license plate

We have a cargo tray in the receiver hitch on our rig and the steps we built into it are offset to match the door on the camper. This provides visibility of the truck tag. We have a specialty tag on the truck and by Oklahoma law you are required to carry the actual tag in the vehical at all times. May consider mounting that on the camper to avoid other states issues as our camper lives on the truck full time. So far no problem anywhere. Other trailers we pull, one horse trailer, car trailer and tiny boat trailer, have tags that are Non-expiring trailer tags you buy once there by avoiding issues when towing. Works for us but as noted, different states, different constraints.

While you worry about the location of the plate watch out for the moose and enjoy the view. More to enjoying life than a little piece of
prison made tin...:B

My older Idol-Time camper was built for a long bed and I have a 6ft bed so it sits all the way back onto the down tail gate and I have not moved my tag from the bumper. The camper has been on my truck almost every day for 5 years and is my daily driver. In Oklahoma a Truck camper is "cargo" and has no tag. When I asked the state DMV I was told, the tag must be attached to the vehicle, not the cargo. I regularly travel in Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico, I have not had any problems over the tag SO FAR. I often tow an old truck bed trailer or a 16ft flatbed trailer for additional supplies and my son’s big go cart. The trailers have no tag on them. I have been pulled over, but only in Texas, more than once for that, but never asked about the tag under the camper. You are not required to tag a home built truck bed trailer or trailers under a certain weight in Oklahoma. I carry a letter provided free from the state confirming that is the law in Oklahoma. I know it is only a matter of time till a diligent officer stops me again. I can always spare a bit of time and am breaking no laws so after a bit I head on down the road. I of course could rant about the times I have dealt with bad officers, useless searches and the crazy hassles they caused me but 99% of my dealings with LEO have been no problems at all.

deltabravo wrote:
Prior to reading this thread, the thought never occurred to me to remove the truck rear plate and mount it to the camper.

Washington State requires front and rear vehicle plates. The truck camper is titled/registered/plated too.

In Georgia you have only one plate to put on the back of your vehicle.

In Georgia there is no titling or registration of truck campers.

Once the camper is on my truck, the only way you can see the plate is to:
A. Craw underneith the camper
B. Move the plate.

I have a funny feeling if I drove through Washington State, LEO's would take exception if I did not move the plate.

Beyond not having to move the license plate, I am curious as to what other advantages there are to having you truck camper registered?

I am still interested in hearing from anyone who had a problem with LEO because they DID move their license plate.

Bedlam wrote:
bka0721, what you did as a career is appreciated and needed. The fact I would not want the risks in the job you chose makes me even more appreciative. That stop is something that has stuck in my head because it is something that rarely happens to me even though I have driven in over 18 countries and traveled 80% of the US. I will never inflate myself to say I am a perfect or excellent driver, but I do try to be safe and courteous which I feel goes a long way in the success of my travels.

Bedlam you are always good with me and your posts are always appreciated and helpful here in this forum. Hopefully you might see that there are often other reasons for a stop and not to beat yourself up over a minor stop, or overthinking a meeting with a LEO. Being stopped by a LEO is part of the society we live in. Living in a society without rules, regulations, or a path for recourse when we have had our constitutional rights taken from us, is not something I would want.

devildog1971 wrote:
In our state the law is the plate is to be affixed to the rear of the vehicle the truck camper is cargo

While I have no doubt that is true and accurate, what I suspect is true too, is additional language stating the plate must be attached where it may be seen at a specific distance to the rear, in what fashion it is to be attached and lit, as well as a minimum height and orientation. (I am assuming you are in Georgia)

While it is normal to read what one wants to see and then share it, it would be better to share accurately and possibly a link to your factual statement, so as one may interpret the statute as you have. Or maybe you have learned of this second hand and have not actually researched what the statute states. Thus honestly believe what you stated. Thus, the reasons we have so many discussions and beliefs, minus the facts.

b

Edit; Searched for actual statute in the State of Georgia for Displaying a License Plate (Took all of 3 minutes) Statute shared below;

GEORGIA STATUTES AND CODES
§ 40-2-41 - Display of license plates

Unless otherwise permitted under this chapter, every vehicle required to be registered under this chapter, which is in use upon the highways, shall at all times display the license plate issued to the owner for such vehicle, and the plate shall be fastened to the rear of the vehicle in a position so as not to swing and shall be at all times plainly visible. No person shall display on the rear of a motor vehicle any temporary or permanent plate or tag not issued by the State of Georgia which is intended to resemble a license plate which is issued by the State of Georgia. The commissioner is authorized to adopt rules and regulations so as to permit the display of a license plate on the front of certain vehicles. It shall be the duty of the operator of any vehicle to keep the license plate legible at all times. No license plate shall be covered with any material unless the material is colorless and transparent. No apparatus that obstructs or hinders the clear display and legibility of a license plate shall be attached to the rear of any motor vehicle required to be registered in the state. Any person who violates any provision of this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.



