What’s a Commercial Vehicle vs Truck?

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

What’s a Commercial Vehicle vs Truck?

Written by Malman Law, reviewed by Steve J. Malman.

The large trucks you see on our highways are commercial vehicles designed for business purposes. Due to their size and weight, these trucks can be dangerous if not operated safely.

Accidents involving these vehicles often lead to severe injuries or even fatalities.

If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident with a commercial vehicle, an Illinois truck accident attorney will help you seek the justice and compensation you deserve.

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What Exactly Is a Commercial Vehicle?

If you have a lemonade stand, the car you use to bring lemons and cups is just a regular car. But if you had a huge lemonade business and used a special truck to deliver lemonade all over town, that would be a commercial vehicle!

Simply put, a commercial vehicle is any car, truck, or van that’s used for business purposes, not just for everyday driving.

Types of commercial motor vehicles

Commercial vehicles come in all shapes and sizes, and they include the following:

• Big rig trucks (also called semi-trucks or 18-wheelers) are the huge trucks you see on the highway, pulling long trailers. They transport goods across long distances, delivering everything from food to furniture.

• Delivery vans (like the ones that bring packages to your house) are the smaller trucks or vans that you see in the neighborhood, delivering packages from online stores straight to your door. 

• Buses (school buses and city buses) are designed to carry many passengers at once. 

• Tow trucks are equipped with special gear to help move cars that have broken down or been in an accident. They tow vehicles to repair shops or other safe locations.

• Dump trucks are common at construction sites. They carry and dump heavy loads of materials like dirt, gravel, or sand, helping build roads and buildings.

• Garbage trucks come through neighborhoods to collect trash and recycling. They play an important role in keeping our communities clean and free of waste.

Each of these vehicles has a special job to do in the world of business, making sure that goods, services, and people get where they need to go.

Trucks and Commercial Vehicle Classifications

Did you know that not all trucks are the same? They’re put into different groups based on how heavy they are.

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

• Light trucks are like the pickup trucks you might see in your neighborhood. They’re smaller and often used for personal tasks, like moving small loads or towing a trailer. Businesses also use them for quick deliveries or jobs that don’t need a lot of heavy lifting.

• Medium trucks are a bit bigger and are often used for delivering larger items, like furniture or appliances. You might see them parked outside a store or driving through your area as they deliver items that don’t fit in a regular car.

• Heavy trucks are the really big ones, like those long trucks that carry cars or other large loads. You’ll see them on highways, transporting heavy goods over long distances. They’re designed to handle big, heavy items safely.

The heavier the truck, the more rules it has to follow to keep everyone safe on the road. This is because larger truck accidents can cause more damage if something goes wrong, so it’s important that they operate with extra care and responsibility.

What Is the Difference Between a Commercial vs. Non-Commercial Vehicle?

Think of it this way: if a vehicle is mainly used to make money or do business, it’s probably a commercial vehicle.

Your family car that you use to go to school or the grocery store? That’s a non-commercial vehicle, even if it is a large pickup truck. The big difference is in how they’re used, not always in how they look.

Malman Law’s founder Attorney Steven Malman has over 30 years of experience handling personal injury, nursing home, medical malpractice, premises liability, construction and workers’ compensation cases.

STEVE J. MALMAN

Founding Attorney

Do Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers Have Special Laws to Follow?

Yes, they do! Commercial vehicles have extra rules to follow because they’re bigger and can be more dangerous if something goes wrong.

Here are some of the special rules:

• Drivers need a special license called a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL): To drive big trucks, drivers must get a CDL, which requires special training. This training ensures that they know how to handle large vehicles safely and understand the extra responsibilities that come with driving them.

• There are limits on how long drivers can work without taking a break: Truck drivers have to follow strict rules about how long they can drive without stopping to rest. These rules help prevent accidents caused by tired drivers, making sure they are alert and focused while on the road.

• The vehicles need to be checked more often to make sure they’re safe: Trucks undergo regular inspections to ensure everything is working properly, from the brakes to the lights. These frequent checks help catch any problems before they become dangerous, keeping both the driver and other people on the road safe.

• They have to follow special rules about how much weight they can carry: Trucks can only carry a certain amount of weight to ensure they are stable and safe while driving. Overloading a truck can make it harder to control and more likely to cause accidents, so drivers and companies must stick to these weight limits.

Consequences of Violating These Laws

What happens if someone doesn’t follow these special rules? Here are some things that could happen:

• The driver or the company might have to pay a big fine.
• The driver could lose their special license to drive commercial vehicles.
• The company might not be allowed to do business for a while.
• If someone gets hurt because the rules aren’t followed, the driver or company could get into really big trouble with the law.

Who Is Liable in a Commercial Motor Vehicle Accident?

If there’s an accident involving a commercial vehicle, figuring out who’s responsible can be tricky. It’s not always just the driver’s fault. Sometimes, it could be:

• The driver
• The company that owns the truck
• The people who loaded the truck
• The company that made the truck, if something was wrong with it
• Other drivers on the road

It often takes accident reconstruction experts and lawyers to figure out exactly what happened and who’s responsible.

Contact an Illinois Truck Accident Attorney

If you or someone you know has been in an accident with a commercial vehicle in Illinois, talk to a Malman Law Illinois truck accident attorney.

We will explain what happened and make sure everything is handled fairly. Call us at (312) 629-0099, or contact us online for a free case review.