California DMV weight fee

[smokeylew]

Man did I just get a shock. Opened my vehicle registration renewal notice for my 2016 Ram 3500 diesel and found a $308 weight fee. Add that to the license fee and all the other gobble gook and I'm shelling out $778 clams! :M

I did some research online and it appears that my truck is rated commercial and the only way to get it reclassified is make the bed permanently unusable by bolting in a camper that can never be taken out.

Have any of you guys gotten the same shock as I have? Is this just a California thing? Don't think this is fair but after thinking about all the $200 and $300 pops I've made each year for special this or thats, the $308 is cool just to be able to hear my diesel brakes rumble as I come down the hill. I can sell myself on most anything . . . Just don't tell my wife!

[408f150]

If you are over 8,000lbs unladen or have over a 10,000lb GVW you pay the extra $300+. That's why 250s/2500s all have an artificial GVW of 10,000 lbs and payload of 2,### even though they are in most cases capable of very close to the payload ratings of the SRW 1-tons.

[1jeep]

Ma isn't much better if you own a DRW it is an automatic commercial plate, yearly inspection and commercial vehicle insurance.

[Community Alumni]

Gonzo42 wrote:
The announcements in the newspapers are that not only are the fuel taxe$ going up significantly, the vehicle registration fee$ are also going up big time.

The co$t of owning a vehicle in the People'$ Republic of California will be the highe$t in the entire nation.

Man that sucks. Add in that fuel prices are supposed to jump this year and you guys are going to get slammed pretty hard. I truly feel sorry for you guys. If it get too expensive then you always move to Texas. About $120 annually and you're done.

[nevadanick]

Nevada is even more, my 2016 Ram 2500 was $900 and i only registered it for 8900 lbs. we are moving to Ca and our motorhome was due so i registered it in Ca. In Nv the mh was $4200 and in Ca its $1600.

[krobbe]

wnjj wrote:

SweetLou wrote:

krobbe wrote:
Highway Robbery!
It looks to me like Kalifornia has co-opted the word commercial to include all pickups.
By definition, commercial means: 1. concerned with or engaged in commerce. 2. making or intended to make a profit.
Kalifornia's definition according to their code CVC 260 defines commercial vehicle as:
1. Used or maintained for the transportation of persons for hire, compensation, or profit.
2. Designed, used, or maintained primarily for the transportation of property.
Nowhere in the definition of commercial does it mention property.
SO my thinking is, if a pickup is not used for commercial purposes, there should not be any fees or tariffs over a standard passenger vehicle.
Here in Mich, it costs $8 to transfer a plate to another vehicle. Maybe that is an option for you as well.

It's right there in #2 of your discription. Designed for the transportation of property, meaning you might use it someday.

Yes, but California's definition point #2 isn't in the actual definition of commercial.

Here's one: I would consider a crew cab pickup to NOT meet that definition. It's designed primarily to haul passengers, not property.

Thanks Wnjj for helping out SweetLou.
And I agree with you on your crew cab statement. But I believe any vehicle not used for commercial purposes, including a semi is not subject to any fees or tariffs pertaining to commercial vehicles. It's an overreach on any state or federal govt to subject it's citizens to hinder free travel by charging exhorbitant fees.

[time2roll]

samsontdog wrote:
I just paid the yearly fees on my 2003 F250. $280 and $84 of that was the weight fee. Then another $40 to have it smogged tested which is required every two years. I would move out of Calif if the DW would go along with it. But we spend two months along the Oregon and Wash Coast in July and Aug then nearly 6 months in Yuma

You are already 8 months out. Seems like an easy swap to visit CA twice a year as you commute.

[samsontdog]

I just paid the yearly fees on my 2003 F250. $280 and $84 of that was the weight fee. Then another $40 to have it smogged tested which is required every two years. I would move out of Calif if the DW would go along with it. But we spend two months along the Oregon and Wash Coast in July and Aug then nearly 6 months in Yuma

[smokeylew]

joshuajim wrote:

smokeylew wrote:


I did some research online and it appears that my truck is rated commercial and the only way to get it reclassified is make the bed permanently unusable by bolting in a camper that can never be taken out.

