Section 451.15  Definitions

"Administrative Hearing" – Proceedings set forth in 92 Ill. Adm. Code 450, Commercial Vehicle Safety Section Hearings.

"Appendix G" Inspection – Testing procedures established by US DOT in 49 CFR, Ch. III, Subchapter B – Minimum Periodic Inspection Requirements.

"Applicant" – Any individual owner, partner, authorized agent of a corporation, or lessee applying for an Official Testing Station or Official Mobile Safety Testing Company Permit.

"Authorized Brake Testing Device or Devices" or "ABTD" − Any brake testing device approved by the Department for use in OTSs.

"Axle" − The shaft that connects a pair of wheels and on which those wheels rotate.

"Body" – Portion of the vehicle that encloses the occupant and cargo spaces and separates those spaces from the chassis frame, engine compartment, driveline, and other chassis components, except certain chassis controls used by the driver.

"Bump Rail" – The rail that surrounds a trailer at floor or load height.

"Bus" – Every motor vehicle, other than a commuter van, designed for carrying more than ten persons. (Section 1-107 of IVC)

"Certificate of Safety" or "COS" – The authorized visible symbol furnished by the Department to an Official Testing Station or Official Mobile Safety Testing Company which is to be directly affixed by a Certified Safety Tester to a vehicle which meets the minimum prescribed safety standards established by the Department.

"Certified Safety Tester" or "CST" – An individual who has passed a written exam, proficiency exam, and has demonstrated proficiency in the operation of authorized safety test equipment (if applicable) and has been issued evidence and authority by the Department.

"Certified Safety Tester Certificate" – Evidence issued by the Department to a Certified Safety Tester granting the individual named thereon the privilege and authority to test vehicles.

"Chassis" – Every frame or supportive element of a vehicle whether or not a manufacturer's identification number, serial number, or other identifying numbers are present on said part.  (Section 1-111.1b of IVC)

"Citation" or "Complaint" – A formal statement charging that an act of commission or omission constituting a violation of this Part was committed by a Station Owner or CST.  The citation or complaint will also contain an official summons to appear or otherwise plead, as well as a statement of the penalties sought by the Department.

"Code" or "IVC" – The Illinois Vehicle Code [625 ILCS 5].

"Department" – The Department of Transportation of the State of Illinois, acting directly or through its authorized officers and agents.  (Section 1-115.05 of IVC)

"Driver Education Training Vehicle" − Any vehicle used in the preparation of an applicant for examination given by the Secretary of State for a driver's license or a driver's license permit.  Driver Education Training Vehicles are operated by commercial driver training schools and public school districts.

"Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration" or "FMCSA" − The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, an agency within the United States Department of Transportation.

"Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards" or "FMVSS" – The rules, regulations and standards set forth in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 571.

"Illinois Vehicle Inspection Law" – 625 ILCS 5/13-100.14 through 13-117.

"Inspector" − An employee of the Department authorized by Section 13-107 of IVC to inspect and investigate applicants for official testing station permits and investigate and report violations at Official Testing Stations and Official Mobile Safety Testing Companies.  (See Section 13-107 of IVC.)

"Lane" – An area clearly defined by perimeter lines within the building of an Official Testing Station within which all authorized safety test equipment and ABTD is installed or located and within which all special category and school bus safety tests and retests shall be conducted.

"Manufacturer" –means the company's name that follows "MANUFACTURED BY" or "MFD BY" on the federal certification label.

"Medical Transport Vehicle" − Includes ambulances, medical carriers, and rescue vehicles.  (Section 1-142.2 of IVC)

"Motorcoach" − A bus characterized by an elevated passenger deck located over a baggage compartment but does not include:

a bus used in public transportation provided by, or on behalf of, a public transportation agency; or

a school bus, including a multifunction school activity bus.  (See Section 32702 of the Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act of 2012 (MAP-21).)

