Do you need Commercial Plates in NY to tow a trailer?

[redhat9]

Good morning, I came across this forum and like what I see -- an easy to view website and a wealth of knowledge.

I have a 2019 F-150, SuperCab with 6.5ft box, 2.7 EcoBoost and 10-speed automatic. I plan to mainly tow either a car-hauler with my G-body, 24-ft camping trailer and/or snowmobile/ATV trailer in the future. I am planning on putting airbags in the rear to air up when needed. I am not planning on towing anything ever too crazy, but nothing that I think would overwhelm the little EcoBoost.

I am in New York State, specifically Western New York. Currently the truck is registered with Passenger Plates. I have heard that with Passenger Plates you could be ticketed for hauling a trailer. Is this true? If that is the case, I would plan to get Commercial Plates. I am not too concerned with any restrictions on parkways or certain use roads. I am in a Rural area, and any time I would be on a restricted use road would be in either my Honda Accord or wife's Tahoe.

Thanks for your help.

[MFL]

QCMan wrote:
Downstate is where King Cuomo gets all his money from. It isn't easy getting out of there as the illegals bring in tons of money for his donors. Lived there for 62 years and will never set foot in NYS again! 20k in taxes so an overpaid cop can tell me I can't park in front of my house because it makes it hard for the drunk across the street to get out of her driveway. The state should be merged with CA.

:B

[QCMan]

Downstate is where King Cuomo gets all his money from. It isn't easy getting out of there as the illegals bring in tons of money for his donors. Lived there for 62 years and will never set foot in NYS again! 20k in taxes so an overpaid cop can tell me I can't park in front of my house because it makes it hard for the drunk across the street to get out of her driveway. The state should be merged with CA.

[pitch]

BurbMan wrote:

Beverley&Ken wrote:
I spent hours searching the website for a blank form that I needed, walked in to the rural office and walked out 3 minutes later with the form that I needed. She stated that the website was way behind, she blamed Covid.

Here in NY my experience was just the opposite, they also blame covid 🙂

At the end of 2019 we had a new law go into effect in NYS called the Green Light law, which allowed illegal aliens to take the written exam and road test to apply for a drivers license. DMV offices got so crowded a 3 hr wait just to get to the information desk was typical. DL exams are the one thing you can't do on the website.

Just as that surge started to taper off in March covid hit and the offices closed. Thankfully NYS does a good job with the website, so anything you can do online is faster.

Please no political comments on this, I'm just stating the facts here.

You need to get out of down state. Here in Seneca County a DMV visit is 20 minutes in and out!

[pitch]

ACZL wrote:
No you don't cuz you don' have a high GVW to warrant commercial plates. Plus based one what you said, you don't plan on towing heavy/crazy. Have I seen comm plates on a 1/2 ton? Yes, but the truck have be used for comm biz. With pass plates, you'll be able to traverse roads that comm trucks cannot and MAYBE exact same truck cuz they have comm plates. Here in Syr area, comm trucks/plates banned from a road along Onondaga Lake, BUT a p/u w/ pass/town gov't plates can go on the same road. Go figure.

Wow how much misinformation can you fit into one post.

In NY a pick up having an empty weight of 6000 or less can be registered passenger. Registering passenger means that you will never use the truck for hire.If you put a ladder rack on or carry a tool box, you may get looked at. It is not a primary offense so it is doubtful that there would be a problem. But an accident or roadblock put put a hurt on your day
!/2 ton with commercial plates does most definitely not mean your half ton needs to be used in business,I would guess that probably 80 percent of half tons are tagged commercial Only difference is commercial lets you pick your weight up to ratings, whiles passenger automatically goes to ratings.
Onondaga Lake Parkway, In NY trucks are prohibited from using parkways. Don't matter what your plate says. How ever that is another law which is pretty much ignored, However do not tow a trailer or have business markings on the truck.

https://dmv.ny.gov/registration/register-pick-truck-passenger-class-vehicle

[BurbMan]

Beverley&Ken wrote:
I spent hours searching the website for a blank form that I needed, walked in to the rural office and walked out 3 minutes later with the form that I needed. She stated that the website was way behind, she blamed Covid.

Here in NY my experience was just the opposite, they also blame covid 🙂

At the end of 2019 we had a new law go into effect in NYS called the Green Light law, which allowed illegal aliens to take the written exam and road test to apply for a drivers license. DMV offices got so crowded a 3 hr wait just to get to the information desk was typical. DL exams are the one thing you can't do on the website.

Just as that surge started to taper off in March covid hit and the offices closed. Thankfully NYS does a good job with the website, so anything you can do online is faster.

Please no political comments on this, I'm just stating the facts here.

[Beverley_Ken]

gbopp wrote:

Beverley&Ken wrote:
Your most accurate answers would come from your state's DMV website or in person questions.

I'm guessing you have never contacted a DMV in the states. :B

Not a U.S. DMV, but our MTO (Ministry of Transport Ontario), same as the DMV. Same thing, probably same issues.
I spent hours searching the website for a blank form that I needed, walked in to the rural office and walked out 3 minutes later with the form that I needed. She stated that the website was way behind, she blamed Covid.

