People ex. rel. Renne v. Servantes

In People ex. rel. Renne v. Servantes (2001) 86 Cal.App.4th 1081, the court explained that Congress enacted the FAAA Act, which expressly preempts state or local regulation " 'related to a price, route, or service of any motor carrier . . . with respect to the transportation of property,' " for two purposes: (1) to deregulate and eliminate non-uniform state regulations of motor carriers that were interfering with interstate commerce; and (2) to eliminate the advantage enjoyed by air carriers such as Federal Express, over the more heavily regulated ground-based shipping competitors. (Id. at p. 1088.) The court found "little question that a towing company qualifies as a 'motor carrier' " under the act. (Ibid.) It concluded, however, that section 22658 was not preempted by the FAAA Act because it came within an explicit exception in the Act for laws enacted pursuant to the safety regulatory authority of a state with respect to motor vehicles. (Ibid.)