Motor Carrier Services Manual
The following is a glossary of common terms used in the IRP and IFTA programs. In some cases, the same terms may be used differently in different programs.
ACCOUNT – A person, firm or corporation who has established an IRP or IFTA fleet.
ALLOCATED VEHICLE – A vehicle to which a particular jurisdiction’s basic license plate or IRP license plate is attached upon payment of the jurisdiction’s full basic license fee. A portion of each fleet of one-way vehicles is “allocated” to each jurisdiction into or through which the fleet travels.
APPLICANT – A person, firm or corporation in whose name an application is filed with a base jurisdiction in order to obtain an IFTA and/or IRP license.
APPORTIONABLE FEE – Any periodic recurring fee required for licensing or registering vehicles, such as but not limited to, registration fees, license or weight fees.
APPORTIONMENT – A registration based on the proportional payment of registration fees, whether determined by the quotient of total distance traveled, revenue received, average presence, or any other similar method approved in the Plan.
AUDIT – A physical examination of a registrant’s operational records including source documentation to verify fleet distance and accuracy of a registrant’s record keeping system for that fleet.
AXLE – An assembly of a vehicle consisting of two or more wheels whose centers are in one horizontal plane, by means of which a portion of the weight of a vehicle and its load, if any, is continually transmitted to the roadway. For purposes of registration under the IRP, an “axle” is any such assembly whether or not it is load-bearing only part of the time.
BASE JURISDICTION – The jurisdiction where the registrant has an established place of business, where distance is accrued by the fleet, and where operational records of such fleet are maintained or can be made available.
BASE PLATE – The license plate issued by the base jurisdiction and shall be the only registration identification plate issued for the vehicle by any member jurisdiction.
BOBTAIL – To operate a tractor from one point to another without a trailer.
BUS – A motor vehicle designed, constructed, and/or used for the transportation of passengers.
BASE PLATE – The plate issued by the base jurisdiction shall be the only registration identification plate issued for the vehicle by any member jurisdiction.
CAB CARD – A registration issued by the base jurisdiction for a vehicle of an IRP fleet which identifies the vehicle, the registrant, the jurisdictions for which the vehicle is apportioned, the plate number, the registered weight by jurisdiction, and any other necessary information.
CANCELLATION – The voluntary annulment of a license by a licensee who is in good standing.
CARRIER – See MOTOR CARRIER.
CHARTER BUSES – Also known as Tour Buses, are buses that do not operate on a fixed route or on a regular schedule. Charter buses also include private buses.
CHARTERED PARTY – A group of persons, who pursuant to a common purpose and under a single contract, and at a fixed charge for the vehicle in accordance with the carrier’s tariff, lawfully on file with the U.S. Department of Transportation, have acquired the exclusive use of a passenger-carrying motor vehicle to travel together as a group to a specified destination or for a particular itinerary, either agreed upon in advance or modified by the chartered group after having left the place of origin.
COMBINATION OF VEHICLES – A power unit used in combination with trailers, semi-trailers and/or auxiliary axles.
COMBINED GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT – The combined weight of the vehicle and the maximum load to be carried on the combination of vehicles.
COMMERCIAL VEHICLE – A bus, truck or truck-tractor, and semi-trailer or full trailer combination which is used or maintained for transportation of persons or property for hire, compensation, or profit or in furtherance of a commercial enterprise.
COMMON CARRIER – Any motor carrier, which holds itself out to the general public to engage in the transportation by motor vehicle of passengers or property for compensation.
CONTRACT CARRIER – Any motor carrier transporting persons or property for compensation or hire under contract to a particular person, firm or corporation.
CONVERTER GEAR (CG) – Auxiliary axle undercarriage assembly with a fifth wheel and a tow bar used to convert a semi-trailer to a full trailer.
CREDENTIALS – The license plate, cab card, and/or decal issued to reflect the apportioned registration of a vehicle.
DEADHEAD – To operate a vehicle from one point to another without transporting any type of cargo.
DISTANCE – Term used for “mileage” or “kilometers.”
ENFORCEMENT DATE – The date the base jurisdiction requires a registrant to display the new registration year’s credentials.
ESTABLISHED PLACE OF BUSINESS – Means a physical structure located within the base jurisdiction that is owned, leased or rented by the fleet registrant. The physical structure shall be designated by a street number or road location. A post office box is not sufficient to satisfy this requirement. This physical structure must be open during normal business hours, and have located within it:
• A telephone or telephones publicly listed in the name of the fleet registrant,
• A person or persons in the permanent employment of the registrant conducting the fleet registrants trucking-related business, and
• The operational records of the fleet and the maintenance of such records.