Ken

[BarabooBob]

JRscooby, my supercrew with 6 1/2' bed probably carries more horse ****, firewood, lumber, ATV's, bicycles, and hay than most of the one ton trucks pulling 5th wheel travel trailers. It gets dirty driving through fields using the FWD and it also hauls 6 adults comfortably. It pulls my TT all over the Rockies without breaking a sweat. I can't buy an 8' bed with a supercrew half ton and I don't need a one ton. I have the truck that does what I need it to do without worryhing about what other people think a proper truck is.

[tlfield]

Link: https://dmv.ny.gov/registration/register-pick-truck-passenger-class-vehicle

[tlfield]

I found this on the NYS DMV website:

Can I register my pick-up truck as a 'passenger' class vehicle?

Yes. Your pick-up truck can qualify for passenger class plates if it meets certain conditions, depending on its unladen weight.

If you have a modified or unmodified pick-up truck with an unladen weight less than 6,001 lbs., then you may register it in the passenger class if it meets the following conditions:
the pick-up truck does not have any business advertisements, and
the pick-up is used exclusively for non-commercial purposes
If you have a modified pick-up truck with an unladen weight greater than 6,000 lbs., then you may register it in the passenger class if it meets the following conditions:
the pick-up truck does not have any business advertisements and is used exclusively for non-commercial purposes
a camper top having one or more side windows completely encloses the truck bed,
the pick-up truck has seats, seat fittings, or camping equipment installed in the truck bed ('camping equipment' indicates that you have a bed, a stove, or a refrigerator in the vehicle)
NOTE: These modifications must be permanent. If you use the pick-up truck without the required modifications, then you must register it in the commercial registration class.

You are not required to apply for passenger class plates for your pick-up. You can use commercial plates.

[redhat9]

Yes very true on the NY DMV being backed up. Also, their website doesn't have much info on this subject unfortunately. Thanks for all of the info and replies folks.

[SpeakEasy]

For those recommending calling the DMV - the NYS DMV is pretty overwhelmed these days - possibly because of COVID. Last week I spent well over an hour on hold on the phone with them regarding a question I wanted to ask about a boat title.

-Speak

[BurbMan]

QCMan wrote:
The answer is like everything else in NY-it depends! If towing personal items like a utility trailer or a travel trailer you do not need commercial plates. If you are hauling for monetary gain, you need commercial plates and a CDL. Depending on the weight, you may or may not need commercial plates for towing a fifth wheel. Even if you don't need commercial plates to haul said fifth wheel, some jurisdictions will charge you commercial toll rates even though it is personal and private use. I have talked to folks that went across the George Washington Bridge in the Bronx and it seems like the toll taking is random as some get charged commercial rates and some do not (with fw's). Easy Pass goes by plate number so it seems to always be right. If you bypass NYC and take a ferry to Long Island, anything attached by a fifth wheel hitch pays commercial rates but the guy next to you with a much longer tt pays the normal rate. Bottom line is that your car hauler requires you to get commercial plates but your tt and snowmobile trailers do not.

Lots of incorrect info in this post.

1. First off, you never need commercial plates in NY to tow any kind of trailer or RV unless it is "for hire", in which case you need a DOT # on your truck.

2. You are never allowed to any kind of trailer on a parkway, regardless of whether you have passenger or commercial plates.

3. Ferries charge by the foot for the length of the total rig, truck and trailer. Doesn't matter if TT, 5er, or box truck towing a compressor, both ferries break out the tape measure at the check-in booth and let you know how much it's going to cost. If you make a reservation and pay by phone in advance, they will still measure you when you get there and if you gave them the wrong length when you paid, you will pay extra onboard. I have taken our 34' TT on both the Port Jeff-Bridgeport and the Orient-New London ferries multiple times.

4. EZ Pass uses height indicators and axle sensors to determine commercial vs. RV. Half the time they are wrong, but you can go online at the EZ Pass website and ask them to make an adjustment, which they will do. You will pay a higher toll with a trailer, but RVs are not charged as much as commercial vehicles.

5. Car hauler trailers do not automatically need commercial plates if you are hauling your personal vehicle. If you have a 3-car hot-shot trailer, then you'll need commercial plates because you are hauling for hire, not just because you are hauling cars.

[valhalla360]

I don't know NY (see DMV comments) but usually it's related to the purpose.
- If you are doing commercial work, you need a commercial plate (and possibly CDL drivers license)
- If you are doing it for personal use, you generally don't.

This is why it's common to see a grandpa without commercial plates (and likely without CDL) driving a big diesel pusher which is really just a commercial tour bus outfitted for living...but tour buses carrying 40-50 old folks for a color tour in the fall will be commercially plated and the driver will have a CDL.

As mentioned, it can vary by state though states are obliged to accept out of state drivers/vehicles if they are legal in their home state.

[ACZL]

No you don't cuz you don' have a high GVW to warrant commercial plates. Plus based one what you said, you don't plan on towing heavy/crazy. Have I seen comm plates on a 1/2 ton? Yes, but the truck have be used for comm biz. With pass plates, you'll be able to traverse roads that comm trucks cannot and MAYBE exact same truck cuz they have comm plates. Here in Syr area, comm trucks/plates banned from a road along Onondaga Lake, BUT a p/u w/ pass/town gov't plates can go on the same road. Go figure.