California residents, is your tacoma registered as a commercial vehicle?

Yep, owned a 91 Toyota pickup and got rear-ended on the freeway without one. Had to go out and pickup my spare tire which I couldn't get mounted back under the bed. Her car literally went underneath my bed and shoved me up and forward.

 

OMG I CAN PARK IN LOADING/UNLOADING ZONES?!?!?!?!?

 

Mine is registered as commercial........thought it was a mistake until I saw this thread!

 

just wait to all you new guys with the 2010's get your registration. you should take a seat before opening. mine was 467 for a 09. i about shit myself.

 

Yes but before that 60' and 70's American full size trucks was what I was talking about.

 

Don't park in loading zones.

Although you have a commercial plate on your truck parking regulations are made at the local/municipal level and differ greatly from one locality to another. Unless you know for sure the parking regulations for your town or city I would just assume you're going to get a ticket.

And I don't know if you have noticed but California is hurting for cash.. and so sin taxes and penalties on law breakers have been increasing. Parking tickets cost a lot more then they did a year ago, certainly a lot more then two years ago.

 

this is true, then i got mine they told me about it, asked why and was told all trucks are like this.check my buddy's 09 chevy and it has it to.

 

yeah, I remember that "state inspection" when I lived in pennsylvannia. anywhere I take my car for the inspection, there will always be something that they need to fix to pass the inspection.

 

I know your very familiar with California law and it's nice to have you as a resource at TW. What do you think are our chances at launching a class action suit against the State of California for the ill-gotten gains (Collectively approximately ~$270 Million ) from the illegal fees charged to us truck owners who are clearly not commercial vehicles.

I know we would need a firm with some deep pockets, but someone has to out there bold enough to do it. I would volunteer to be a named plaintiff in the case.

 

How much is your registration for your taco and how much was it for the 4runner? I just paid close to $300 for my 07, so deduct $24 it would still not explain why the 4 runner is so much cheaper.

 

if i recall correctly, in california, if you dont register your truck as a commercial vehicle, then you are NOT allowed to drive around with anything in the bed of the truck.

 

that was probably taken out of context. california vehicle license fee is based on sales price and declines for the next 11 years. So one possible explanation is the 4 runner was a private party sale and they doctored the sale price to reduce the sales tax and the license fee.

 

Or the registration on the 4runner was paid when the cost overall was lower. Didn't the cost go way up not too long ago?

 

but I think the increase applies to all vehicles. but you are right in your observation that a 2007 tacoma registration is double that of a 2009 4 runner does not add up.
registration fee is fixed and same for all vehicles, and only VLF is different based on the value of the vehicle, then the $24 additional for a DC short bed.

 

that is not correct. By default, all trucks are commerical vehicle unless you reclassify at the dmv that you are not using it for commercial purposes and solely using for personal use.

I think going personal use you save on the payload fee.

 

Can you cite an authoritative source (DMV Website perhaps)? The reason I ask is because of what I read a few days ago here: http://cssrc.us/web/18/publications.aspx?id=3304&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

It said for personal use you must have a camper shell permanently attached to your truck to be classified as personal use.

 

In order to be non commerical you must cover the bed with a camper shell.And dont get caught with out it!

 

I've heard that - I have a friend that says she does that to lower her insurance.

 

I don't know what insurance your friend has but I can share with you some accurate info for AAA customers.

If you're an AAA customer and you add a camper shell to your truck you would need to add it to the auto insurance policy. A $1500 valued shell would raise the annual premium by $39.00 per year, which would cover accident or theft.

Also, AAA does not distinguish how the vehicle is registered with the state, only that it is registered with the state. They simply don't care, it's not a factor to them.

 

What I mean was I think the 09 4runner registration may not have been due for 2010 yet. He may be comparing fees paid for 2009 to 2010 which has changed.