A.B. 524
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ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 524–COMMITTEE
ON GROWTH AND INFRASTRUCTURE
MARCH 24, 2025
____________
Referred to Committee on Growth and Infrastructure
SUMMARY—Revises provisions governing motor carriers.
(BDR 43-784)
FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No.
Effect on the State: Yes.
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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.
AN ACT relating to motor carriers; exempting certain common
motor carriers from provisions governing short-term
lessors of motor vehicles; requiring the Nevada
Transportation Authority to adopt regulations authorizing
certain common motor carriers to deviate from certain
requirements and regulations under circumstances
prescribed by the Authority; exempting certain applicants
for a driver’s permit from the Authority from
fingerprinting requirements; repealing a provision relating
to licensing by the Department of Motor Vehicles; and
providing other matters properly relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law provides for the supervision and regulation of common carriers 1
and contract carriers of passengers by the Nevada Transportation Authority. (NRS 2
706.072, 706.166) Existing regulations of the Authority establish requirements for 3
common motor carriers who provide special services, which are defined as the 4
transportation of persons who have acquired the use of a vehicle for a special event, 5
or for a specific purpose approved by the Authority, between definite points of 6
origin and destination, at a per capita rate. (NAC 706.119, 706.239) Section 3 of 7
this bill requires the Authority to adopt regulations to establish circumstances under 8
which a common motor carrier that provides special services may deviate, without 9
obtaining approval from the Authority for the deviation, from the otherwise 10
applicable terms of the permit issued to the common carrier or the generally 11
applicable regulations of the Authority governing common carriers. Section 3 12
defines the term “special services” in the same manner as the existing regulations of 13
the Authority governing such services. 14
Existing law provides requirements governing persons who engage in business 15
as a short-term lessor of motor vehicles, including a requirement to obtain a license 16
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from the Department of Motor Vehicles. (NRS 482.300, 482.363) Section 1 of this 17
bill provides that the term “lease” for the purpose of such provisions does not 18
include the providing of special services by a common motor carrier. Section 2 of 19
this bill provides that a common motor carrier who is authorized to provide special 20
services is not engaged in the activities of a short-term lessor for the purpose of the 21
provisions requiring short-term lessors to be licensed. 22
Existing law: (1) prohibits a person from driving a motor vehicle for a fully 23
regulated carrier of passengers as an employee, independent contractor or lessee 24
unless the person has been issued a driver’s permit by the Authority; and (2) 25
requires an applicant for a driver’s permit to submit a complete set of fingerprints 26
to the Authority for the purpose of investigating the applicant’s background. (NRS 27
706.462) Section 4 of this bill exempts an applicant for a driver’s permit who is a 28
person registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and who 29
has an active USDOT number issued by the United States Department of 30
Transportation from the requirement to submit a complete set of fingerprints. 31
Section 5 of this bill repeals a provision which requires the Department of 32
Motor Vehicles to license every common, contract and private motor carrier who is 33
required to be licensed by the provisions governing motor carriers. 34
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. NRS 482.053 is hereby amended to read as follows: 1
482.053 For the purposes of regulation under this chapter and 2
of imposing tort liability under NRS 41.440, and for no other 3
purpose: 4
1. “Lease” means a contract by which the lienholder or owner 5
of a vehicle transfers to another person, for compensation, the right 6
to use such vehicle but does not include [the] : 7
(a) The sharing of a vehicle through a peer-to-peer car sharing 8
program pursuant to chapter 482C of NRS. 9
(b) The providing of special services, as defined in section 3 of 10
this act, by a common motor carrier who is authorized to provide 11
those services by the Nevada Transportation Authority. 12
2. “Long-term lessee” means a person who has leased a vehicle 13
from another person for a fixed period of more than 31 days. 14
3. “Long-term lessor” means a person who has leased a vehicle 15
to another person for a fixed period of more than 31 days. 16
4. “Short-term lessee” means a person who has leased a vehicle 17
from another person for a period of 31 days or less, or by the day, or 18
by the trip. 19
5. “Short-term lessor” means a person who has leased a vehicle 20
to another person for a period of 31 days or less, or by the day, or by 21
the trip. 22
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Sec. 2. NRS 482.300 is hereby amended to read as follows: 1
482.300 1. It is unlawful for any person to engage in the 2
activities of a short-term lessor unless such person has been licensed 3
pursuant to NRS 482.363. 4
2. [A] The following persons shall not be deemed to be 5
engaged in the activities of a short-term lessor: 6
(a) A peer-to-peer car sharing program licensed pursuant to 7
NRS 482C.295 . [and a] 8
(b) A shared vehicle owner, as defined in NRS 482C.200 . [, 9
shall not be deemed to be engaged in the activities of a short-term 10
lessor.] 11
(c) A common motor carrier who is authorized by the Nevada 12
Transportation Authority to provide special services, as defined in 13
section 3 of this act. 14
Sec. 3. Chapter 706 of NRS is hereby amended by adding 15
thereto a new section to read as follows: 16
1. The Authority shall adopt regulations establishing 17
circumstances under which a common motor carrier that provides 18
special services may deviate, without the approval of the Authority, 19
from the otherwise applicable terms of the permit issued to the 20
carrier to provide such services or the generally applicable 21
regulations of the Authority governing common motor carriers 22
which would otherwise be applicable to such services. In adopting 23
such regulations, the Authority shall authorize unapproved 24
deviations which the Authority determines are unlikely, even with 25
reduced oversight from the Authority, to undermine the safety and 26
welfare of the traveling public. 27
2. As used in this section, “special services” means the 28
transportation of persons who have acquired the use of a vehicle 29
