What is a Commercial Motor Vehicle?
The Michigan Motor Carrier Safety Act of 1963 defines a Commercial Motor Vehicle or CMV as any self propelled or towed vehicle designed or used on public highways to transport passengers or property, except for a bus exempted in subdivision (b), if the vehicle is 1 or more of the following: 1. Has either a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) or an actual gross weight (GW) or 2. Gross combination weight rating (GCWR) or an actual gross combination weight (GCW) of 10,001 or more pounds. 3. Is designed for carrying 16 or more passengers, including the driver. 4. Is used in the transportation of hazardous materials in a quantity that requires the vehicle to be marked or placarded pursuant to 49 C.F.R. parts 100 to 180. What this basically means is that if: You drive a vehicle that the manufacturer specifies (GVWR) can carry over 10,000 pounds by itself or actually weighs (gross weight) with load over 10,000 pounds you fall under the regulations. You drive a combination of vehicles that when
Guidance: The general definition for a commercial motor vehicle is contained in Part 390 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) for vehicles operating in interstate commerce. The Michigan Motor Carrier Safety Act of 1963, Act 181 of 1963 adopted this part of the FMCSR into the Michigan Vehicle Code by reference (making these rules applicable to CMV’s operating in Michigan intrastate commerce). In 2005 the definition for a commercial motor vehicle was removed from Act 181. The definition contained in 390.5 of the FMCSR applies to both private and for-hire transportation.
