§31132 Definitions

Summary

Defines key words used for rules about commercial motor vehicles, the people who work with them, and where they operate. Commercial motor vehicle: a self-powered or towed highway vehicle used in interstate commerce that meets one of four tests (weighs 10,001 pounds or more, carries more than 8 paying passengers including the driver, carries more than 15 passengers including the driver when not paid, or hauls hazardous material that must display placards under section 5103). Employee: a driver (including an independent contractor when driving), mechanic, freight handler, or other worker who directly affects vehicle safety and is not a federal, state, or local government employee doing government work. Employer: a business affecting interstate commerce that owns, leases, or assigns someone to operate a commercial motor vehicle; does not include government. Interstate commerce: moving people or goods between places in different states, between a place in a state and outside it (including outside the U.S.), or between two places in the same state if the trip goes through another state or outside the U.S. Intrastate commerce: movement that stays within one state and is not interstate. Medical examiner: a person licensed or certified under FMCSA rules to perform required medical exams. Regulation: a rule, including a standard or order. State: a U.S. State and the District of Columbia; for sections 31136 and 31140–31142 it can also mean political subdivisions. State law and State regulation: include laws and regulations made by political subdivisions. United States: the States of the United States and the District of Columbia.