The Railroad Commission of Texas had regulatory power of the commercial transportation of persons and property on state highways during the period covered by these records. Motor transportation activities were handled by the Motor Transportation Division. These files contain applications for motor bus or motor truck certificates or permits (originally accompanied by a filing fee) stating certain facts required by law. Opposition to application requests, formally presented at the hearings by rival motor companies and by railroads, are also in these files. Some photos are included in the files. Dates covered are 1923-1954 with the majority of records dating 1929-1942. Correspondence files were kept by the Motor Transportation Division on commercial operators who applied for or were granted permits or certificates of convenience and necessity to operate on public highways. If authority to operate was granted, an applicant had to file acceptable insurance, secure a driver's license, and pay the required plate fees. Carriers and shippers were required to carry public liability insurance or put up a C.O.D. (cash on demand) bond and keep a file demonstrating such coverage with the Division. The correspondence files contain the original copies of these insurance policies or notarized sworn statements of the amount of bond. Outgoing correspondence from the Division is commonly notice of concellation of a certificate, usually due to failure to pay the license tax or to file the required amount of insurance. Other types of correspondence to be found in a carrier's file include complaints by creditors and consumers. The outgoing replies from the Division explain that they could not settle shipping claims but did offer assistance by disclosing the amount of insurance coverage that the shipper had on file with the commission. Access to most of the correspondence is by the name of the motor vehicle carrier. The inventory lists the folders containing correspondence, but they are not in alphabetical order. Researchers have to review the entire inventory if searching for a particular motor carrier. This finding aid describes one series of the Railroad Commission of Texas records. See Railroad Commission of Texas: An Overview of Records (http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/20078/tsl-20078.html) for more records series. To prepare this inventory, the described materials were cursorily reviewed to confirm the accuracy of contents lists, to provide an estimate of dates covered, and to determine record types.
