that permitted by law, :?uranswer to your question is an uf-
firni~tiveone.
Yours very truly