CA Commercial Registration for all pick up trucks

Just wanted to inform Californians that our trucks will now forever be registered as commercial and pay the extra weight fee unless you have an actual camper installed with DMV defining it as fit for “human habitation” or “house car”. These can be several items that they can look for including but not limited to stove, sink, toilet, etc so it gives them loopholes to deny depending on the inspector. Having a camper shell no longer works to have it as a “passenger” vehicle. According to the inspector I talked to, they were given strict instructions to no longer approve camper shells. They want to keep our weight fees which I gather can be as little as $24 to as much as $154 from what other Tacoma owners have shared. Mine has been $80 (don’t know why the amounts fluctuate) so in the years I have owned just this one particular truck, I have given $720 for free as I have never used my truck as commercial and have not even or had a need to park at a commercial spot. So is it worth it? Hell yes, I love my truck.

Just imagine how much revenue the state makes by charging and classifying all pick up trucks as commercial….

 

One more reason to..................move

 

i park in all the commercial spots.

 

It has been this way for many many years now.

 

Wait, what..? You guys in CA are forced to register a regular ol Tacoma as a commercial vehicle? Even if its just a personal truck?

 

This has been this way for a very long time. All TRUCKS in Cali are considered to be commercial. Ive had commercial lic plates on my trucks since 2001. The camper/utility bed configuration was recently changed to be more restrictive.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handb...cial-vehicles/commercial-vehicle-definitions/

 

Yup been this way for a long time. First time truck buyers in CA paying these huge prices for trucks are in for a shock when registration comes due.

 

Does the truck made by Tesla count? It is a truck but it is electric.

 

Yup

all trucks in CA are automatically considered commercial vehicles and given a corresponding plate, unless re-registered through the DMV as a personal vehicle

this is nothing new though, and it's always been hard to get a camper shell approved, as well as as risk to do so.

 

Pickup (VC §471)—A pickup is a motor truck with a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of less than 11,500 pounds, an unladen weight of less than 8,001 pounds, and equipped with an open box-type bed less than nine feet in length. California Code of Regulations, Title 13 §150.04 further defines pickup trucks:

 

but yea...the sky is falling.

 

Yes, it has been like this for a very long time but I was successful once in registering my 2011 is a shell as personal vehicle and similar process but the inspector then was cool. Took a 10 second look and signed off.

 

hmmm… “open box type bed” which a Cyber truck comes covered from factory. Now curious how CA classify it.

On unrelated note, CA charges a fee for having all electric vehicle and hybrids to make up for the lost revenue of gas taxes. It’s just labeled as “license fee”.

 

Surprised someone hasn't started a "borrow my slide in camper" business where people conveniently rent a camper just prior to their inspection.

 

fines are heavy if you are caught with an exposed bed but your registration is for "personal use". It's supposed to be a permanent modification.

Commercial plates are #####X#. Personal plates are #XXX###, so it's easy to spot

 

Apparently, one of the things HWY patrol keeps a lookout for are truck plates with no camper shells because commercial vehicles have only 1 letter vs 3 in personal vehicles (vanity plates exempt)

 

I have to give them credit for hiring some sneaky thinkers in their revenue offices.

 

Those fees are well hidden because people don’t question it and probably voted for it. I was just out of state last week and saw a billboard that goes something like CA has a tax of $1.55 (or something) extra per gallon vs 66 and 58 cents in AZ and TX. It was an advertisement to move out of state. Btw, cents are made up as I don’t recall but pretty sure I remembered $1.55 for CA is accurate hence our state gas prices per gallon.

 

I must have the only ethical camper shell installer because he specifically told me when I bought my camper shell that this doesn’t qualify it for the commercial vehicle exemption, not that I ever had any intention of doing so, but apparently people still try.

With that said I do see pick up trucks with passenger license plates that don’t have camper shells or anything covering the bed, so I suspect those guys might be getting pulled over soon.

 

It’s always been considered commercial in commiefornia years ago I went to aaa in Rancho Cucamonga and I had a camper shell the lady there was extremely hesitant and kept saying it was a felony and I would go to prison and lose my license if I ever took my camper off and got pulled over also back then you needed a sink and bathroom or some other bs in the bed of your truck as well

I can only imagine have someone at dmv giving you the green light (they have to physically inspect it)

and from what I recall the savings were extremely marginal and commiefornia will find other ways to ass rape and rip you off with other bullshit taxes and fees anyway