{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-138.655","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 138.655","heading":"Definitions for KRS 138.660 to 138.7291 and 138.990(13) and (14).","body":"As used in KRS 138.660 to 138.7291 and 138.990(13) and (14), unless the context\nrequires otherwise:\n(1) \"Cabinet\" means the Transportation Cabinet;\n(2) \"Combined licensed weight\" shall mean the greater of:\n(a) The declared combined maximum gross weight of the vehicle and any towed\nunit for registration purposes for the current registration period; or\n(b) The highest actual combined gross weight of the vehicle and any towed u nit\nwhen operated on the public highways of the state during the current\nregistration period;\n(3) \"Gasoline\" has the same meaning as in KRS 138.210;\n(4) \"Heavy equipment motor carrier\" means any person who operates on the public\nhighways of this state as a  \"motor carrier\" as defined in subsection (6) of this\nsection, except that it shall not include motor vehicles used to transport persons for\nhire;\n(5) \"Licensee\" means for purposes of KRS 138.660 to 138.7291 any person who has\nbeen granted a license as a \"motor carrier\" or a \"heavy equipment motor carrier,\" or\nany motor vehicle in which a valid trip permit is carried;\n(6) \"Motor carrier\" means every person who operates or causes to be operated on any\nhighway in this state, any bus engaged in hauling passeng ers for hire operating\nunder a certificate of convenience and necessity and any commercial truck or\ncommercial tractor-trailer combination having a total of two (2) or more axles and a\ndeclared gross weight above twenty -six thousand (26,000) pounds. The nu mber of\naxles shall include not only those axles on the power unit but if a tractor -trailer\ncombination is involved, also those axles on the trailer or semitrailer:\n(a) \"Axle\" means any two (2) or more load -carrying wheels mounted in a single\ntransverse vertical plane;\n(b) \"Trailers and semitrailers\" are those as defined in KRS 186.650(1) and (2),\nexcept that it does not include those trailers defined in KRS 186.650(3) an d\n(4) and those exempted from regulation under KRS 186.675. The term \"motor\ncarrier\" shall not mean or shall not include any person operating or causing to\nbe operated a city bus;\n(c) \"Commercial\" refers to any activity for business purposes; and\n(d) For the purposes of KRS 138.660(3) motor carriers, trailers, and semitrailers\nshall not mean a farm vehicle as defined in KRS 186.050(4) or under another\njurisdiction's law as a farm vehicle;\n(7) \"Motor vehicle\" means any vehicle, machine, or mechanical contriv ance propelled\nby an internal combustion engine and licensed for operation and operated upon the\npublic highways and any trailer or semitrailer attached to or having its front end\nsupported by such motor vehicle;\n(8) \"Person\" includes every natural person,  fiduciary, association, state or political\nsubdivision, or corporation. Whenever used in any clause describing and imposing\nimprisonment the term \"person\" as applied to an association means and includes the\npartners or members thereof, and as applied to a corporation the officers thereof;\n(9) \"Public highway\" means every way or place generally open to the use of the public\nas a matter of right for the purpose of vehicular travel notwithstanding that it may\nbe temporarily closed or travel thereon restricted  for the purpose of construction,\nmaintenance, repair, or reconstruction; also including all city streets, alleys, and any\nway or place on which a toll is charged for using such way or place;\n(10) \"Quarterly\" for the purposes of KRS 138.660 to 138.7291 means a calendar quarter;\n(11) \"Special fuels\" means and includes all combustible gases and liquids used for the\ngeneration of power in an internal combustion engine to propel vehicles of any kind\nupon the public highways, except that it does not include gasoline;\n(12) \"Trip permit\" means a permit for the operating during a ten (10) consecutive day\nperiod of any motor vehicle of any \"heavy equipment motor carrier\" not licensed\nunder KRS 138.665; and\n(13) \"Use\" means the consumption of gasoline and special fue ls in propelling motor\nvehicles on the public highways.","path":["KRS Chapter 138"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=55050","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:50:30Z","sha256":"035d9a9983ea5dd769e8e279abd5e9760e08bebbe91b2d47abcc9c5c81dee839","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-138.650","next":"us-ky/krs-138.660"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}