The following words and terms, when used in this subchapter and in N.J.A.C.
13:20-50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
"Accident" or "crash" means:
1. A collision involving a school bus or vehicle that results in personal injury or death, or causes disabling damage to one or more motor vehicles requiring the vehicle(s) to be transported away by a tow truck or other vehicle;
2. A collision between a motor vehicle and a student at any time during the loading or unloading process of a school bus or school vehicle; or
3. An injury to a student inside a school bus or vehicle that results from negligent or unsafe acceleration, deceleration or other movement of a school bus.
"Capacity" means the maximum permitted number of seated passengers if the vehicle contains no wheelchair positions, or the maximum permitted number of wheelchair positions if the vehicle contains no seated passengers, as certified by the manufacturer on the vehicle manufacturer's certification plate.
"Chief Administrator" means the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.
"Commission" means the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission established by section 4 of P.L. 2003, c. 13 (39:2A-4 ).
"Completed vehicle" means a vehicle that requires no further manufacturing operation to perform its intended function.
"County superintendent" means the county superintendent of schools.
"Curb weight" means the weight of a school bus or vehicle including a maximum capacity of all fluids.
"Driver" means the authorized licensed driver of a school bus or vehicle.
"Emergency brake" means the mechanism designed to stop a school bus or vehicle in case of service brake failure.
"FMCSR" means the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations as found in the Code of Federal Regulations ( 49 CFR Part 393). Copies of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations as found in the Code of Federal Regulations may be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, (202) 783-3238.
"FMVSS" means the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards as found in the Code of Federal Regulations ( 49 CFR Part 571). Copies of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards as found in the Code of Federal Regulations may be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, (202) 783-3238, or at http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/FMVSS.
"Gross axle weight rating" or "GAWR" means the value specified by the manufacturer as the load-carrying capacity of a single axle system, as measured at the tire-ground interfaces.
"Gross vehicle weight" or "GVW" means the total weight of a single vehicle plus its load.
"Gross vehicle weight rating" or "GVWR" means the value specified by the manufacturer as the maximum loaded weight of a single vehicle.
"Incomplete chassis" means an assemblage consisting, at a minimum, of frame and chassis structure, power train, steering system, suspension system and braking system, to the extent that those systems are to be part of the completed vehicle, that requires further manufacturing operation to become a completed vehicle.
"Incomplete chassis manufacture date" means the incomplete vehicle date established by the chassis manufacturer. This date governs the chassis and body manufacturing standards and inspection standards that are applicable to such vehicle.
"Kph" means kilometers per hour.
"Manufacturer" means a person engaged in the business of manufacturing or assembling school buses.
"Mph" means miles per hour.
"NSTSP" means the National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures, 2010 Revised Edition (May 2010), which have been issued by the 2010 National Conference on School Transportation. Copies of this publication may be obtained from the Missouri Safety Center, Central Missouri State University, Humphreys Suite 201, Warrensburg, MO 64093, (660) 543-4830.
"Operator" means the owner or person responsible for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of a school bus or vehicle.
"Parking brake" means a mechanism designed to prevent the movement of a stationary vehicle.
"Passenger" means any person riding in a school bus or vehicle other than the driver.
"Passenger seat" means a seat other than the driver's seat.
"Person" means any natural person, business, company, firm, partnership, association, corporation, or any other entity.
"SAE" means the Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc. Copies of the Standards and Recommended Practices of the Society of Automotive Engineers may be purchased from the Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc., 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096, (724) 776-4841.
"School bus" or "bus" when used in N.J.A.C. 13:20-50A, 50B, 50C, 50D, and this subchapter shall refer to Type A, B, C, and D and Type I and Type II school buses, which shall be classified in the following manner:
1. A "Type A" school bus is a conversion or body constructed and installed upon a van-type compact truck or a front-section vehicle chassis, with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less, originally designed by the manufacturer for carrying 10 to 16 passengers;
2. A "Type B" school bus is constructed utilizing a stripped or cutaway chassis with a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds, originally designed by the manufacturer for carrying 10 to 54 passengers. Part of the engine is beneath and/or behind the windshield and beside the driver's seat. The service door is behind the front wheels;
3. A "Type C" school bus is a body installed upon a flat back cowl chassis with a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds, originally designed by the manufacturer for carrying 10 to 54 passengers. The engine is in front of the windshield, or part of the engine is beneath and/or behind the windshield and beside the driver's seat. The service door is behind the front wheels;
4. A "Type D" school bus is a body installed upon a chassis, with the engine mounted in the front, middle, or rear, with a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds, originally designed by the manufacturer for carrying 10 to 54 passengers. The engine may be behind the windshield and beside the driver's seat; it may be at the rear of the school bus, behind the rear wheels; or it may be in the middle of the school bus between the front and rear axles. The service door is ahead of the front wheels;
5. A "Type I" school bus is any vehicle designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver, used for the transportation of students to and from school or school related activities. This identification regulates the type of vehicle registration required by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission; and
6. A "Type II" school bus is any vehicle designed to transport less than 16 passengers, including the driver, used for the transportation of students to and from school or school related activities. This identification regulates the type of vehicle registration required by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.
"School bus signal warning lamps" means eight alternately flashing red or amber lamps, mounted horizontally both front and rear, intended to identify a vehicle as a school bus and to inform other users of the highway that the vehicle is stopped or about to stop.
"Seating capacity" means the manufacturer's original passenger capacity design as noted on the manufacturer's vehicle certification plate.
"Service brakes" means the primary mechanism designed to stop a motor vehicle.
"Strobe school bus warning lamps" means a school bus warning lamp system utilizing eight electronic sealed beam flash tubes.
"Track seating" means a system installed for the purpose of seating and wheelchair position flexibility.
"UL" means the Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc.
"Vehicle manufacturer's certification plate" means the plate issued by the school bus body manufacturer in accordance with 13:20-50.3.
"Vendor" means any person engaged in the business of buying, selling, leasing, or exchanging school buses.
N.J. Admin. Code § 13:20-50.2