CA License & Registration Req for 3500 SRW with 11.7k GVWR?

ol Bombero-JC wrote:
. . . *If* you are/were required to "declare" the GVWR of a pickup when registering in CA - instead of the 11,700 (11.7K) the OP indicated for his - it would be beneficial to use 11,499.

Why?

"If the pickup has a GVWR of 11,500 lbs or more, it must stop at scales." (Condensed from lengthy paragraph).

Carefully- read the following....

"Who Must Stop At Scales"

Scroll to: "Do these vehicles have to stop at scales".

Thanks, good info!

When I used the California Vehicle Registration Fee Calculator to check fees for a commercial, diesel vehicle it gives you the option to choose/specify/declare the unladen weight, GVWR, or GCWR. What's the correct/best choice for someone who has a truck with a 11.7k GVWR who operates it non-commercially to occasionally tow their privately-owned RV trailer?

Is it legal to "declare" a 11,499 lb. GVWR for a truck with a manufacturer's GVWR of 11,700 lbs, in CA?

If you declare an unladen weight does that restrict you from carrying cargo/payload in your truck in CA?

Thanks!

Reciprocity is SOP in all states.

If you meet the req's of the state where licensed, you're good to go in the other 49.

The *only* exception is the total length allowed (usually 65' is OK), and "double towing" (which some folks call "triple towing").

Check for those requirements state-by-state.

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On edit:
*If* you are/were required to "declare" the GVWR of a pickup when registering in CA - instead of the 11,700 (11.7K) the OP indicated for his - it would be beneficial to use 11,499.

Why?

"If the pickup has a GVWR of 11,500 lbs or more, it must stop at scales." (Condensed from lengthy paragraph).

Carefully- read the following....

"Who Must Stop At Scales"

Scroll to: "Do these vehicles have to stop at scales".


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bukhrn wrote:
Why would you need anything, if you're legal in AZ you should be legal in Ca., UNLESS Ca & AZ doesn't have reciprocity. ?? :h
If you don't register a pickup as commercial in AZ, you shouldn't have to in Ca, (unless you stay there) isn't dual state registration illegal, I know drivers licenses from two states is.

Although I've never seen anything in writing, I believe you're right, there is reciprocity. As residents of AZ, we can drive any privately owned/operated RV, of any weight, with a standard driver's license---supposedly, anywhere in the country. We asked the question because there is the possibility we may become residents of CA in the next year or so. Just wanted to be on top of the licensing and registration requirements in CA beforehand.

While on the topic of reciprocity, is there any state that doesn't reciprocate (in terms of privately owned/operated RV's)? Again, although I've never seen anything in writing that expressly says reciprocity exists, I think common sense says it does. Otherwise, as you mentioned, some RV owner/drivers (who drive heavier rigs) would be forced to carry/have more than state driver's license . . . which, I believe, is illegal.

bukhrn wrote:
Why would you need anything, if you're legal in AZ you should be legal in Ca., UNLESS Ca & AZ doesn't have reciprocity. ?? :h
If you don't register a pickup as commercial in AZ, you shouldn't have to in Ca, (unless you stay there) isn't dual state registration illegal, I know drivers licenses from two states is.

Why the H would one want to resister in two state and pay double? When I lived in CA the registration on my truck was $325 and never going any lower. Most of that was weight fee. Moved to AZ and I paid $171 for five (5) years. Saved a pile of money there and insurance was half now I have beer money :)

Why would you need anything, if you're legal in AZ you should be legal in Ca., UNLESS Ca & AZ doesn't have reciprocity. ?? :h
If you don't register a pickup as commercial in AZ, you shouldn't have to in Ca, (unless you stay there) isn't dual state registration illegal, I know drivers licenses from two states is.

And there's no rv endorsement. As li g as it's not for hire, no special license is required. Check out the links Old Biscuit posted. It's all you need to know.

That's not true. You can sign an affidavit stating the truck is for camping in if it has a bed cap. Get caught hauling anything and it's a huge ticket.

John Wayne wrote:
I think you can sign a waiver to not carry anything but golf clubs and nothing commercial and get non-comericbl plates also.

I think that's golfers dreaming of a hole in one, LOL.

Exactly the opposite.
CA doesn't care if it's golf clubs or a bag of groceries in the back of your Chevy Avalanche - Commercial plates are required.

Chances of a waiver are akin to winning ALL the lotteries in the same week!

There are NO "Private Trucks" in CA, however...."If you have a station wagon, pickup with a camper permanently attached, a van modified for human habitation, or a multipurpose vehicle you can change from commercial plates to auto plates."

BTW - A "multipurpose vehicle" is (ex) a Chevy Blazer, Ford Bronco, Jeep, etc. with a removable hard top. It can be 'plated" as commercial or auto.
(The Chevy Avalanche has a "pickup bed" - comm plates *are* req'd)

Google: "Commercial Vehicle Information - DMV - State of California"

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I think you can sign a waiver to not carry anything but golf clubs and nothing commercial and get non-comericbl plates also.

otrfun wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
No special license is needed if the bumper-pull trailer is less than 10,001 pounds or the 5th wheel is less than 15,001 pounds.

Thanks.

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Pickup trucks are registered as 'commercial' in CA

CA doesn't have a Class D license.....
Class A, Class B, Class C and Class M

Thanks for the links, Old-Biscuit. They were very helpful! So, a standard driver's license in CA is called a Class C. That's good to know.

cmeade wrote:
. . . Need rv endorsement on class c for 5ver gvwr between 10k and 15k. 3500 pickup not used commercially just need commercial reg and weight fee based on unladen weight. Technically a pickup has a gvwr of less than 11.5k and an unladen weight of less than 8,001 lbs. . . .

What do you need to get an RV endorsement?

When I used the Vehicle Registration Fee Calculator to check fees for a commercial, diesel vehicle it gives you the option to choose unladen, GVWR, or GVWR. Not surprisingly, unladen resulted in the lowest fee. I assume unladen is a valid choice for a privately owned/operated truck with a 11.7k GVWR that does not qualify as a pickup?

Thanks again.

The 5th wheel endorsement is called a "Restriction 41".
VERY easy 25 Q test, no driving test req'd.

ANYTIME you want to conduct business at the CA DMV - make an appointment! Otherwise you will wait, and wait, and wait, and wait some more.

Usually the DMV will accept the ratings the factory assigned to your pickup - saves "declaring".

*If* you or your spouse are handicapped (as registered owner/s), the DMV will wave the commercial fees included in the Commercial license. For *one* vehicle only.
You will pay the normal license fee - no additional fee (about $250) for the commercial plates - which will still have the "commercial benefits" - if they could be called that.

BTW - one last......you might want to look at the requirements as posted by CA DOT - "Who must stop at scales" - there are a few surprises there.....which only apply to CA licensed trucks - including pickups!

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