Ca. DMV Declaration of Gross Vehicle Weight Question

I've had many discussion with the DMV and I've gotten just as many difference answers. The common theme I tend to get the most is that you register your truck under the CVRA based on hat it may tow that falls under the CVRA. Since an RV is a trailer coach which is exempt under the CVRA you don't have to count it's GVWR. However if you tow anything else then you do have to account for it. Are they right? I don't know.

So you get your truck and register it for 10,000, or more if you want to tow something other than your RV, then tow your RV. If you get stopped you try to convince the officer you're legal and if he says no you go to the judge and if necessary ask for a jury trial and hope for the best.

OMT, cut some flat stick on magnets to fit the CVRA stickers and slap them on if you think you're going to need them. Oh, sorry 2017 Ford Super Duty owners, you have to figure out something else since your cab is aluminum:B

Many years ago I bought a Dodge Ram 3500 CTD dually in CA. From a dealer. Even though my home of record was in Montana, I had to pay the CA registration fees and taxes. I don't remember any hassle about GVW.
When I got back to Montana and went in to transfer the title and registration, the clerk asked me what GVW I wanted on it. I said 14,000 sounded like a nice number that I could never exceed, so that is what it was registered for.
The whole process was just as it should be; simple, straight-foreward, with no number juggling required.
It is too bad some other states can't be that way!

byronlj wrote:
For Flashman,
This is straight from ADOT.
"For the registration of 1-ton pickup trucks used for either commercial or personal use, the applicant must declare a gross weight and pay gross weight fees and a $4.00 commercial fee.

What is a declared gross weight?

Gross weight is the sum of the empty weight in pounds of a motor vehicle combination (power unit and trailer) plus the weight in pounds of the load to be carried on the motor vehicle combination at any point in time. Customers declare the maximum gross weight at which they will operate their vehicle and then pay the corresponding fee as determined by the following table."

I don't agree with it and questioned it when I moved from Colorado. In Colorado I also had the option to register as a recreational vehicle. So yes, I did sign up to give the state more dollars but it wasn't by choice. It is because my truck is a 1 ton.
Dave

Glad mine is a 3/4 ton!

For Flashman,
This is straight from ADOT.
"For the registration of 1-ton pickup trucks used for either commercial or personal use, the applicant must declare a gross weight and pay gross weight fees and a $4.00 commercial fee.

What is a declared gross weight?

Gross weight is the sum of the empty weight in pounds of a motor vehicle combination (power unit and trailer) plus the weight in pounds of the load to be carried on the motor vehicle combination at any point in time. Customers declare the maximum gross weight at which they will operate their vehicle and then pay the corresponding fee as determined by the following table."

I don't agree with it and questioned it when I moved from Colorado. In Colorado I also had the option to register as a recreational vehicle. So yes, I did sign up to give the state more dollars but it wasn't by choice. It is because my truck is a 1 ton.
Dave

Turtle n Peeps wrote:


Oh sure, he can reg it as a "car", but if he is caught hauling a bag of chips in the rear the fine will cost him more that a CP4 pump fuel system. :R

It was no where near the $12k range Bob, IIRC that lawn mower cost me about a hundred bucks back in 1974 or so :B Lets talk inflation now...

jmtandem, Nv no longer requires you to register for total of truck and towed weight unless its commercial use. You only have to register for the max your truck will be without a trailer.

the bear II wrote:

chrisjwright1 wrote:

Garry&Gayle wrote:
I have my weight stickers in the glove box with the registration for my 2015 F350 4X4 DRW GVWR as Ford declared is 14K. The ones with the stickers on the door are the guys that are required to cross the scales as an rv you are not required to cross the scales but still required to pay the fees. If your trucks unladen weight exceeds 8001 then you need to declare what your GCVW will be; so figure total weight of truck with all gear and passengers plus weight of your fully loaded trailer or camper is what you declare. It's not only CA that's doing this.

It looks like the simplest way to do this outside of loading up and hitting the scales is to use my GVWR numbers of 11,500 for the truck and the 10,175 for the 5th wheel and puts me into the Ca. DMV range schedule of 20,001 to 26,000? My unladen weight of the truck is 7950. If I miss the next lower schedule of 15,001 to 20k lbs to save $80.00 I am subject to late fee penalties, a citation and fines up to or in excess of $2,000 per violation.

You don't need to include the 5th wheel weight since it is an RV and not a commercial trailer/vehicle.

I would just use the 11,500 for the truck since you're not using it for commercial purposes.

I've researched that doing "Just" the truck may very well get me in trouble, due to other trailers of mine, but seems to eliminate the 5th Wheel.

California Vehicle Code 288 "The weight that equals the total unladen weight of the vehicle combination of vehicles (motor truck & trailers) plus the heaviest load that will be transported by that combination."
In the Commercial Vehicle Registration Act since my truck has the GVWR of 11,500 it is commercial but due to Exemptions 5th wheels since they can be considered a Trailer Coach. A "trailer coach" is a vehicle, other than a motor vehicle, designed for human habitation or human occupancy for industrial, professional, or commercial purposes, for carrying property on its own structure, and for being drawn by a motor vehicle. Vehicle Code Section 635. The heaviest of my trailers, I should not have to worry about it.

Thank you all for your input.

Hello everyone. I just went through this in Pennsylvania. PA determines weight class based upon GVWR of the tow vehicle, which for my Ram 2500 is 10,000 = weight class 4A. However, because the travel trailer I recently purchased has a GWR over 10,000 pounds, I must register the combined weight of both the tow vehicle and travel trailer, which puts me into weight class 8. I was hoping there was an exception in the books for the trailer being a recreational vehicle, not used in a commercial aspect, etc. but no luck. Every notary I spoke to and representative from PA DMV gave the same reply...if the trailer being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds, regardless of what type of trailer it is or what its intended use is, you must register the combined weight of both.

No big deal overall, just the annual cost of the registration. It used to be $204/year for the class 4A, now it will be $472/year for the class 8. I wish I was aware of the law when I was shopping for a travel trailer so that I could have purchased one with a gross weight under 10,000. Live and learn I guess.

chrisjwright1 wrote:

Garry&Gayle wrote:
I have my weight stickers in the glove box with the registration for my 2015 F350 4X4 DRW GVWR as Ford declared is 14K. The ones with the stickers on the door are the guys that are required to cross the scales as an rv you are not required to cross the scales but still required to pay the fees. If your trucks unladen weight exceeds 8001 then you need to declare what your GCVW will be; so figure total weight of truck with all gear and passengers plus weight of your fully loaded trailer or camper is what you declare. It's not only CA that's doing this.

It looks like the simplest way to do this outside of loading up and hitting the scales is to use my GVWR numbers of 11,500 for the truck and the 10,175 for the 5th wheel and puts me into the Ca. DMV range schedule of 20,001 to 26,000? My unladen weight of the truck is 7950. If I miss the next lower schedule of 15,001 to 20k lbs to save $80.00 I am subject to late fee penalties, a citation and fines up to or in excess of $2,000 per violation.

You don't need to include the 5th wheel weight since it is an RV and not a commercial trailer/vehicle.

I would just use the 11,500 for the truck since you're not using it for commercial purposes.

byronlj wrote:
I believe Arizona is similar to what you describe. I declared 10,000 on mine. The reasoning was, I also pay road use fees on my trailer, so why pay twice. I have a new problem now however since I bought a truck camper. When I load it on the truck I will now be somewhere around 12k, and no registration or taxes on the truck camper.
Dave

live in Tucson and register my 2500 Ram every year and never heard of this.

Sounds like you're signing up to give the state more tax dollars.