169 Pa. Super. 284 | Pa. Super. Ct. | 1951
Opinion by
This is an appeal from an order of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission dismissing complaint against an interchange service at West Chester, Pennsylvania, instituted by Highway Express Lines, Inc., and Shirk’s Motor Express Corporation. The effect of the order is to permit the two connecting local carriers by motor truck to fully interchange shipments and establish joint haul practices, under the Commission’s General Order No. 29, as construed by the Commission, without any proceeding to determine public necessity for the interchange and the resulting new service.
The present proceeding had its origin in a complaint filed with the Commission on November 10, 1949, by Lancaster Transportation Company, York Motor Express Company, Keystone Express and Storage Com
Highway Express Lines, Inc., operates as a class D carrier under a certificate originally issued in 1938 to Horlacher Delivery Service. The rights thereby grant: ed and pertinent to this proceeding are to transport property between points in Philadelphia and the area surrounding Philadelphia included within a line passing through, inter alia, West Chester, Phoenixville, Coatesville, Perkasie, Newtown, Morrisville, and Marcus Hook. Shirk’s Motor Express Corporation holds a certificate of public convenience granted in 1948 which, inter alia, authorizes it to transport property as a class A carrier between the City of Lancaster or other Lancaster County points and the Borough of West Chester, subject to a, number of restrictions. One of those restrictions (Fourth) forbids it to "render service between points on Highway Route 30 or between the City of Lancaster and points on Highway Route 30.”
The complaint set forth, and it was admitted, that Highway and Shirk had been interchanging shipments at West Chester, that is, Shirk accepts shipments in Lancaster destined for Philadelphia and the surrounding area by way of interchange with Highway, and Highway accepts shipments in Philadelphia and in the Philadelphia area destined for Lancaster and poifits in Lancaster County by way of interchange with Shirk at West Chester. The complainants allege that such inter
It should be noted that Highway’s certificate also gave it certain operating rights as a class B carrier: “Second: That no right, power or privilege is granted to transport property locally between points in any city or borough within this area, except that the rights herein granted will include the right to make arrangements with Class A carriers for delivery in the local areas authorized herein, notice of which arrangements shall be submitted immediately to the Commission, the intent of this provision being to authorize the certificate holder to operate as a Class B carrier in so far as Rule 5 (e) of General Order No. 29 is concerned with reference to local areas.”
In its order dismissing the complaint, the Commis: sion apparently held that, under its interpretation of General Order No. 29, promulgated in 1933, and under General Order No. 29, as amended and revised, effective January 1, 1939, Highway and Shirk had the full right to interchange as they claimed, and that no restrictions in the certificates of either Highway or Shirk prevented such interchange. After entry of the Commission’s order, the Lancaster Transportation Company, one of the complainants, presented a petition for modification of the order of dismissal and for rehearing; this was denied.
The reasoning process by which the Commission reached its ultimate conclusion to dismiss the complaint may be summarized briefly. In its order the Commission refers to the fact that Highway by the certificate of 1938, Avas granted certain rights to operate as a class B carrier, that is, “the right to make arrangements with Class A carriers for delivery in the local areas author
Continuing,- the Commission approves the inter-; change between High way. and Shirk at' West Chester,'in
Rule 203 of such general order provides in full as follows: “Rule 203 Class B Common Carriers Unless otherwise provided in the certificate, holders of Class B certificates may transport between any points in the area designated in the certificate including pick-up and delivery for Class A carriers.”
After pointing out that Highway, under its original certificate, had certain rights as a class B carrier, the Commission then holds that rules 202 and 203 of General Order No. 29 of 1939 gave Highway, as such class B carrier, not only the interchange right to deliver for a class A carrier, but also the right to pick up and interchange in full with a class A carrier. In this connection the Commission makes the following comment in its order: “The amendment and revision of General Order 29, effective January 1, 1933 [1939], for the first time gave a Class B carrier the right to pick-up and deliver for a Class A carrier. The right to interchange granted
The Commission thereby construes rules 202 and 203 of General Order No. 29 of 1939 as giving Highway and Shirk the full right of interchange in either direction over the entire extent of their separate certificated routes by blanket operation of the Commission’s order and without requiring specific Commission approval.
