The words on a truck's papers, in plain English

A

AIS-140

The Automotive Industry Standard for vehicle location tracking devices and emergency buttons. CMVR rule 125H applies it to public service vehicles. A fleet GPS unit counts as a VLTD only if it is certified to this standard.

ANPR camera

Automatic number plate recognition camera. It reads the number plate of a passing vehicle and is used at junctions, toll plazas and on highways to issue e-challans for red-light jumping, overspeeding and, in some cities, lapsed documents, without stopping the vehicle.

Automated testing station (ATS)

A registered centre that tests vehicle fitness with machines instead of a manual inspection at the RTO lane. MoRTH is moving fitness testing of transport vehicles to ATS in phases; deadlines have been extended before, so check your state's current position.

B

BS-VI

Bharat Stage VI, the emission norm for new vehicles in India. A vehicle's emission norm decides its PUC validity under CMVR rule 115: commonly one year for BS-IV and BS-VI vehicles and six months for others.

C

CMVR

Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. The rules made under the Motor Vehicles Act that set fitness testing (rule 62), PUC (rule 115), speed governors (rule 118), VLTDs (rule 125H) and hazardous goods carriage (rules 129 to 137), among much else.

Compounding

Settling a traffic offence by paying a fixed amount instead of going to court. States notify their own compounding amounts, so the amount on a challan can differ from the Motor Vehicles Act amount. See the challan guide.

Comprehensive insurance

A motor policy that covers third-party liability and damage to your own vehicle. Third-party cover alone is the legal minimum under Section 146.

Consignor

The party sending the goods. For hazardous goods, the consignor provides the TREM card for the product and is responsible for the information about the load.

Contract carriage

A passenger vehicle hired as a whole for a fixed purpose, such as a staff bus, a school bus or a tourist coach. It runs on a contract carriage permit, not a goods carriage permit.

Countersignature

Approval from another state that lets a vehicle with a state permit operate in that state, under Section 88 of the Motor Vehicles Act.

D

DigiLocker

The government's digital document wallet. RC, driving licence, insurance and PUC held in DigiLocker are accepted as valid at a checkpoint. PRACHSO reads documents from DigiLocker only with the holder's consent.

Driving licence (DL)

The licence that allows a person to drive a class of vehicle. A licence to drive a transport vehicle is valid for five years after the 2019 amendment. See the transport licence guide.

E

E-challan

An electronic traffic challan issued through the Parivahan e-Challan system, either by an officer's handheld device or automatically from a camera. It is linked to the vehicle number and, when an officer issues it, often the licence.

E-way bill

The GST document generated for moving goods above the value threshold. It is a tax document checked by GST officers, separate from the vehicle's Motor Vehicles Act papers.

F

FASTag

The RFID tag used to pay highway tolls. Its account statements list toll crossings by vehicle, which is why fleets can import their vehicle list from a FASTag statement.

Fitness certificate (FC)

The certificate that a transport vehicle passed its roadworthiness test. Under CMVR rule 62 it is valid for two years when new, renewed every two years up to eight years of age and every year after. See the fitness guide.

G

Goods carriage

A motor vehicle built or adapted to carry goods, or a vehicle used for carrying goods. It needs a goods carriage permit to carry goods for hire.

Gross vehicle weight (GVW)

The maximum laden weight a vehicle is registered for: the vehicle, fuel, crew and load together. It is printed on the RC. Overloading is measured against it.

H

Hazardous goods endorsement

An endorsement on a transport licence that allows the driver to drive a vehicle carrying dangerous or hazardous goods. It is valid for one year and needs the training set by CMVR rule 9.

Hypothecation

A financier's charge on a vehicle bought on a loan, recorded on the RC. It must be removed with the financier's NOC before the vehicle can be sold or transferred cleanly.

L

LMV

Light motor vehicle. The Supreme Court has held that an LMV licence holder may drive a transport vehicle whose gross vehicle weight does not exceed 7,500 kg (Mukund Dewangan, 2017, upheld by a Constitution Bench in November 2024).

M

Market vehicle

A truck hired from the open market through a broker for a single load, rather than owned or attached to the fleet. Shippers check its papers at the gate before loading.