"Multifunction School Activity Bus" or "MFSAB" − A school bus manufactured for the purpose of transporting 11 or more persons, including the driver, whose purposes do not include transporting students to and from home or school bus stops.  A MFSAB is prohibited from meeting the special requirements for school buses in Sections 12-801, 12-803, and 12-805 and subsection (a) of Section 12-802 of IVC.  (IVC Section 1-148.3a5)

"Official Mobile Safety Testing Company" or "OMSTC" – A safety testing company permitted by the Department to test trucks, truck tractors, trailers, semi-trailers, and buses engaged in interstate commerce as defined in Section 1-133 of IVC.  The safety tests shall be conducted in accordance with the Minimum Periodic Inspection Standards promulgated by the Federal Highway Administration of the United States Department of Transportation and contained in Appendix G to Subchapter III of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

"Official Testing Station" or "OTS" – The physical building and property that houses the lane or lanes, any ABTD (if required), and any additional equipment and supplies required to safety test vehicles.  Stations are classified as either public or private.  Public stations are open to the public to safety test vehicles subject to the Illinois Vehicle Inspection Law or permitted to be safety tested by the FMCSA.  Private stations are owned and operated by private companies for the purpose of safety testing vehicles that are owned or operated by the company.  Private stations are not open to the public and are classified as "I" (Independent) stations.

"Official Testing Station Permit" and "Official Mobile Safety Testing Company Permit" or "Permit" – Evidence issued by the Department granting the owner named thereon the privilege of serving as an agent of the State of Illinois within the limitations set forth in Section 13-103 of the IVC and this Part.

"Owner" – An individual, partner, authorized agent of a corporation, lessee, or other person in whose name an Official Testing Station or Official Mobile Safety Testing Company Permit has been issued.  Such person or persons shall be responsible for the lawful operation of the OTS' or OMSTC's safety test program.  Owners can designate an employee to assume the responsibilities required of the owner in this Part and that employee is included in this definition.

"Part" – The regulations contained in this document which are located at 92 Ill. Adm. Code 451.

"Passenger" – Every occupant of the vehicle who is not the driver.

"Rebuilt Vehicle" – A vehicle for which a salvage certificate has been issued and which subsequently has been put back into its original or operating condition by a licensed rebuilder and which has met all the requirements of a salvage vehicle inspection.  (Section 1-168.1 of the IVC)

"Rejected Vehicle" – A vehicle that failed to pass the safety test and was not issued a COS.

"Safety Test" – The inspection of a vehicle at an Illinois Official Testing Station or Official Mobile Safety Testing Company as required by the Illinois Vehicle Inspection Law or permitted by the FMCSA.

"School Bus" –

Every motor vehicle, except as provided below, owned or operated by or for any of the following entities for the transportation of persons regularly enrolled as students in grade 12 or below in connection with any activity of such entity:    

Any public or private primary or secondary school;

Any primary or secondary school operated by a religious institution; or

Any public, private or religious nursery school.

This definition shall not include the following:

A bus operated by a public utility, municipal corporation or common carrier authorized to conduct local or interurban transportation of passengers when such bus is not traveling a specific school bus route but is:

On a regularly scheduled route for the transportation of other fare paying passengers;

Furnishing charter service for the transportation of groups on field trips or other special trips or in connection with other special events; or

Being used for shuttle service between attendance centers or other educational facilities.

A motor vehicle of the first division.  (Section 1-182 of the Code)

A multifunction school-activity bus.  (Section 1-182 of the Code)

"Second Division Vehicle" – See "Vehicle".

"Secretary" – The Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation.

"Special Vehicle" – Vehicles described in 92 Ill. Adm. Code 438.10.

"Supplies" – All items issued to an OTS or OMSTC by the Department.  All supplies remain the property of the Department.

"Vehicle" –

First Division:  Those motor vehicles which are designed for the carrying of not more than ten persons.

Second Division:  Those vehicles which are designed for carrying more than ten persons, those designed or used for living quarters and those vehicles which are designed for pulling or carrying property, freight or cargo, those motor vehicles of the First Division remodeled for use and used as motor vehicles of the Second Division, and those motor vehicles of the First Division used and registered as school buses. (Section 1-217 of the IVC)

"Vehicle Inspection Report" or "VIR" − The form completed by a CST documenting safety test results through procedures prescribed by the Department.

(Source:  Amended at 49 Ill. Reg. 15244, effective November 13, 2025)