(a)
Before a permit is hereafter issued the commission shall require the applicant to establish ability and reasonable financial responsibility to initiate the proposed operations. The commission shall require the applicant to establish his or her knowledge and ability to engage in business as a household goods carrier by examination. The examination may be written or oral, or in the form of a demonstration of skill or any combination of these, and any investigation of character, experience, and any tests of technical knowledge and manual skill
that the commission determines to be appropriate may be employed. In any examination the qualification of the applicant shall be determined by an appraisal made by a member of the commission’s staff. An applicant who has been determined to be unqualified may thereafter establish his or her qualifications through a subsequent examination, but no subsequent examination shall be taken prior to 30 days from the date when the applicant was found to be unqualified. If the staff member determines that the applicant is not qualified, then the matter shall be set for hearing and the qualification of the applicant shall be determined by the commission on the basis of evidence of qualifications presented at the hearing, which evidence may include consideration of any written examination of the applicant. If the staff member determines that the applicant is qualified, the commission may issue a permit without hearing, unless the commission determines that a hearing is desirable, in which event the commission may set the
application for hearing.
(b)
An applicant may qualify in one of the following ways:
(1)
If an individual, he or she may qualify by personal examination or by examination of his or her responsible managing employee.
(2)
If a copartnership or corporation, or any other type of business organization, it may qualify by examination of the responsible managing officer, employee who works at least 32 hours per week, or partner of the applicant firm.
(c)
If the individual qualified by examination ceases to be connected with the permitholder, the permitholder shall notify the commission in writing within 30 days after the cessation. If notice is given the permit shall remain in force a reasonable length of time in order that another representative of applicant
may be qualified before the commission. If the permitholder fails to notify the commission of the cessation within a 30-day period, at the end of that period the permit shall be automatically suspended.
(d)
The commission shall require each applicant for a permit to submit fingerprints for each owner, partner, officer, and director as a prerequisite to the issuance of a permit to operate as a household goods carrier. The commission shall submit completed fingerprint cards to the Department of Justice. Those fingerprints shall be available for use by the Department of Justice and the Department of Justice may transmit the fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal history record check. The commission may use any information obtained from the national criminal history record check conducted pursuant to this section to determine the applicant’s qualification for permit.
(e)
The commission may require, as a precondition to the issuance of a permit, the procurement of a performance bond sufficient to facilitate the collection of fines, penalties, and restitution related to enforcement actions that can be taken against the applicant.
(f)
The commission may refuse to issue a permit if it is shown that an applicant or an officer, director, partner, or associate thereof has committed any act constituting dishonesty or fraud; committed any act which, committed by a permitholder would be grounds for a suspension or revocation of the permit; misrepresented any material fact on the application; or, committed a felony, or crime involving moral turpitude.
(g)
The commission shall issue a permit only to those applicants who it finds have demonstrated that they possess sufficient knowledge, ability,
integrity, and financial resources and responsibility to perform the service within the scope of their application.
(h)
A permit may not be issued unless it has been shown that applicant meets one of the following residence requirements: If an individual, applicant shall have resided in the State of California for not less than 90 days next preceding the filing of the application. If a partnership, the partner having the largest percentage interest in the partnership shall have resided in the State of California continuously for not less than 90 days next preceding the filing of the application. If a corporation, applicant shall be a domestic corporation or shall have qualified to transact business in the State of California as a foreign corporation at the time of filing the application.
(i)
The commission shall prescribe, amend, and repeal rules in accordance with law for the
administration of this section.