A CDL-required truck is designed to carry water in one permanently mounted 1,500-gallon tank. Can it be a tank vehicle even though the water is not hazardous?
Correct answer: Yes; the tank definition is not limited to hazardous liquids or gases.
The definition covers liquid or gaseous material in qualifying tanks. Tank-vehicle endorsement requirements are separate from whether a hazardous-material endorsement is also needed.
Source: 49 CFR 383.5, definition of Tank vehicle; 383.93(b)(3). Official eCFR XML dated September 10, 2026; reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
A CDL-required truck is designed to transport liquid in two attached tanks rated 150 and 850 gallons. Do these capacities meet the federal tank-vehicle capacity thresholds?
Correct answer: Yes; each exceeds 119 gallons and together they total 1,000 gallons.
The definition uses individual rated capacity greater than 119 gallons and aggregate rated capacity at least 1,000 gallons. Permanent and temporary attachment can both qualify.
Source: 49 CFR 383.5, definition of Tank vehicle. Official eCFR XML dated September 10, 2026; reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
A CDL-required truck carries liquid in ten attached tanks, each rated exactly 119 gallons. Do those tanks meet the individual-capacity condition in the federal tank-vehicle definition?
Correct answer: No; the individual rated capacity must be more than 119 gallons.
Although their total exceeds 1,000 gallons, exactly 119 gallons does not satisfy the more-than 119 individual threshold. This answer concerns the tank definition, not exemption from other CDL or cargo rules.
Source: 49 CFR 383.5, definition of Tank vehicle. Official eCFR XML dated September 10, 2026; reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
A CMV carries an empty 1,500-gallon storage-container tank that is not designed for transportation and is temporarily attached to a flatbed. How does the federal tank definition treat this specific case?
Correct answer: It excludes that specified empty storage-container movement from tank-vehicle classification.
The definition has a narrow exception for this empty storage-container situation. It does not apply to every empty transport tank or remove unrelated requirements.
Source: 49 CFR 383.5, definition of Tank vehicle, final sentence. Official eCFR XML dated September 10, 2026; reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
