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!

[F-TROUP]

This has all been taken care of since the Dems were voted into a super pac, now we don't get to vote on anything the Dems think we wouldn't like. They just pass what they want.

[crcr]

mileshuff wrote:
... On the bright side, because fees are based on value the IRS allows you to deduct vehicle licence fees on taxes.

Only IF your deductions (taxes, medical exp, charitable, etc) exceed the "Standard Deduction". Otherwise, you get NO savings in taxes due to your vehicle license fees. And very few people actually have enough deductible expenses to exceed the Standard Deduction.

[skyhammer]

atwowheelguy wrote:

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.

Prop. 13 does not stop the State from raising prop. taxes, far from it.
Prop.13 limits tax increases to a little over 1%/year. So since Prop. 13 passed, property taxes have increased a minimum of 40%. Prop. 13 really only benefits those of us that have owned property prior to 1978.
If you are a new property owner, you will get hammered. I just sold 80 acres, I paid 100/acre, I paid $80/year in property taxes.. The new owner is paying $6600/year. Now that is a property tax increase.
The new owner will see a 1% increase/year until they die or sell the property.
In addition, it used to be that it required a 2/3 vote to raise taxes.
Calif. has found a way around that. Now a tax increase is called a bond, which requires a 55% vote. As a result, most people a paying more in property tax assessments, parcel taxes etc. than they are in actual property taxes.

[nevadanick]

Annual.

[jake2250]

nevadanick wrote:
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.

Is that annual registration? I spoke with a buddy who was telling me its two year registration?

[RSD559]

It's been like that forever. If you bolt a shell on the bed of your truck, you can register as non-commercial. But if the CHP see an open bed truck with passenger plates, you'll probably make his day!

[SweetLou]

stsmark wrote:
408 is correct, in the end it's all about weight, my 2011 F350 has a shell and Permanent Disabled plates and I pay weight fees as the unladen wt from Ford is 8034 lbs. They pick it up through the VIN. Last year my renewal was about 390.00. Personally I have bigger fish to fry than that.

So are your weight fees eliminated when you have the Disabled Plates?

[down_home]

Hehehehehehe! California Politicians like you to make and pay lots of money for them.
They are skimming one billion per year off the top of fuel taxes already, for I have forgotten their term, other purposes.
Your speed cops driving Lambos?

[hotpepperkid]

mileshuff wrote:
Arizona is rather high as well. For a new truck with MSRP of $65,000 license fees will be about $900. It drops a bit each year since the fees are based on depreciated value.

On the bright side, because fees are based on value the IRS allows you to deduct vehicle licence fees on taxes.

Yea but look at this way if you keep your truck a long time like I do it will be a lot cheaper in AZ. My 2000 F-350 is $325 and going up in CA and in AZ it is $177 for 5 years

[Jarlaxle]

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!

That is more than tbe 33,000lb GVWR truck I drive at work costs to tag. It is about the same as our older (55,000lb) semi tractors!

[stsmark]

408 is correct, in the end it's all about weight, my 2011 F350 has a shell and Permanent Disabled plates and I pay weight fees as the unladen wt from Ford is 8034 lbs. They pick it up through the VIN. Last year my renewal was about 390.00. Personally I have bigger fish to fry than that.

[Double_Haul]

I didn't see anything on DMV's website that says they have done away with that. It still shows as long as you have a permanent camper or shell attached you can convert. I should have done that on my 2004, would have saved $3600. I do like the fact I can park in a yellow zone but not $300 worth of like. I plan to convert when my reg comes up for renewal.

[DaveF-250SD]

California has done away with passenger car plates on trucks with shells on them. A friend has had a shell on his F-350 forever, along with passenger car plates. Last year when he renewed his registration, he was forced to buy commercial plates, and pay the higher fees that go with them.

[DaveF-250SD]

Many States charge more for vehicles with over 10K GVW, some exorbitantly. Many Ford trucks are rated at or just below 10K, even though they are mechanically identical to models having an 11 or 11.5K GVW.