Vehicles: motor carriers.

Existing law, the Motor Carriers of Property Permit Act, prohibits a motor carrier of property, as defined, from operating a commercial motor vehicle on any public highway in the state, unless it has obtained a carrier identification number in accordance with specified provisions, has registered the identification number with the Department of Motor Vehicles, and holds a valid motor carrier permit issued to that motor carrier by the department upon the payment of a fee and proof of insurance and workers' compensation coverage. Existing law specifies that a "commercial motor vehicle" does not include certain vehicles, including a pickup truck, defined as having a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of less than 11,500 pounds, an unladen weight of less than 8,001 pounds, and which is equipped with an open box-type bed not exceeding 9 feet in length. Under existing law, pickup truck does not include a vehicle meeting this description that is equipped with a utility body bed mounted storage compartment. This bill would change the definition of a pickup truck, for purposes of the Motor Carriers of Property Permit Act, to include a motor truck with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of less than 16,000 pounds that is equipped with an open box-type bed not exceeding 9 feet in length that may be equipped with a bed-mounted storage compartment unit commonly called a "utility bed."