• The trucking-related business within the base jurisdiction must constitute more than just credentialing, distance and fuel reporting, and/or answering a telephone. Employees in the permanent employment of the registrant, not contractual labor, must be performing the trucking-related duties.
EXCEPTION – A deviation from the Plan by a member jurisdiction, which has been approved by all member jurisdictions.
EXEMPT MOTOR CARRIER – A person, firm or corporation engaged in transportation exempt from economic regulation by the FMCSA.
FEDERAL HEAVY VEHICLE USE TAX (FHVUT) – A federal excise tax paid annually to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on each highway motor vehicle with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more.
FLEET – One or more vehicles.
FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) was established within the U.S.Department of Transportation for the primary purpose of preventing commercial motor vehicle related fatalities and injuries.
FOR HIRE CARRIER – A person, firm or corporation engaged in the transportation of goods or passengers for compensation.
FULL TRAILER (FT) – A vehicle without motive power designed for carrying persons or property, pulled by a motor vehicle, and so constructed that no part of its weight rests on the pulling vehicle.
GRACE PERIOD – A period of time from the expiration of the current year’s credentials until the date new credentials are required to be displayed or enforcement action could be taken
HOUSEHOLD GOODS CARRIER – A carrier handling (a) personal effects and property used or to be used in a dwelling; (b) furniture, fixtures, equipment, and the property of stores, offices, museums, institutions, hospitals or other establishments, when a part of the stock, equipment, or supply of such stores, offices, museums, institutions, including objects of art, displays and exhibits, which, because of their unusual nature or value, require the specialized handling and equipment usually employed in moving household goods.
HUNTER’S PERMIT – A permit issued to owner-operators to allow the movement of an unloaded vehicle
that does not have a current registration.
INDIVIDUAL VEHICLE DISTANCE RECORD (IVDR) – The original record generated in the course of actual vehicle operation that is used as a source document to verify the registrant’s application for accuracy.
INTERNATIONAL FUEL TAX AGREEMENT (IFTA) – An
agreement among the states of the
INTERNATIONAL REGISTRATION PLAN (IRP) – A
registration reciprocity agreement among the states of the
INTERSTATE DISTANCE – The total distance operated by a fleet of vehicles in a jurisdiction during the preceding year.
INTERSTATE OPERATION – Vehicle movement between or through two or more jurisdictions.
INTRASTATE OPERATION – Vehicle movement from one point within a jurisdiction to another point within the same jurisdiction.
JURISDICTION – A country, state, province, territory, possession, or federal district of a country.
LEASE – A written document vesting exclusive possession, control and responsibility for the operation of the vehicle to the lessee for a specific period of time. (a) A long-term lease is for a period of 30 days or more. (b) A short-term lease is for a period of fewer than 30 days.
LESSEE – A person, firm or corporation that has the legal possession and control of a vehicle owned by another under terms of a lease agreement.
LICENSEE – A person, firm or corporation that has been granted an IFTA license.
LESSOR – A person, firm or corporation which, under the terms of a lease, grants the legal right of possession, control of, and responsibility for the operations of the vehicle to another person, firm or corporation.
MOTOR CARRIER – A person, firm, or corporation engaged in the commercial transportation of goods or persons.
MOTOR FUEL – All fuels used for the generation of power for propulsion of qualified motor vehicles.
MOTOR VEHICLE – Every vehicle which is self-propelled by power other than muscular power.
OPERATIONAL RECORDS – Documents supporting the total distance traveled in each jurisdiction and total distance traveled such as fuel reports, trip sheets and logs.
OWNER – A person, firm, or corporation, other than a lienholder, holding legal title to a vehicle.
OWNER OPERATOR – Person, firm or corporation leasing an apportioned motor vehicle with driver to a motor carrier.
PERSON – An individual, corporation, partnership, association, trust, or other entity.
POOL FLEET – A fleet of rental company trailers and semi-trailers having a gross weight in excess of 6,000 pounds and used solely in pool operation, with no permanent base.
POWER UNIT – See “Motor Vehicle,” “Tractor,” “Truck” or “Truck-Tractor.”
PRECEDING YEAR – Period of twelve (12) consecutive months immediately prior to July 1st of the year immediately preceding the commencement of the registration or license year for which apportion registration is sought.
PRISM (Performance and Registration Information Systems Management). Cooperative Federal/State program to link safety fitness to state vehicle registration.
PRIVATE CARRIER – A person, firm or corporation engaged in the interstate transportation of persons or property and is not a for hire motor carrier.
PROPERLY REGISTERED VEHICLE – A vehicle that has been registered in full compliance with the laws
of all jurisdictions in which it is intended to operate.