for a special event, or for a specific purpose as approved by the 30
Authority, between definite points of origin and destination, at a 31
per capita rate. The term does not include charter services by bus, 32
charter services by limousine, scenic tours or airport transfer 33
services. 34
Sec. 4. NRS 706.462 is hereby amended to read as follows: 35
706.462 1. A person shall not drive a charter bus for the 36
purposes of charter bus transportation, a motor vehicle for a fully 37
regulated carrier of passengers or a taxicab motor carrier as an 38
employee, independent contractor or lessee unless the person has 39
been issued a driver’s permit by the Authority pursuant to this 40
section. 41
2. The Authority shall issue a driver’s permit to each applicant 42
who satisfies the requirements of this section. Before issuing a 43
driver’s permit, the Authority shall: 44
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(a) [Require] Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, 1
require the applicant to submit a complete set of his or her 2
fingerprints, which the Authority shall forward to the Central 3
Repository for Nevada Records of Criminal History for submission 4
to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to ascertain whether the 5
applicant has a criminal record and the nature of any such record, 6
and may further investigate the applicant’s background; and 7
(b) Require proof that the applicant is employed or under a 8
contract or lease agreement or has an offer of employment, a 9
contract or a lease agreement that is contingent on the applicant 10
obtaining a driver’s permit pursuant to this section and: 11
(1) Has a valid license issued pursuant to NRS 483.340 12
which authorizes the applicant to drive in this State any motor 13
vehicle that is within the scope of the employment, contract or lease; 14
or 15
(2) If the driver is a resident of a state other than Nevada, has 16
a valid license issued by the state in which he or she resides which 17
authorizes the applicant to drive any motor vehicle that is within the 18
scope of the employment, contract or lease. 19
3. The Authority may refuse to issue a driver’s permit if: 20
(a) The applicant has been convicted of: 21
(1) A felony, other than a sexual offense, in this State or any 22
other jurisdiction within the 5 years immediately preceding the date 23
of the application; 24
(2) A felony involving any sexual offense in this State or any 25
other jurisdiction at any time before the date of the application; or 26
(3) A violation of NRS 484C.110 or 484C.430 or a law of 27
any other jurisdiction that prohibits the same or similar conduct 28
within the 3 years immediately preceding the date of the application. 29
(b) After further investigation into the applicant’s background, if 30
any, the Authority determines that the issuance of the driver’s 31
permit would be detrimental to public health, welfare or safety. 32
4. An applicant for a driver’s permit is not required to submit 33
fingerprints pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection 2 if the 34
applicant is a person who is registered with the Federal Motor 35
Carrier Safety Administration and the applicant submits with his 36
or her application an active USDOT number issued by the United 37
States Department of Transportation to the applicant. 38
5. A driver’s permit issued pursuant to this section is valid for 39
not longer than 3 years, but lapses if the driver ceases to be 40
employed by the carrier identified in the application for the original 41
or renewal permit or if the contract or lease expires and the driver 42
enters into a contract or lease with a different carrier. A driver must 43
notify the Authority within 10 days after the lapse of a permit and 44
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obtain a new permit pursuant to this section before driving for a 1
different carrier. 2
[5.] 6. An applicant shall pay to the Authority: 3
(a) A fee for the processing of fingerprints which is to be 4
established by the Authority and which may not exceed the fee 5
charged by the Central Repository for Nevada Records of Criminal 6
History and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for processing the 7
fingerprints. 8
(b) For an original driver’s permit, a fee not to exceed $50. 9
(c) For the renewal of a driver’s permit, a fee not to exceed $50. 10
[6.] 7. As used in this section, “charter bus transportation” 11
means transportation by bus of a group of persons who, pursuant to 12
a common purpose and under a single contract, at a fixed charge for 13
the motor vehicle, have acquired the exclusive use of the motor 14
vehicle to travel together under an itinerary either specified in 15
advance or modified after having left the place of origin. The term 16
does not include: 17
(a) The transportation of passengers and their baggage in the 18
same vehicle for a per capita charge between airports or between an 19
airport and points and places in this State; 20
(b) The transportation at a per capita or an hourly rate of 21
passengers to various points of interest for the purpose of 22
sightseeing or visiting those points of interest where a narrated tour 23
is presented to the passengers; 24
(c) The transportation of persons who have acquired the use of a 25
vehicle for a special event between definite points of origin and 26
destination, at a per capita rate; or 27
(d) In a county whose population is less than 100,000, the 28
transportation of a group of persons to and from a single job site or 29
work site, including, without limitation, a construction site, mine or 30
facility or project for the production of renewable energy. As used 31
in this paragraph: 32
(1) “Construction site” means any location at which 33
construction work is being commenced or in progress. 34
(2) “Mine” means an excavation in the earth from which 35
ores, coal or other mineral substances are extracted, or a 36
subterranean natural deposit of minerals located and identified as 37
such by the staking of a claim or other method recognized by law. 38
The term includes, without limitation, a well drilled to extract 39
minerals. 40
(3) “Renewable energy” means a source of energy that 41
occurs naturally or is regenerated naturally, including, without 42
limitation: 43
(I) Biomass; 44
(II) Fuel cells; 45
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(III) Geothermal energy; 1
(IV) Solar energy; 2
(V) Waterpower; and 3
(VI) Wind. 4
The term does not include coal, natural gas, oil, propane or any 5
other fossil fuel, or nuclear energy. 6
Sec. 5. NRS 706.186 is hereby repealed. 7
Sec. 6. This act becomes effective on July 1, 2025. 8
TEXT OF REPEALED SECTION
706.186 Licensing of motor carriers by Department. The
Department shall license every common, contract and private motor
carrier required to be licensed by this chapter.
H