49 U.S.C. § 31101: Definitions

has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of at least 10,001 pounds, whichever is greater; is designed to transport more than 10 passengers including the driver; or 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. directly affects commercial motor vehicle safety in the course of employment by a commercial motor carrier; and is not an employee of the United States Government, a State, or a political subdivision of a State acting in the course of employment. 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 does not include the Government, a State, or a political subdivision of a State. “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.