Camper shells on trucks and California DMV fees

[Evil Monkey]

Just FYI, I see a lot of California Trucks with permanent camper shells and truck license plates (has one letter in the plate vs. three letters for a car plate).

I thought I'd pass this money-saving tip along. California charges commercial registration fees for all pickup trucks and cargo vans (SUV's don't incure that fee). However, if you have a permanent camper shell on your truck, you can register the truck as car (like an SUV) instead and avoid paying the commercial license fee. The only caveat is if you take the shell off, it would be an illegal plate. One friend I told saved over $100 per year in registration fees.

For a van, I believe you only need a rear permanent mounted passenger seat to get the commercial fee removed.

I'm not sure if the fee applies to hard one-piece tonneau covers but you might call someone and check.

[tcBob]

Great tip! I'm gonna see if it applies to tonneaus as well cause I'll be getting one soon