Almost but not quite correct. In Ca you can have a "commercial" pickup reclassified to a passenger vehicle by just installing a cap, camper shell or what ever it's called where you live.

You can haul anything you like in the bed then just like you can haul anything in a SUV.

Just don't remove the cap and try to haul anything, because then you are violatingthe law.

Kind of hard to comply with if you tow a 5th wheel. :B

[S_Davis]

Wow that's horrible, Both my trucks are registered for 12,000 gvwr here in WA and used commercially for my business and they were about $107.00 this year. Makes me glad I moved out of Ca back in 1990.

[smokeylew]

My success was marring my wife who became a school teacher while our kids were young. Her hard work and dedication over the years provide a nice pension. I was self employed all those years and only have social security to rely on. Some guys just stumble along in life but I'm one of the ones that got lucky.

[joshuajim]

smokeylew wrote:


I did some research online and it appears that my truck is rated commercial and the only way to get it reclassified is make the bed permanently unusable by bolting in a camper that can never be taken out.

Almost but not quite correct. In Ca you can have a "commercial" pickup reclassified to a passenger vehicle by just installing a cap, camper shell or what ever it's called where you live.

You can haul anything you like in the bed then just like you can haul anything in a SUV.

Just don't remove the cap and try to haul anything, because then you are violatingthe law.

[atwowheelguy]

smokeylew wrote:
Man did I just get a shock. Opened my vehicle registration renewal notice for my 2016 Ram 3500 diesel and found a $308 weight fee. Add that to the license fee and all the other gobble gook and I'm shelling out $778 clams! :M

I did some research online and it appears that my truck is rated commercial and the only way to get it reclassified is make the bed permanently unusable by bolting in a camper that can never be taken out.

Have any of you guys gotten the same shock as I have? Is this just a California thing? Don't think this is fair but after thinking about all the $200 and $300 pops I've made each year for special this or thats, the $308 is cool just to be able to hear my diesel brakes rumble as I come down the hill. I can sell myself on most anything . . . Just don't tell my wife!

Sorry for your circumstance. I guess it's not for nothing it's called Taxifornia. That's your punishment for being successful enough to own a nice vehicle. I have to pay $166 in GA every year for the privilege of owning a little camper trailer.

The governor of CA is probably upset that the state has fallen to 10th place in tax burden. Proposition 13 handcuffed the state to keep them from raising property taxes, so they have to really soak everyone paying every other kind of taxes.

[timandpeggy]

I lived in the SF Bay Area for about 40 years due to work. As far as I know, Ca. Has always considered a "pickup truck" a commercial vehicle. I remember asking a CHP officer one time about it when I was driving my dad's 72 GMC C15, and was told that if you carry ANYTHING in the bed, it is considered a commercial vehicle. That applies to your own suitcase. So, 2 choices. 1. Risk having non-commercial plates and getting zapped with a huge fine, or 2. Suck it up. All for the privilege of living there. For me, it ain't worth it.

[wnjj]

SweetLou wrote:

krobbe wrote:
Highway Robbery!
It looks to me like Kalifornia has co-opted the word commercial to include all pickups.
By definition, commercial means: 1. concerned with or engaged in commerce. 2. making or intended to make a profit.
Kalifornia's definition according to their code CVC 260 defines commercial vehicle as:
1. Used or maintained for the transportation of persons for hire, compensation, or profit.
2. Designed, used, or maintained primarily for the transportation of property.
Nowhere in the definition of commercial does it mention property.
SO my thinking is, if a pickup is not used for commercial purposes, there should not be any fees or tariffs over a standard passenger vehicle.
Here in Mich, it costs $8 to transfer a plate to another vehicle. Maybe that is an option for you as well.

It's right there in #2 of your discription. Designed for the transportation of property, meaning you might use it someday.

Yes, but California's definition point #2 isn't in the actual definition of commercial.

Here's one: I would consider a crew cab pickup to NOT meet that definition. It's designed primarily to haul passengers, not property.

[Orcadrvr]

It's "Calizuela", folks!

From a longtime sufferer.

Happy Trails!