In addition the Commission construes the restriction in Shirk’s certificate forbidding it to “render service between points on Highway Route 30, or between the City of Lancaster and points on Highway Route 30” as indicating an “intention to restrict transportation to points within the service area of the Shirk’s Motor Express Corporation and [does] not restrict the inter? change rights of Shirk’s Motor Express Corporation to accept property within its service area to points outside its service area upon the Lincoln Highway or otherwise.” In other words, the Commission holds that the
There is no donbt in our minds that the Commission’s action is erroneous and that the result is unlawful. The order will be reversed. The Commission may promulgate such" rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the law, as may be necessary or proper in the exercise of its powers or for the performance of its duties given to it by the Legislature. Act of May 28, 1937, P.L. 1053, § 901, 66 PS § 1341. The Commission may interpret its own rules and regulations, and while its interpretation may be persuasive,. it is not binding upon the courts. The Commission by its action or by promulgation of general rules and orders cannot go beyond the bounds of its statutory authority.
It is clear that the Commission, under the statute, has jurisdiction to direct, approve, .or forbid the interchange of freight between two or more connecting motor carriers, operating under their respective certificates. Motor Freight Express et al. v. Public Service Commission, 117 Pa. Superior Ct. 165, 170, 177 A. 490. But the Commission’s jurisdiction can be exercised only in accordance with the statute. Section 202 of the Public Utility Law of May 28, 1937, P.L. 1053, as amended, 66 PS § 1122, provides: “Upon approval of the commission,; evidenced by its certificate of. public convenience, first had and obtained, and upon compliance’ with existing laws, and not otherwise, it shall be lawful: . . . (c) For any public utility to begin the exercise of any additional right, power, franchise, or privilege. . . . (e) For any public utility, ... to acquire from, or to transfer to, any person or corporation, including a’ municipal, corporation, by any method or device whatsoever, including a consolidation, merger,: sale or lease, the title to, or-:the possession or. use. of,, any tangible or intangible. prop? erty. used .of. useful in. the public service.” Under see
It has been held by the courts and commissions of many states, under legislation similar to that of Pennsylvania, that the full right of interchange or the
We think that, if rules 202 and 203 of General Order No. 29 of 1939 are considered together in their entirety, it is possible to give them an interpretation consistent with the law, requiring specific Commission approval for such interchange rights as are claimed by the two carriers. The Commission has given too broad a meaning to “local area” of class B carriers.
We also refer to the fact that rule 202 (b) 1, previously quoted in part, is restrictive in its terms, and permits through routes or joint rates between A carriers without further Commission approval “only under [certain] conditions.” For instance, subsection (c)
General Order No. 29 was promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the authority contained in section 901 of the Public Utility Law of May 28, 1937, P.L. 1053, 66 PS § 1341, which provides that “The commission may make such regulations, not inconsistent with the law, as may be necessary or proper in the exercise of its powers or for the performance of its duties under this act.” Such regulations of the Commission are subject to judicial review. Pennsylvania Railroad Co. v. Driscoll, 336 Pa. 310, 334, 9 A. 2d 621; Metropolitan Edison Co. v. Public Service Commission, 127 Pa. Superior Ct. 11, 20, 191 A. 678. The power of the Commission is statutory, and the legislative grant in any particular case must be clear. West Penn Railways Co. v. Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, 135 Pa. Superior Ct. 89, 99, 4 A. 2d 545. The power of an administration agency to prescribe rules and regulations under a statute is not the power to make law, but only the power to adopt regulations to carry into effect the will of the legislature as expressed by the statute. Manhattan General Equipment Co. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, 297 U.S. 129, 134, 56 S. Ct. 397, 400, 80 L. Ed. 528, 531. If possible, the construction of such rules and regulations, as well as. the rules and regulations themselves, must be consistent with the law.
The order of the Commission is reversed, and the record is remitted to the Commission for further proceedings and action not inconsistent with this opinion.
Re Western Motor Transport Company (Cal. Commission), P. U. R. 1922 C, 12; Pennsylvania R. Co. v. Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, 116 Ohio St. 80, 155 N. E. 694; Application of Calhoun, 51 Wyo. 448, 68 P. 2d 591; Eastridge v. Southeastern Greyhound Lines, 280 Ky. 392, 133 S. W. 2d 95; Sunset Express, Inc. v. Gulf, C. & S. F. Ry. Co., Tex. Civ. App., 154 S. W. 2d 860; Railroad Commission of Texas v. Red Arrow Freight Lines, Inc., Tex. Civ. App., 96 S. W. 2d 735; Enid Transfer & Storage Co., Inc. v. State et al., 201 Okla. 274, 190 P. 2d 150. See section 216 (49 U. S. C. A. 316) of the Federal Motor Carrier Act of 1935 which specifically authorizes carriers to establish through routes and joint rates.
“(c) For delivery to other Class A common carriers by motor vehicle at a point within the certificated rights of such other motor carrier, provided there is no authorized common carrier service by motor vehicle between the point of origin and point of destination of the shipment.”