Commercial registration for Toyotas in CA now?

Hi all,

A friend of mine who has a 2005 Tacoma mentioned to me last night that essentially all pickups in CA now must be registered as Commercial, unless they have a utility body. This came as a complete surprise to me, as my new Off-Road will be my 4th truck I've owned in California (when it comes in).

I owned a 1980 Toyota Hilux (1986 - 1997), and a 1987 Ford F250 (1996 - 2000) and neither of them had to be registered as Commercial. My last truck was a 2001 Dodge 2500 diesel, which did have to be registered as Commercial, as the CA motor vehicle code required any pickup that was capable of having a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating from the manufacturer of over 8800 pounds was automatically classified as Commercial, regardless of how the vehicle was used.

I will be pretty pissed, though not surprised, if it turns out the asshats in Sacramento have changed the vehicle code to now include basically all pickups, just so they can suck those extra Commercial fees out of everyone.

 

Yes tacomas are registered as commercial vehicles in CA. It has been this way for a long time, my 07 was regg'd commercial. I'm not sure that the reg fees are more expensive, and commercial tags allow one to park in restricted spots which can be useful in places like san francisco.

 

Been that way for years. Also voters just approved an increase, again, so break out your wallet next registration.

 

There's a separate fee for commercial vehicles. Not sure what it was.

 

Been this way for decades, man. Where you been?

 

Thanks folks, this sux, but obviously have no choice.

Like I said, the last time I had a small pickup (1997), it wasn't required to be registered commercial.

 

whatever, just park in the yellow loading zones everywhere as payback.

 

Mother f&cker!!! I hate California..

 

If you install seats and seatbelts the proper way in the bed than you can re register it as not a commecial vehicle ... thats what triple A told me

 

From @Crom thread


https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...d-and-adventures.362772/page-13#post-10634877

California can be a very burdensome state to live in due to exorbitant fees. California imposes a "truck tax" on all pickup trucks, although they do not call it that. They call it a "weight fee", the heavier the GVWR, the more the fee is, and for me it was $80 a year, every year--forever, due at registration time. I discovered that this fee can be eliminated in perpetuity by installing a shell on the truck and doing some paperwork at the CA DMV. I did this in 2013 and as of June /2016 I'll have saved $320 (4 years x $80). I wrote the long story about how to do this March 20th 2013, and posted about it in this thread here.

Long story imported here

Okay folks. I'm all done paying the ridiculous California truck tax, a.k.a. the $80.00 annual "weight fee." My new plates and registration came in the mail on March 19, 2013

My experience was different from Bay Taco's, although reading his gave me a place to start. There is an additional form to be filled out and the DMV wrote about in this press release

PART 1
I made an appointment and went to the DMV in January 2013. I explained that I want to change the body type of my vehicle. In my possession I had a DMV from 256 titled "Statement of Facts." I had completed section G. with one sentence that read: "Vehicle has a permanent camper shell installed on the bed." The DMV rep on the spot made me fill out DMV form 256A titled "Miscellaneous Certifications," on this from I had to fill out section E. titled. "Certification of Vehicle for Human Habitation." this filling out basically means I checked a box that read "This vehicle was permanently modified" and another check box to indicate "camper attached." Singed and dated. Now, the DMV rep asked me for my title which I did not have, because vehicle was financed. He explained that in order to complete the process they need title, and that the finance company would have to mail the title in to to local DMV to complete the process.

PART 2
I initiated the process with the finance company over the phone and finally made contact with someone who could actually do something. I stated what I wanted to do and then faxed over copies of the incomplete application that was given to me by the DMV rep along with a letter which was short and explained what I was trying to do.

They scoffed at sending the title to the DMV, and explained that it only existed as electrons in a database held at Sacramento. Nevertheless they finally agreed to order the paper title, and told me that I had to send them all original documents including the incomplete application from the DMV and that they would take care of the rest.

I reluctantly agreed. The DMV rep told me to keep the original and not give it to the finance company, but I did it anyway. Much to my surprise the plates and new registration arrived yesterday in the mail.

The former "Body Type Model" of my registration used to say "PK" for "Pickup", now it reads "PM" for Permanently Mounted"

 

I asked at triple A and they gave me a different answer but i only have a roll n lock maybe thats why

 

Under 4k lbs it's $24, 4k-5k it's $80. All 3 gen are 80, some second gens are 24, like mine.

 

Welcome to Nazi California....

 

From https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/parking/curb-colors

My title is tagged commercial, but there's nothing special about my license plate. Does anyone know if there's such a thing as a commercial license plate, or does the SFMTA actually mean commercial title?

 

Think because starts with a number ? The cops can tell because I never got a ticket in commercial spots in 15 yrs in San Francisco

 

In bigger cities like SF you had better be unloading and have business looking logos on your truck or you will still get a ticket in yellow zones.I've heard of people getting away with it but I've also heard the opposite. Cities like berkeley have a separate sticker to park in yellow zones not just commercial plates.

I guess yellow is a bit of a gamble.

 

Yellow is for loading/unloading of commercial vehicles.

Lettered vehicle doesn't make a difference.

Your license plate character orientation is what designates a commercial vehicle from passenger vehicle.





Gonna call ticketing of non-lettered commercial delivery trucks being make believe fuckery. It's wholly illegal to do so, on every level.

 

I just dropped my tailgate when parking in the commercial spots.... 15 yrs in sf, no tix. As for the morality of using the commercial spots, well, parking is cutthroat in SF and IDGAF

 

YDLLYGAF

 

It goes both ways, mind you.

We got a ticket in a lettered company vehicle that was parked briefly (3 minutes) in a commercial loading zone. We had a signed invoice proving we were using it for a delivery at that moment, and the ticket was maintained because while in the drivers eye it was a commercial vehicle, it wasn't registered with the state as one and therefore not eligible to use commercial areas.