(a) (1) Upon receipt of a written recommendation from the Department of the California Highway Patrol that the permit of a household goods carrier be suspended for any of the following, the commission, pending a hearing in the matter pursuant to subdivision (d), shall suspend the carrier’s permit:
(A) Failure to maintain any vehicle used in transportation for compensation in a safe operating condition or to comply with the Vehicle Code or with applicable regulations contained in Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations, if that failure is either a consistent failure or presents an imminent danger to public safety.
(B) Failure to enroll all drivers in the pull notice system as required by Section 1808.1 of the Vehicle Code.
(C) Failure to submit any application or pay any fee required by subdivision (e) or (h) of Section 34501.12 of the Vehicle Code within the timeframes set forth in that section.
(2) The written recommendation shall specifically indicate compliance with subdivision (c).
(b) (1) A carrier whose permit is suspended pursuant to subdivision (a) may obtain a reinspection of its terminal and vehicles by the Department of the California Highway Patrol, by submitting a written request for reinstatement to the commission and paying a reinstatement fee of one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125).
(2) A carrier whose permit is suspended for failure to submit any application or to pay any fee required by Section 34501.12 of the Vehicle Code shall present proof of having submitted that application or having paid that fee to the Department of the California Highway Patrol before applying for reinstatement of that permit.
(3) The commission shall deposit all reinstatement fees collected pursuant to this subdivision in the Transportation Rate Fund. The commission shall then forward a request for reinspection to the Department of the California Highway Patrol which shall then perform a reinspection within a reasonable time or verify receipt of the application or fee, or both the application and fee. The commission shall reinstate a carrier’s permit that is suspended under subdivision (a) promptly upon receipt of a written recommendation from the Department of the California Highway Patrol that the carrier’s safety compliance has improved to the satisfaction of that department, or that the required application or fees have been received, unless the permit is suspended for another reason or has been revoked.
(c) Before transmitting a recommendation pursuant to subdivision (a) to the commission, the Department of the California Highway Patrol shall notify the household goods carrier in writing of all of the following:
(1) That the Department of the California Highway Patrol has determined that the carrier’s safety record, or compliance with Section 1808.1 of, or subdivision (e) or (h) of Section 34501.12 of, the Vehicle Code, is unsatisfactory, furnishing a copy of any documentation or summary of any other evidence supporting the determination.
(2) That the determination may result in a suspension or revocation of the carrier’s permit by the commission.
(3) That the carrier may request a review of the determination by the Department of the California Highway Patrol within five days of its receipt of the notice required under this subdivision. If a review pursuant to this paragraph is requested by the carrier, the Department of the California Highway Patrol shall conduct and evaluate that review prior to transmitting any notification to the commission pursuant to subdivision (a).
(d) Whenever the commission suspends the permit of any household goods carrier pursuant to subdivision (a), the commission shall furnish the carrier written notice of the suspension and shall hold a hearing within a reasonable time, not to exceed 21 days, after a written request for a hearing is filed with the commission, with a copy of that written request furnished to the Department of the California Highway Patrol. At the hearing, the carrier shall show cause why the suspension should not be continued. At the conclusion of the hearing, the commission, in addition to any other penalty provided in this chapter, may terminate the suspension, continue the suspension in effect, or revoke the permit. The commission may revoke the permit of any household goods carrier suspended pursuant to subdivision (a) at any time 90 days or more after its suspension if the commission has not received a written recommendation for reinstatement from the Department of the California Highway Patrol and the carrier has not filed a written request for a hearing with the commission.
(e) Notwithstanding subdivision (d), no hearing shall be provided when the suspension of the permit is based solely upon the failure of the household goods carrier to submit an application or to pay fees required by Section 34501.12 of the Vehicle Code.
(f) If the commission, after a hearing, finds that a household goods carrier has continued to operate as such a carrier after its permit or permits have been suspended pursuant to subdivision (a), the commission shall do one of the following:
(1) Revoke the operating permit or permits of the carrier.
(2) Impose upon the holder of the permit or permits a civil penalty of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each day of unlawful operations.
(Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 1006, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2000. Inoperative July 1, 2018. Repealed as of January 1, 2019, pursuant to Section 5340.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018