HRS § 271-18 - Transfer of certificates of public convenience and necessity, contract carrier permits, and carrier property

(a) For the purpose of the administration and application of subsections (a) and (b), the terms "carrier" includes any motor carrier subject to this chapter, or any carrier subject to the act of any other state or any act of the Congress of the United States under which interstate or foreign commerce by land, sea, or air, is regulated. (b) No motor carrier shall sell, lease, assign, mortgage, or otherwise dispose of, or encumber the whole or any part of its property necessary or useful in the performance of transportation services for the public or any certificate of public convenience and necessity or permit; nor shall any motor carrier, by any means, directly or indirectly, merge or consolidate its property, certificates of public conve­nience and necessity or permits, or any part thereof, with any other carrier, without first having secured from the public utilities commission an order authorizing it so to do. Every such sale, lease, assignment, mortgage, disposition, encumbrance, merger, or consolidation, made other than in accordance with the order of the commission authorizing the same is void. (c) No carrier or person in control of a carrier shall, either directly or indirectly, purchase or acquire, take or hold, any part of the capital stock of any motor carrier organized or existing under or by virtue of the laws of this State without having been first authorized to do so by the commission. Every assignment, transfer of any stock by or through any person to any person, or otherwise, in violation of any of the provisions of this section is void and of no effect, and no transfer shall be made on the books of any motor carrier. Nothing herein shall prevent the holding of stock heretofore lawfully acquired. (d) Whenever a transaction is proposed under subsection (b) or (c) of this section, the motor carrier or motor carriers, or person or persons, seeking approval thereof shall present an application to the commission in such form as the commis­sion may require and the commission may thereupon act upon the application with or without first holding a public hearing; provided that if requested, it shall afford reasonable opportunity for interested parties to be heard. If the commission finds that subject to such terms and conditions as it shall find to be just and reasonable the proposed transaction will be consistent with the public interests, the commission shall enter an order approving and authorizing the transaction, upon the terms and conditions, and with the modifications, so found to be just and reasonable. In passing upon any transaction under subsection (b) or (c), the commission shall give weight, among other considerations, to the effect of the proposed transaction upon (1) adequate transportation service to the public, (2) other motor carriers, and (3) the employees of any transferring motor carrier. (e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a motor carrier to secure from the commission authority to lease motor vehicle equipment from another motor carrier for the purpose of meeting the requirements of transportation, to execute any conditional sales contract for the purchase of motor vehicle equipment or any note and chattel mortgage on motor vehicle equipment securing the payment of all or any part of the purchase price of motor vehicle equipment; nor shall this section prevent the sale, lease, encumbrance, or other disposition by any motor carrier of property which is not necessary or useful in the performance of its duties to the public, and any disposition of property by a motor carrier shall be conclusively presumed to be property which is not necessary or useful in the performance of its duties to the public as to any purchaser, lessee, or encumbrancer dealing with such property in good faith and for value. (f) Pending the determination of an application filed with the commission for approval of a consolidation or merger of the properties of two or more motor carriers, or of a purchase, lease, or contract to operate the properties of one or more motor carriers, the commission may, in its discretion and without hearings or other pro­ceedings, grant temporary approval, for a period not exceeding one hundred twenty days or for such additional period as the determination of an application may require, of the operation of the motor carrier properties sought to be acquired by the persons proposing in the pending application to acquire the properties, if it shall appear that failure to grant this temporary approval may result in destruction of or injury to such motor carrier properties sought to be acquired, or to interfere substantially with their future usefulness in the performance of adequate and continuous service to the public. [L 1961, c 121, pt of §2; Supp, §106C-16; HRS ] Case Notes As this chapter contains no provisions regarding dormancy, and "public convenience and necessity" is not a prerequisite to transfer of certificates of public convenience and necessity pursuant to subsection (d), the public utilities commission was not required to permit intervenor carriers to argue those issues in proceedings regarding carrier's transfer applications. 93 H. 45, 995 P.2d 776. Where the public utilities commission acted within its prerogatives in treating bankrupt carrier's application as a request to permit other carriers to continue bankrupt carrier's existing service, and in doing so considered the public interest factors required under §271-1 and this section, §271-12 and the new service doctrine were inapposite to the case. 93 H. 45, 995 P.2d 776.