2Definitions

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,--

(a) "common carrier" means a person engaged in the business of collecting, storing, forwarding or distributing goods to be carried by goods carriages under a goods receipt or transporting for hire of goods from place to place by motorised transport on road, for all persons undiscriminatingly and includes a goods booking company, contractor, agent, broker and courier agency engaged in the door-to-door transportation of documents, goods or articles utilising the services of a person, either directly or indirectly, to carry or accompany such documents, goods or articles, but does not include the Government;

(b) "consignee" means the person named as consignee in the goods forwarding note;

(c) "consignment" means documents, goods or articles entrusted by the consignor to the common carrier for carriage, the description or details of which are given in the goods forwarding note;

(d) "consignor" means a person, named as consignor in the goods forwarding note, by whom or on whose behalf the documents, goods or articles covered by such forwarding note are entrusted to the common carrier for carriage thereof;

(e) "goods" includes--

(i) containers, pallets or similar articles of transport used to consolidate goods; and

(ii) animals or livestock;

(f) "goods forwarding note' means the document executed under section 8;

(g) "goods receipt" means the receipt issued under section 9;

(h) "person" includes any association or body of persons, whether incorporated or not, a road transport booking company, contractor and an agent or a broker carrying on the business of a common carrier;

(i) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;

(j) "registering authority" means a State Transport Authority or a Regional Transport Authority constituted under section 68 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (59 of 1988);

(k) "registration" means the registration granted or renewed under sub-section (5) of section 4.