(Photo from Budd Van Lines website)
- The Mississippi Transportation set aside the recommendation to deny the company’s certification request, with Southern District Commissioner Charles Busby saying denying the request “doesn’t sound like free market to me.”
Mississippi’s Transportation Commission set aside a recommendation to deny certification to an out-of-state moving company during this week’s meeting.
The recommendation to deny the certification was based on outcry from existing companies providing the same services.
The company making the certification request was listed as Budd Van Lines LLC, a New Jersey-based business that provides moving services for various means. The request was for a “certificate of public convenience and necessity as a common carrier of property statewide.”
Companies currently providing those same services in Mississippi were notified of Budd Van Lines’ certification request as required by state law. Two submitted objections. Those objections resulted in a hearing held in June on the matter, MDOT’s Legal Division Director Judy Martin said.
At the conclusion of the hearing, the hearing officer suggested the commission deny the certification request from Budd Van Lines due to a lack of available business in the market. When that recommendation for denial of the certificate came the Transportation Commission on Tuesday, all three commissioners said the matter needed more consideration.
Southern District Commissioner Charles Busby (R) started the conversation when he asked why the hearing officer recommended denial of the request.
“The people protesting, the companies protesting, put on evidence that there was not enough business for the existing people with certificates,” Martin explained, adding the hearing officer sided with those in protest.
Martin added that if there is no public necessity for a service, the hearing officer can make the decision to recommend denial of certification.
“You know, it doesn’t sound like free market to me,” Busby responded. “I mean, if they want to set up shop and they want to compete. What if they got a better mousetrap? Are we going to deny our residents access to a better mousetrap?”
He added that providing the company with certification to operate in the state is not a guarantee of success.
“Just the fact that they’re going to compete for business doesn’t seem like a real reason to deny a license to me,” Busby added.
Northern District Commissioner John Caldwell (R) agreed with Busby’s concerns and made a motion to set the matter aside and revisit it at the next meeting. Busby and Central District Commissioner Willie Simmons (D) supported the motion.
Budd Van Lines touts that they deliver seamless, nationwide moving solutions from anywhere in the U.S.
“Our dedicated fleet ensures premium service to all 50 states, reaching even the most remote locations with uncompromising quality,” the company’s website states.
The company’s six regional service centers are shown below.
