§ 31101. Definitions

In this subchapter—

• (1) “commercial motor vehicle” means (except in section 31106) a self-propelled or towed vehicle used on the highways in commerce principally to transport passengers or cargo, if the vehicle—
  • (A) has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of at least 10,001 pounds, whichever is greater;
  • (B) is designed to transport more than 10 passengers including the driver; or
  • (C) is used in transporting material found by the Secretary of Transportation to be hazardous under section 5103 of this title and transported in a quantity requiring placarding under regulations prescribed by the Secretary under section 5103.
• (2) “employee” means a driver of a commercial motor vehicle (including an independent contractor when personally operating a commercial motor vehicle), a mechanic, a freight handler, or an individual not an employer, who—
  • (A) directly affects commercial motor vehicle safety in the course of employment by a commercial motor carrier; and
  • (B) is not an employee of the United States Government, a State, or a political subdivision of a State acting in the course of employment.
• (3) “employer”—
  • (A) means a person engaged in a business affecting commerce that owns or leases a commercial motor vehicle in connection with that business, or assigns an employee to operate the vehicle in commerce; but
  • (B) does not include the Government, a State, or a political subdivision of a State.
• (4) “State” means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.