Truck
In federal safety standards, a motor vehicle with motive power, other than a trailer, designed primarily to transport property or special purpose equipment.
49 CFR 571.3 defines it as “a motor vehicle with motive power, except a trailer, designed primarily for the transportation of property or special purpose equipment.”
The phrase that matters to a public fleet is special purpose equipment. It is what places a lot of municipal equipment inside the truck definition even though the vehicle carries no cargo in any ordinary sense. A bucket truck, a street sweeper, a sewer jetter, a bridge inspection unit and an aerial device are all trucks under this definition, because the body and the mounted equipment are what the chassis was built to carry.
Who provides it
See all in the Solutions Guide →
On Modern Public Fleet
- Columbus Fleet Division Seeks Authority to Purchase Automobiles and Light-Duty Trucks via UTC Contracts
- Detroit Opens Ordering for Gen 6 DD13 and DD15 Engines in Freightliner and Western Star Trucks
- Stellar Work Trucks Now Available Through Sourcewell Contract
- Truckee Approves Fleet Electrification Plan
Sources
- NHTSA, 49 CFR 571.3 retrieved 2026-09-01