California Vehicle Code 34623 – (a) The Department of the California Highway Patrol has …
(a) The Department of the California Highway Patrol has exclusive jurisdiction for the regulation of safety of operation of motor carriers of property.
(b) The motor carrier permit of a motor carrier of property may be suspended for failure to do either of the following:
Terms Used In California Vehicle Code 34623
- commercial motor vehicle: means any self-propelled vehicle listed in subdivisions (a), (b), (f), (g), and (k) of Section 34500, any motortruck of two or more axles that is more than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating, and any other motor vehicle used to transport property for compensation. See California Vehicle Code 34601
- Department: means the Department of Motor Vehicles except, when used in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 2100) of Division 2 and in Divisions 11 (commencing with Section 21000), 12 (commencing with Section 24000), 13 (commencing with Section 29000), 14 (commencing with Section 31600), 14. See California Vehicle Code 290
- driver: is a person who drives or is in actual physical control of a vehicle. See California Vehicle Code 305
- fund: means the Motor Vehicle Account in the State Transportation Fund. See California Vehicle Code 34602
- Highway: is a way or place of whatever nature, publicly maintained and open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. See California Vehicle Code 360
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
- motor carrier of property: means any person who operates any commercial motor vehicle as defined in subdivision (c). See California Vehicle Code 34601
- Terminal: is a place where a vehicle of a type listed in Section 34500 is regularly garaged or maintained, or from which the vehicle is operated or dispatched. See California Vehicle Code 595
- vehicle: is a device by which any person or property may be propelled, moved, or drawn upon a highway, excepting a device moved exclusively by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. See California Vehicle Code 670
(1) Maintain any vehicle of the carrier in a safe operating condition or to comply with this 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.
(2) Enroll all drivers in the pull-notice system as required by Section 1808.1.
(c) The motor carrier permit of a motor carrier of property shall be suspended for failure to either (1) comply with the requirements of federal law described in subdivision (a) of § 34520 of the Vehicle Code, or (2) make copies of results and other records available as required by subdivision (b) of that section. The suspension shall be as follows:
(1) For a serious violation, which is a willful failure to perform substance abuse testing in accordance with state or federal law:
(A) For a first offense, a mandatory five-day suspension.
(B) For a second offense within three years of a first offense, a mandatory three-month suspension.
(C) For a third offense within three years of a first offense, a mandatory one-year suspension.
(2) For a nonserious violation, the time recommended to the department by the Department of the California Highway Patrol.
(3) For the purposes of this subdivision, “willful failure” means any of the following:
(A) An intentional and uncorrected failure to have a controlled substances and alcohol testing program in place.
(B) An intentional and uncorrected failure to enroll an employed driver into the controlled substances and alcohol testing program.
(C) A knowing use of a medically disqualified driver, including the failure to remove the driver from safety-sensitive duties upon notification of the medical disqualification.
(D) An attempt to conceal legal deficiencies in the motor carrier’s controlled substances and alcohol testing program.
(d) The department, pending a hearing in the matter pursuant to subdivision (f), may suspend a carrier’s permit.
(e) (1) A motor carrier whose motor carrier permit is suspended pursuant to subdivision (b) 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 department and paying a reinstatement fee as required by Section 34623.5.
(2) The department shall deposit all reinstatement fees collected from motor carriers of property pursuant to this section in the fund. Upon receipt of the fee, the department shall forward a request to the Department of the California Highway Patrol, which shall perform a reinspection within a reasonable time, or shall verify receipt of the application or fee or both the application and fee. Following the term of a suspension imposed under Section 34670, the department shall reinstate a carrier’s motor carrier permit suspended under subdivision (b) upon notification by the Department of the California Highway Patrol that the carrier’s safety compliance has improved to the satisfaction of the Department of the California Highway Patrol, unless the permit is suspended for another reason or has been revoked.
(f) Whenever the department suspends the permit of any carrier pursuant to subdivision (b), (c), or paragraph (3) of subdivision (i), the department shall furnish the carrier with written notice of the suspension and shall provide for a hearing within a reasonable time, not to exceed 21 days, after a written request is filed with the department. At the hearing, the carrier shall show cause why the suspension should not be continued. Following the hearing, the department may terminate the suspension, continue the suspension in effect, or revoke the permit. The department may revoke the permit of any carrier suspended pursuant to subdivision (b) at any time that is 90 days or more after its suspension if the carrier has not filed a written request for a hearing with the department or has failed to submit a request for reinstatement pursuant to subdivision (e).
(g) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, a hearing shall not be provided if the suspension of the motor carrier permit is based solely upon the failure of the motor carrier to maintain satisfactory proof of financial responsibility as required by this code.
(h) A motor carrier of property may not operate a commercial motor vehicle on any public highway in this state during any period its motor carrier of property permit is suspended pursuant to this division.
(i) (1) A motor carrier of property whose motor carrier permit is suspended pursuant to this section or Section 34505.6, which suspension is based wholly or in part on the failure of the motor carrier to maintain any vehicle in safe operating condition, may not lease, or otherwise allow, another motor carrier to operate the vehicles of the carrier subject to the suspension, during the period of the suspension.
(2) A motor carrier of property may not knowingly lease, operate, dispatch, or otherwise utilize any vehicle from a motor carrier of property whose motor carrier permit is suspended, which suspension is based wholly or in part on the failure of the motor carrier to maintain any vehicle in safe operating condition.
(3) The department may immediately suspend the motor carrier permit of any motor carrier that the department determines to be in violation of paragraph (2).
(j) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2016.
(Repealed (in Sec. 17) and added by Stats. 2013, Ch. 500, Sec. 18. (AB 529) Effective January 1, 2014. Section operative January 1, 2016, by its own provisions.)