Medical certificate (Form 1A)

The medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner required for a licence to drive a transport vehicle, including at renewal.

MoRTH

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. It makes the Central Motor Vehicles Rules and issues the notifications that change validity periods, testing rules and electronic enforcement.

Motor Vehicles Act

The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, as amended by the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019. It sets the duties (registration, permits, insurance, licences) and the penalties that appear on challans.

mParivahan

The government's mobile app for vehicle and licence records. RC and licence shown in mParivahan are accepted as valid at a checkpoint.

Munshi

The documents and accounts clerk in a transport office who keeps the file for each truck, follows up with RTO agents and tracks expiry dates, traditionally in a register.

N

National permit (NP)

A permit that allows a goods carriage to operate across India, under Section 88(12). It is valid outside the home state only while its annual authorisation is paid. See the national permit guide.

NOC

No objection certificate. A financier's NOC is needed to remove hypothecation from the RC, and an RTO's NOC is needed to move a vehicle's registration to another state.

NP authorisation

The yearly fee-paid authorisation that makes a national permit valid outside the home state. It has its own expiry date, separate from the base permit.

O

Overloading

Running a goods vehicle above the gross vehicle weight on its RC. Fined ₹20,000 plus ₹2,000 per extra tonne under Section 194(1). States can set different compounding amounts.

P

Parivahan

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways' online services for vehicles, licences, permits and e-challans. PRACHSO is not Parivahan and does not act for it; it reads records through authorised channels.

Permit

The authorisation under Section 66 to use a vehicle as a transport vehicle. Goods vehicles hold a state goods carriage permit, a national permit or a temporary permit.

PESO

Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation. It licenses tanks and vessels for petroleum, LPG and other hazardous products. Tanker fleets track these licences alongside the vehicle papers.

PUC certificate

Pollution under control certificate, showing the exhaust was tested within the limits for the vehicle's emission norm under CMVR rule 115. Driving without one is up to ₹10,000 under Section 190(2).

R

Reflective tape

Retro-reflective tape on the sides and rear of a goods vehicle so it is visible in headlights. It is checked at the fitness test.

Registration certificate (RC)

The vehicle's registration record: number, owner, chassis and engine numbers, class, weights and hypothecation. For a transport vehicle it is valid only while a current fitness certificate is held.

Road tax

Tax on a vehicle charged by the state under its motor vehicles taxation act. Goods vehicles commonly pay quarterly or annually. See the state rules.

Roadside Pack

PRACHSO's single link or QR code for a driver that holds every current document for the truck he is driving today and for his own licence, ready to show at a checkpoint.

RTO

Regional Transport Office. The state office that registers vehicles, issues licences, conducts or oversees fitness testing and handles permits for its area.

S

SARATHI

The national database of driving licences. PRACHSO reads a driver's licence validity, classes and endorsements from SARATHI through authorised access; it is not SARATHI.

Section 136A

The section inserted in the Motor Vehicles Act in 2019 for electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety, under which cameras issue e-challans.

Speed governor

A speed limiting device that caps a vehicle's top speed. CMVR rule 118 requires it on transport vehicles with listed exemptions. See the speed governor guide.

T

Third-party insurance

Insurance that covers liability to other people for death, injury or property damage. It is compulsory under Section 146 of the Motor Vehicles Act.

TREM card

Transport emergency card. It lists the hazards of a dangerous product, what to do in a leak or fire, and who to call. The consignor provides it, and it must match the product on that trip.

U

ULIP

Unified Logistics Interface Platform. It gives registered companies API access to logistics datasets, including vehicle and licence records, record by record.

V

VAHAN

The national register of vehicles, holding registration, fitness, permit, insurance, PUC and tax details. PRACHSO reads from VAHAN through authorised channels; it is not VAHAN.

Virtual court

An online court that handles traffic challans sent to it. The owner or driver can pay or contest the challan on the virtual courts portal without appearing in person.

VLTD

Vehicle location tracking device with an emergency button, certified to AIS-140. CMVR rule 125H applies it to public service vehicles; for goods vehicles, check your state's notification.

W

Weighbridge

A scale that weighs a loaded truck. Officers can direct a goods vehicle to one under Section 114; refusing to stop for weighing is up to ₹40,000 under Section 194(2).