Confused about Truck Class when titling, PA

Do what ever is the cheapest.

How did the dealer explain this to you? If they offered no assistance with an explanation, your next call needs to be to motor vehicle and ask them what it all means.

You pay by the ton here in Wa St. If you are pulled over above and beyond what you have paid for, You are considered overweight! In my case with my C2500, I have an 8000 lbs plate. If I drive down the road at my manufacture gvwr of 8600, I am 600 lbs overweight! On the other hand, if I buy a 10K plate, and get weighed pulled over at 9900 lbs.....no biggie! I'm under weight! Minimum you can license yourself for here is 1.5 times tare/empty weight of the truck, to the next higher ton!If you weigh 7000 lbs empty, that is 10500 lbs, so you need to buy a 12K plate, no matter if the truck has a door sticker as little as say 8600 lbs! You are legal to go down the road at that 12K lbs!
Reality is, what are you going go down the road at weight wise? You want a plate that is higher than that amount!
Fortunately, being overweight is a non moving issue, if caught over, it does not follow your driving record. so one could go on the, buy the least amount I can, hope you are not pulled over. If you are, as I was once in my navistar MDT at 27K lbs, licensed to 26K lbs, my door sticker says 18200, which is in my owners manual at home!!!!!! I was given a 10 day buy a 28K plate/license, and sent on my way!
Reality is, I am not too afraid of being over paid for weight, as long as I am under the engineer design weight rating of the highway, which is 500 lbs per inch width of tire, or a max 20K lbs per single axel, or 34K for tandems, or singles that are closer than about 12" IIRC!
Marty

In Michigan it is based on the max gvw of the truck. You'd have to be a class 5 in Michigan (but we have weight class plates here). Doesn't matter what you are towing for the titling of the truck, only in the license of a commercial driver does the weight of a trailer come into play.

Gee, I’d ask the PA DMV.