Commercial vehicle
Encyclopedia
A commercial vehicle is a type of motor vehicle
Motor vehicle
A motor vehicle or road vehicle is a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not operate on rails, such as trains or trolleys. The vehicle propulsion is provided by an engine or motor, usually by an internal combustion engine, or an electric motor, or some combination of the two, such as hybrid...

 that may be used for transporting goods or passenger
Passenger
A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....

s. The European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 defines "commercial motor vehicle" as any motorised road vehicle, which by its type of construction and equipment is designed for, and capable of transporting, whether for payment or not: (1) more than nine persons, including the driver; (2) goods and "standard fuel tanks". This means the tanks permanently fixed by the manufacturer to all motor vehicles of the same type as the vehicle in question and whose permanent fitting enables fuel to be used directly, both for the purposes of propulsion and, where appropriate, for the operation of a refrigeration system. Gas tanks fitted to motor vehicles designed for the direct use of gas as a fuel are considered to be standard fuel tanks.

Commercial classification

In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 a vehicle is designated “commercial” when it is titled or registered to a company. This is a broad definition, as commercial vehicles may be fleet vehicles, company cars, or other vehicles used for business. Vehicles that are designed to carry more than 16 passengers are considered a commercial vehicle.

A vehicle may be considered a commercial vehicle if:
  • the title was placed in the name of a company or corporation.
  • The vehicle is used for business but is in an individual's name such as a sole proprietor.
  • the vehicle is a leased vehicle and in the name of the financial institution that owns it.
  • the vehicle exceeds a certain weight or class and therefore is "classified" as commercial even though it may not be commercially used or commercially owned. A weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more is always consider commercial.
  • the vehicle is used to haul any hazardous material.


A vehicles can be used for a business, if not exclusively, and remain private licensed, depending on the amount of time used for business.

Examples of commercial vehicles

  • Truck
    Truck
    A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...

  • Semi truck (articulated lorry)
  • Van
    Van
    A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...

  • Coach
    Coach (vehicle)
    A coach is a large motor vehicle, a type of bus, used for conveying passengers on excursions and on longer distance express coach scheduled transport between cities - or even between countries...

  • Bus
    Bus
    A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...

  • Taxicab
    Taxicab
    A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...

  • Trailers
    Trailer (vehicle)
    A trailer is generally an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle. Commonly, the term trailer refers to such vehicles used for transport of goods and materials....

  • Box truck
    Box truck
    A box truck, also known as a cube truck, cube van, bob truck, box van, or straight truck, is a truck with a cuboid-shaped cargo area.-Road vehicles:...

     (also known as a straight truck)

Commercial truck classification

Commercial trucks
Truck classification
In the United States, commercial truck classification is determined based on the vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating . The classes range from 1-8...

 are classified according to the Gross vehicle weight rating
Gross vehicle weight rating
A gross vehicle weight rating is the maximum allowable total weight of a road vehicle or trailer when loaded - i.e., including the weight of the vehicle itself plus passengers, and cargo....

 (GVWR). The United States Department of Transportation
Department of Transportation
The Department of Transportation is the most common name for a government agency in North America devoted to transportation. The largest is the United States Department of Transportation, which oversees interstate travel. All U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and many local agencies also have...

 classifies commercial trucks with eight classes:
  • Class 1- GVWR ranges from 0 to 6,000 pounds (0 to 2,722 kg)
  • Class 2- GVWR ranges from 6,001 to 10,000 pounds (2,722 to 4,536 kg)
  • Class 3- GVWR ranges from 10,001 to 14,000 pounds (4,536 to 6,350 kg)
  • Class 4- GVWR ranges from 14,001 to 16,000 pounds (6,351 to 7,257 kg)
  • Class 5- GVWR ranges from 16,001 to 19,500 pounds (7,258 to 8,845 kg).
  • Class 6- GVWR ranges from 19,501 to 26,000 pounds (8,846 to 11,793 kg)
  • Class 7- GVWR ranges from 26,001 to 33,000 pounds (11,794 to 14,969 kg)
  • Class 8- GVWR is anything above 33,000 pounds (14,969 kg)

Preservation

Old commercial vehicles, like vintage car
Vintage car
A vintage car is commonly defined as a car built between the start of 1919 and the end of 1930 known as the "Vintage era". There is little debate about the start date of the vintage period—the end of World War I is a nicely defined marker there—but the end date is a matter of a little...

s, are popular items for preservation. News about preservation can be found in magazines, such as Heritage Commercials
Heritage commercials
Heritage Commercials is a British magazine for classic and vintage commercial vehicle enthusiasts. It is published by Mortons Media Group.The magazine typically contains historical information as well as coverage of vehicle preservation efforts. The illustration shows a Thornycroft Antar tractor....

.

See also

  • Light commercial vehicle
    Light commercial vehicle
    Light commercial vehicles is a commercial carrier vehicles with a Gross vehicle weight of up to 3.5 tonnes. The formal term within the European Union is Light commercial vehicles. Vehicles which qualify in this category are pickup trucks, vans and 3 wheelers all commercially based goods or...

  • Large goods vehicle
    Large Goods Vehicle
    A large goods vehicle , is the European Union term for any truck with a gross combination mass of over...

  • Light truck
    Light truck
    Light truck or light duty truck is a U.S. classification for trucks or truck-based vehicles with a payload capacity of less than 4,000 pounds...

  • Truck driver
    Truck driver
    A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...

  • Bus driver
    Bus driver
    A bus driver, bus operator or omnibus driver is a person who drives buses professionally. Bus drivers typically drive their vehicles between bus stations or stops. They often drop off and pick up passengers on a predetermined route schedule. In British English a different term, coach drivers, is...

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