{"data":{"id":"us/49-u.s.c.-31101","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"49 U.S.C. § 31101","heading":"Definitions","body":"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.","path":["Title 49—TRANSPORTATION","CHAPTER 311—COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY"],"source_url":"https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/103/xml_usc49@119-103.zip","current_through":"Public Law 119-103 (09/02/2026)","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-10T06:01:06Z","sha256":"52fa998d143f007adf4636624e5102120a78e4c19d0f1c603f27ffc6d94de8ba","source_id":"us","stale":true,"prev":"us/49-u.s.c.-31100","next":"us/49-u.s.c.-31102"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}