Whenever used in this chapter, unless expressly stated otherwise:

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Terms Used In Virginia Code 46.2-2100

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Department: means the Department of Motor Vehicles. See Virginia Code 46.2-2100
  • Gross weight: means the weight of a truck after a shipment has been loaded. See Virginia Code 46.2-2100
  • Highway: means every public highway or place of whatever nature open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicle travel in this Commonwealth, excluding the streets and alleys in towns and cities. See Virginia Code 46.2-2100
  • Household goods: means personal effects and property used or to be used in a dwelling, when transported or arranged to be transported (i) between residences or (ii) between a residence and a storage facility with the intent to later transport to a residence. See Virginia Code 46.2-2100
  • Includes: means includes, but not limited to. See Virginia Code 1-218
  • Interstate: means the transportation of property between states. See Virginia Code 46.2-2100
  • Intrastate: means the transportation of property solely within a state. See Virginia Code 46.2-2100
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Motor carrier: means any person who undertakes whether directly or by a lease, to transport property, including household goods, as defined by this chapter, for compensation over the highways of the Commonwealth. See Virginia Code 46.2-2100
  • Motor vehicle: means any vehicle, machine, tractor, trailer, or semitrailer propelled or drawn by mechanical power and used upon the highways in the transportation of property, but does not include any vehicle, locomotive or car operated exclusively on a rail or rails. See Virginia Code 46.2-2100
  • Permit: means a permit issued by the Department authorizing the transportation of property, excluding household goods transported for a distance greater than 30 road miles. See Virginia Code 46.2-2100
  • Person: means any individual, firm, copartnership, corporation, company, association or joint-stock association, and includes any trustee, receiver, assignee, or personal representative thereof. See Virginia Code 46.2-2100
  • Personal representative: includes the executor of a will or the administrator of the estate of a decedent, the administrator of such estate with the will annexed, the administrator of such estate unadministered by a former representative, whether there is a will or not, any person who is under the order of a circuit court to take into his possession the estate of a decedent for administration, and every other curator of a decedent's estate, for or against whom suits may be brought for causes of action that accrued to or against the decedent. See Virginia Code 1-234
  • Semitrailer: means every vehicle of the trailer type so designed and used in conjunction with a motor vehicle that some part of its own weight and that of its own load rests on or is carried by another vehicle. See Virginia Code 46.2-100
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
  • Tare weight: means the weight of a truck before being loaded at a shipper's residence or place of business, including the pads, dollies, hand-trucks, ramps and other equipment normally used in the transportation of household goods shipments. See Virginia Code 46.2-2100
  • Trailer: means every vehicle without motive power designed for carrying property or passengers wholly on its own structure and for being drawn by a motor vehicle, including manufactured homes. See Virginia Code 46.2-100
  • transportation: includes the services of, and all transportation by, all vehicles operated by, for, or in the interest of any motor carrier, irrespective of ownership or contract, express or implied, together with all facilities and property operated or controlled by any such carrier or carriers and used in the transportation of property or in the performance of any service in connection therewith. See Virginia Code 46.2-2100
  • Truck: means every motor vehicle designed to transport property on its own structure independent of any other vehicle and having a registered gross weight in excess of 7,500 pounds. See Virginia Code 46.2-100
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Vehicle: means every device in, on or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn on a highway, except personal delivery devices and devices moved by human power or used exclusively on stationary rails or tracks. See Virginia Code 46.2-100

“Authorized insurer” means, in the case of an interstate motor carrier whose operations may or may not include intrastate activity, an insurer authorized to transact business in any one state, or, in the case of a solely intrastate motor carrier, an insurer authorized to transact business in the Commonwealth.

“Certificate of fitness” means a certificate issued by the Department to certain “household goods carriers” under this chapter.

“Constructive weight” means a measurement of seven pounds per cubic foot of properly loaded van space.

“Department” means the Department of Motor Vehicles.

“Financial responsibility” means the ability to respond in damages for liability thereafter incurred arising out of the ownership, maintenance, use, or operation of a motor vehicle, in the amounts provided for in this chapter.

“Gross weight” means the weight of a truck after a shipment has been loaded.

“Highway” means every public highway or place of whatever nature open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicle travel in this Commonwealth, excluding the streets and alleys in towns and cities.

“Household goods” means personal effects and property used or to be used in a dwelling, when transported or arranged to be transported (i) between residences or (ii) between a residence and a storage facility with the intent to later transport to a residence. Transportation of such goods must be arranged and paid for by, or on behalf of, the householder.

“Household goods carrier” means a carrier who undertakes, whether directly or by a lease or other arrangement, to transport “household goods,” as herein defined, by motor vehicle for compensation, on any highway in this Commonwealth, between two or more points in this Commonwealth, whether over regular or irregular routes.

“Interstate” means the transportation of property between states.

“Intrastate” means the transportation of property solely within a state.

“Motor carrier” means any person who undertakes whether directly or by a lease, to transport property, including household goods, as defined by this chapter, for compensation over the highways of the Commonwealth.

“Motor vehicle” means any vehicle, machine, tractor, trailer, or semitrailer propelled or drawn by mechanical power and used upon the highways in the transportation of property, but does not include any vehicle, locomotive or car operated exclusively on a rail or rails.

“Net weight” means the tare weight subtracted from the gross weight.

“Permit” means a permit issued by the Department authorizing the transportation of property, excluding household goods transported for a distance greater than 30 road miles.

“Person” means any individual, firm, copartnership, corporation, company, association or joint-stock association, and includes any trustee, receiver, assignee, or personal representative thereof.

“Property carrier” means any person, not herein exempted, who undertakes either directly or by a lease, to transport property for compensation.

“Services” and “transportation” includes the services of, and all transportation by, all vehicles operated by, for, or in the interest of any motor carrier, irrespective of ownership or contract, express or implied, together with all facilities and property operated or controlled by any such carrier or carriers and used in the transportation of property or in the performance of any service in connection therewith.

“Tare weight” means the weight of a truck before being loaded at a shipper’s residence or place of business, including the pads, dollies, hand-trucks, ramps and other equipment normally used in the transportation of household goods shipments.

Code 1950, § 56-338.1; 1995, cc. 744, 803; 1997, c. 283; 2001, c. 596; 2003, c. 832; 2006, cc. 874, 891; 2011, cc. 881, 889; 2017, cc. 790, 815.