Whenever used in this chapter:

(1) “Motor carrier” means every person, firm or corporation which operates or causes to be operated on any highway in this state any qualified motor vehicle;

(2) “Operations” means operations of all such vehicles, whether loaded or empty, whether or not for compensation and whether owned by or leased to the motor carrier which operates them or causes them to be operated;

(3) “Motor fuel” means “fuels” as defined in section 12-455a; and

(4) “Qualified motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle that is used, designed or maintained for transportation of persons or property and that (A) has two axles and a gross vehicle weight or registered gross vehicle weight exceeding twenty-six thousand pounds; or (B) has three or more axles regardless of weight; or (C) is used in combination and the combined gross vehicle weight or registered gross vehicle weight exceeds twenty-six thousand pounds; but does not include a recreation vehicle that is used exclusively for personal pleasure, and not used in connection with any trade or business, by an individual.

(1961, P.A. 575, S. 1; P.A. 80-71, S. 23, 30; P.A. 81-14, S. 3, 4; P.A. 82-25, S. 7, 10; P.A. 84-429, S. 51; P.A. 85-449, S. 1, 3; P.A. 95-35, S. 1, 3; P.A. 03-107, S. 7.)

History: P.A. 80-71 redefined “motor carrier” to include trucks with registered gross weight over 18,000 pounds, rather than trucks with more than two axles, and to delete exception for persons, firms or corporations owning not more than three trucks for their own use; P.A. 81-14 added consideration of light weight in Subsec. (a); P.A. 82-25 substituted references to Sec. 12-455a for reference to repealed Sec. 12-459a in Subdiv. (a) and for reference to Secs. 14-1 and 14-465 in Subdiv. (c), effective July 1, 1982, and applicable to fuel sales by distributors on or after that date; P.A. 84-429 made technical change for statutory consistency; P.A. 85-449 redefined “motor carrier” to include buses used exclusively for charter or special operations and added Subdiv. (d) defining “charter” and “special operations”, effective July 1, 1986; P.A. 95-35 redesignated Subsecs. (a) to (d) as Subdivs. (1) to (4) and added Subdiv. (5) defining “qualified motor vehicle”, effective January 1, 1996; P.A. 03-107 deleted former Subdiv. (4) defining “charter” and “special operations” and redesignated existing Subdiv. (5) as new Subdiv. (4), effective June 18, 2003.