Ma dually pickup owners - reg question?

Hi,

I'm from Mass and have a 3500 SRW with 9900 GVWR, so I slip under the 10K threshold. Mine is registered as a passenger vehicle, not commercial.

I have a buddy with a newer F350 SRW with an 11,400 GVWR and he was able to register it with a lower GVWR and he has passenger plates on it. I'm sure he did it as I've seen the plates, but I don't know exactly how.

Not sure if this works for duellys though.

Good luck, Drew

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation/Registry of Motor Vehicles states that if your vehicle is defined as a commercial vehicle, then that vehicle must be registered with commercial plates (aka truck plates). The Massachusetts Department of Transportation/Registry of Motor Vehicles (MassDOT/RMV) defines commercial vehicles as the following:

“ANY MOTOR VEHICLE WHICH IS NOT A PRIVATE PASSENGER MOTOR VEHICLE, ANTIQUE MOTOR CAR, MOTORCYCLE, TRAILER, SEMI-TRAILER, AUTO HOME, HOUSE TRAILER, TAXICAB, AMBULANCE, HEARSE, LIVERY VEHICLE. BUS, SCHOOL BUS OR PUPIL TRANSPORT VEHICLE”. This includes:

· Any vehicle which has a vehicle weight of more than 6,000 pounds unless it is a sport utility vehicle, passenger van, pickup truck or cargo van meeting the definition of a private passenger vehicle.

· Any vehicle which as five or more wheels i.e.; a dually

· Any pickup truck or cargo van, owned by a partnership, trust or corporation unless the vehicle meets the definition of a private passenger vehicle.

· Any pickup truck or cargo van if on the bed , roof or sides of the vehicle tools, equipment, supplies and materials are transported to or from a job site (personal projects without compensation are not considered a job site).

· A vehicle which has business lettering, markings and/or advertisements on it.

· A vehicle used for hire to plow.

· A vehicle used for hire to transport or store goods or merchandise (unless the vehicle is owned by an individual, the maximum carrying capacity is 1,000 pounds or less and is only used on a part-time basis).

· A vehicle used to transport or store goods or merchandise intended for sale in the operator’s business (unless the vehicle is owned by an individual, the maximum carrying capacity is 1,000 pounds or less and is only used on a part-time basis).

As you can see from above, you must know what the definition of a Private Passenger vehicle is, in order to determine if the vehicle is defined as a Commercial vehicle. The definition of a Private passenger vehicle is:

A) Any vehicle which has a weight rating of 6,000 pounds or less or is a sport utility vehicle or passenger van, or which is a pickup truck or cargo van of the ½ ton, ¾ ton or 1 ton class (per the manufacturer) or a vehicles used solely for official business by a college or university police department

B) A pickup truck or cargo van that is registered or leased to an individual and is used exclusively for personal, recreational or commuting purposes.

C) Any vehicle not described elsewhere by the Mass DOT/RMV rules, 540 CMR.

Information provided by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, 540 CMR.

Per the rules above, a dually *CANNOT* be a "private passenger vehicle" regardless of its intended use because it has 5 or more wheels.

So yes, you will be stuck paying the $300/year registration for a dually.

A medical card is for the DRIVER not the truck. As long as you are under 26,000lbs you will not need a CDL, thus no medical card.

thanks Paul...that's the same page RMV sent me too, but the second statement of "ANY MOTOR VEHICLE WHICH IS NOT A PRIVATE PASSENGER MOTOR VEHICLE" since I am not using it for business, wouldn't it be a private motor vehicle? this is where I questions things. The 5 wheel part I have read yet my father has a dually and it has a regular plate, don't ask because nobody seems to be able to explain how including him. I do know it has been on their since he bought the truck in 2007 and never had an issue.

Should have all 50 states covered and a brand war before this thread is over! Lol
For appearing very literate some people's comprehension level must be reeeeealy low!

wow...please no brand war, they all have issues!

Im just trying to determine what I should expect at the registry and state inspection if I buy a dually. The more I read I am thinking I might end up with a 1 ton srw which will just barely be enough gvwr. I guess that is better than being over the tag like I am but I was hoping to buy a truck that would cover any future trailer upgrades. Ma RMV isn't making it easy to decipher their website, I get the feeling they want all dually trucks registered commercial regardless of how they are used.

paulcardoza wrote:
The definition of a Private passenger vehicle is:

A) Any vehicle which has a weight rating of 6,000 pounds or less or is a sport utility vehicle or passenger van, or which is a pickup truck or cargo van of the ½ ton, ¾ ton or 1 ton class (per the manufacturer) or a vehicles used solely for official business by a college or university police department

B) A pickup truck or cargo van that is registered or leased to an individual and is used exclusively for personal, recreational or commuting purposes.

C) Any vehicle not described elsewhere by the Mass DOT/RMV rules, 540 CMR.

I think the relevant part is in A. "...or which is a pickup truck or cargo van of the 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton or 1 ton class (per the manufacturer)..." It already meets B. If it meets C, it is a private passenger vehicle and the other parts about the number of wheels, etc don't come into play.

Just my non-legal opinion...

Slightly off topic but relevant to your purchase is your insurance coverage. Depending on your carrier, you may find you need to have a commercial policy for personal use due to the GVWR of your new DRW. Some set the limit at 10K lbs and others are at 14k lbs.

"ANY MOTOR VEHICLE WHICH IS NOT A PRIVATE PASSENGER MOTOR VEHICLE"

Take the outer wheels off, and say it's only got 4 wheels.

Problem solved.

Communists get confused when you use their own rules against them. They usually have no idea what to do.