QUALIFIED MOTOR VEHICLE – A motor vehicle that travels in two or more jurisdictions and which meets any of the following conditions: (a) having two axles and a gross vehicle weight exceeding 26,000 pounds; or (b) having three or more axles regardless of weight; or (c) Is used in combination, when the weight of such combination exceeds 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight.
RECIPROCITY – A vehicle properly licensed shall be exempt from further licensing by any other member jurisdiction.
RECIPROCITY AGREEMENT – Agreement, arrangement or understanding governing the reciprocal grant of rights and/or privileges to vehicles which are based in and properly registered under the applicable laws of the jurisdictions which are parties to such an agreement, arrangement or understanding.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE – A vehicle used for personal pleasure or personal travel, not in connection with any commercial endeavor.
REGISTRANT – A person, firm, or corporation in whose name or names a vehicle is properly registered.
REGISTRATION YEAR – The twelve month period during which the registration issued by the base jurisdiction is valid according to the laws of the base jurisdiction.
RENEWAL MONTH – The month that a vehicle s registration (license plate) expires.
RENTAL OWNER – An owner principally engaged, with respect to one or more rental fleets, in renting to others or offering for rental the vehicles of such fleets, with or without drivers.
RENTAL FLEET – Vehicles which are rented or offered for rental with or without drivers, and which are designated by a rental owner as a rental fleet.
RENTAL VEHICLE – A vehicle of a rental fleet.
RENTING AND LEASING – The giving of possession and control of a vehicle for valuable consideration for a specified period of time.
RESTRICTED PLATE – A license plate that has time (less than a license year), geographic area, distance, or commodity restrictions.
REVOCATION – Withdrawal of license and privileges granted to the licensee by the licensing jurisdiction.
MOTOR CARRIER SERVICES MANUAL G-4
ROAD TRACTOR (RT) – A motor vehicle designed and used for pulling other vehicles and not constructed to carry any load other than part of the weight of the pulled vehicle. (These vehicles are primarily used to pull mobile homes.)
SEMI-TRAILER (ST) – A vehicle without motive power designed for carrying persons or property and for being pulled by a motor vehicle and so constructed that some part of its weight and that of its load rests upon or is carried by the towing vehicle.
SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE – One who furnishes facilities and services including sales, warehousing, motorized equipment and drivers under contract or other arrangements to a carrier for transportation of property by a household goods carrier.
SUSPENSION – Temporary removal of privileges granted to the licensee by the licensing jurisdiction.
TAXABLE MILES –
TEMPORARY PERMIT – A permit issued by the base jurisdiction or its agent to be carried in a qualified vehicle in lieu of display of the permanent annual decals.
TEMPORARY VEHICLE REGISTRATION –
TRACTOR (TR) – A motor vehicle designed and used primarily for drawing other vehicles, but not so constructed as to carry a load other than part of the weight of the vehicle and its load so drawn.
TOTAL DISTANCE – All miles or kilometers traveled during the reporting period by every qualified vehicle in the licensee’s fleet, regardless of whether the miles or kilometers are considered taxable or nontaxable by a jurisdiction.
TRAILER – A vehicle without motive power, designed for carrying persons or property and for being drawn by a motor vehicle and so constructed that no part of its weight rests upon the towing vehicle.
TRIP LEASE – The lease of a vehicle to a carrier (lessee) for a single interstate movement. The term may also include a similar movement intrastate movement where such movement is authorized under the laws of the jurisdiction.
TRIP PERMIT – A temporary permit issued by a jurisdiction in lieu of regular registration or reciprocity.
TRUCK (TK) – A motor vehicle designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of property.
TRUCK-TRACTOR (TT) – A motor vehicle designed and used primarily for drawing other vehicles, but so constructed as to carry a load other than a part of the weight of the vehicle and load so drawn.
USDOT NUMBER – Carrier-specific number issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to be used as a census number in the tracking of motor safety compliance issues.
UTILITY TRAILER – A trailer primarily designed to be drawn by a passenger car or pickup truck, including luggage trailers, folding or collapsible camping trailers, and other small trailers of similar size and function, but shall not include boat trailers.
UNLADEN VEHICLE WEIGHT – The weight of a vehicle fully equipped for service, excluding the weight of any load.
VEHICLE – A device used to transport persons or property on a highway, but does not include devices moved by human power or used exclusively upon rails or tracks.
VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN) – The numbers and letters on a motor vehicle designated by the manufacturer or assigned by the department for the purpose of identifying the motor vehicle.
WIRE SERVICES – Any of several entities that
specialize in obtaining various credentials for carriers. Also called Permit
Services.
