Commercial Trucking - What Makes a Vehicle a Commercial Vehicle

Commercial trucking is one of the most popular modes of transportation, and it’s critical for the supply chain across the United States. Every single day, millions of commercial trucks transport a wide range of materials that fuel businesses and organizations.

This guide unwraps what is a commercial vehicle, how to classify them, and what is the primary difference between an automobile vs commercial use. Here you’ll understand how the trucking industry works, how to define commercial motor vehicles, and why the rules by the Department of Transportation and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are critical for every single owner-operator.

What Is a Commercial Vehicle

The easiest way to tell whether a vehicle is commercial or not is to identify whether it is used for business purposes or personal transport. If the vehicle is owned by an organization and only hauls goods or is used for business purposes, then it can be classified as a commercial vehicle.

To expand on the commercial truck definition, we can say several factors classify a vehicle as “commercial” regardless of how it’s being used.

For instance, if the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) is over 10,001 pounds or the vehicle is designed to carry hazardous materials (HazMat), then surely this must be a commercial vehicle.

What Makes a Vehicle a Commercial Vehicle

To define a commercial vehicle more correctly, you can take a look at several factors by their importance: weight, purpose, and usage.

The main thing to remember is that any vehicle can become commercial when it starts being used to generate income or support a business.

Here are a few factors that instantly classify a vehicle as “commercial”:

Vehicle Weight Rating

Whenever the vehicle weight rating GVWR goes beyond 10,001 pounds, it automatically goes as “commercial” under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety standards. This encompasses vehicles such as pickup trucks, dual-wheeler trucks, and even day cabs.

Purpose of Usage

The other standout factor is, of course, how the vehicle is being used. So, any vehicles used for commercial transport vehicle operations, like LTL and FTL freight shipping, are immediately considered to be “commercial”. They help companies move freight and support the supply chain efficiently.

Type of Cargo/Freight

Whenever a vehicle transports hazardous materials or is designed to do so, whether it’s a boat transportation service, RV moving services, motorcycle shipping, or HazMat transportation, it is immediately classified as a “commercial” vehicle.

Business Ownership

If a vehicle is owned by a companies that operate in transportation (any kind of logistics), the vehicle is automatically classified as “commercial”.

Are All Trucks Commercial Vehicles?

Of course, not ALL trucks are commercial vehicles. There are many, for example, personal pickup trucks with very lightweight duties that put them in the “private”, not “commercial” use.

As we’ve reviewed, what makes a vehicle commercial has to do with the weight and usage of almost everything. However, once used for commercial trucking, even a small vehicle instantly falls under the “commercial” category.

What Is a Commercial Vehicle License

Well, a commercial vehicle license is what allows a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle that goes beyond specific weight requirements. These requirements are set by the Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Department of Transportation, and most CDL drivers in the USA are involved in the FTL and LTL freight shipping.

How Many CDL Truck Drivers Are in America?

According to the latest reports, there are more than 3.5 million truck drivers in the US, with over 2 million of them being owners of a CDL license for commercial trucking. Those are the drivers that move freight across the country, which greatly supports the American trucking supply chain.

Well, if you’re wondering how many truck drivers are in America overall, with or without a CDL license, you’ll be surprised by how this number grows exponentially.

How Many Trucking Companies Are in the US

Now that we know how many truck drivers are in the US, perhaps you’re wondering how many trucking companies there are. According to the latest reports for 2025, there are over 1.8 million trucking companies in the US, but most of them are small-scale firms with less than 10 trucks.

These companies mainly use commercial transport vehicles for LTL and FTL shipping, as well as Hot Shot Trucks and even Dual Wheeler Trucks. When all these small operating companies combine with the enterprise-grade transportation services, they form the core of the American trucking industry and play a crucial role in the supply chain.

Examples of Commercial Trucks

There are many, many examples of commercial trucks, and they vary by many factors like size, chassis design, and freight type. To better understand which vehicles are mainly involved in the commercial trucking industry, we have prepared a table outlining type, use, GVWR, and a note.

We now know what commercial trucks are and what is a commercial truck driver, so let’s move on and summarize what we’ve learned so far.

So - What Is Considered a Commercial Truck?

To summarize, what is a commercial truck, let’s say that it can be classified by a few standout factors that include the main purpose, usage, and activity. It’s only important to remember that a vehicle does not necessarily have to be a truck to be classified as “commercial”.

Here are some instant criteria indications of a “commercial” vehicle:

In short, any vehicle can be classified as commercial as long as it covers one or more of the aforementioned criteria. However, in the real world, most of these vehicles are LTL/FTL trucks.

We now know what is a commercial vehicle, so let’s continue with answering some questions!

Is a Box Truck Considered a Commercial Vehicle?

Yes, a box truck is a commercial vehicle, depending on its use and gross vehicle weight rating. When companies operate box trucks for deliveries or LTL shipping, they qualify as commercial. Many box trucks also face driver shortages since licensed drivers are required for heavier loads.

Is a Cargo Van Considered a Commercial Vehicle?

Cargo vans become commercial when used by businesses for freight, repair services, or local deliveries. So, when companies operate these vans with commercial truck caps or commercial truck toppers, they meet commercial standards. These modifications help increase storage and hauling capacity for small-scale logistics work.

We hope this guide taught you what trucking is, roughly how many CDL drivers in the USA are currently operating, and how many truckers in America are involved in logistics and hauling.