Edit #2 Added Colorado Revised Statute for definition of earlier statements I have posted on this thread.

42-3-202. Number plates to be attached

(1) (a) The owner shall attach the number plates assigned to a self-propelled vehicle, other than a motorcycle, autocycle, or street rod vehicle, to the vehicle with one in the front and the other in the rear. The owner shall attach the number plate assigned to a motorcycle, autocycle, street rod vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, other vehicle drawn by a motor vehicle, or special mobile machinery to the rear of the vehicle. The owner shall display number plates during the current registration year, except as otherwise provided in this article.

(b) If the department issues a validating tab or sticker to a motor vehicle pursuant to section 42-3-201, the current month validating tab or sticker shall be displayed in the bottom left corner of the rear license plate. The current year validating tab or sticker shall be displayed in the bottom right corner of the rear license plate. The tabs or stickers shall be visible at all times.

(2) (a) Every number plate shall at all times be securely fastened to the vehicle to which it is assigned, so as to prevent the plate from swinging, and shall be horizontal at a height not less than twelve inches from the ground, measuring from the bottom of such plate, in a place and position to be clearly visible, and shall be maintained free from foreign materials and in a condition to be clearly legible.

(b) A person shall not operate a motor vehicle with an affixed device or a substance that causes all or a portion of a license plate to be unreadable by a system used to automatically identify a motor vehicle. Such a device includes, without limitation, a cover that distorts angular visibility; alters the color of the plate; or is smoked, tinted, scratched, or dirty so as to impair the legibility of the license plate.

(3) (a) A person who violates any provision of this section commits a class B traffic infraction.

(b) A person who violates paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of this section commits a class A traffic infraction and shall be punished by a fine of one hundred dollars.

(4) Notwithstanding subsections (1) to (3) of this section, the owner of a military vehicle may elect to not display the vehicle's assigned license plate if the license plate is physically in the military vehicle and is available for inspection to any peace officer who requests the plate.

Editor's note: (1) This section is similar to former § 42-3-123 as it existed prior to 2005.

(2) Section 7 of chapter 303 (HB 14-1367), Session Laws of Colorado 2014, provides that changes to this section by the act apply to vehicles registered or acts committed on or after January 1, 2015.

Annotator's note. Since § 42-3-202 is similar to § 42-3-123 as it existed prior to the 2005 amendment to article 3 of title 42, which resulted in the relocation of provisions, relevant cases construing that provision and its predecessors have been included in the annotations to this section.

Where the suspect's license plate was obstructed by dirt, in violation of this section, the troopers had a reasonable suspicion that criminal activity was occurring. Although after stopping the vehicle, the troopers could see the plates well enough to discern that they were current, the continued obstruction of the plate constituted an ongoing license plate violation and thus a reasonable purpose for the stop. Because the troopers had a reasonable suspicion and a reasonable stop, they properly initiated an investigatory stop. People v. Altman, 938 P.2d 142 (Colo. 1997).

In our state the law is the plate is to be affixed to the rear of the vehicle the truck camper is cargo the statute in Ga can be taken different ways it is to be attached securely to the registered vehicle so it can be seen from the rear again the truck camper is not a part of the vehicle and has no registration if your cargo obscures the plate temp, that is better than putting the tag on the cargo that is in the bed of the truck

bka0721, what you did as a career is appreciated and needed. The fact I would not want the risks in the job you chose makes me even more appreciative. That stop is something that has stuck in my head because it is something that rarely happens to me even though I have driven in over 18 countries and traveled 80% of the US. I will never inflate myself to say I am a perfect or excellent driver, but I do try to be safe and courteous which I feel goes a long way in the success of my travels.

I leave the plate on the truck, UNLESS I am using the cargo hauler and that blocks the plate 100% and is illegal so I move the plate to the cargo hauler as the camper does not have a place for one.

Bedlam wrote:

deltabravo wrote:

Bedlam wrote:
If my post came off that way, it was not my intent. I work with number of retired LEO's.

Your post was useful.

The kicker to that traffic stop was that the little 1-7/8" ball had been used less than one year before I installed a Class III 5000 lb receiver under the bumper - The bumper mount was only rated for 2000 lbs and too high for most small trailers. I never removed it because I had no use for the ball elsewhere.

I was never rude or curt to the officer, but was surprised by the lights (I saw him following me). After I told he officer everywhere this little truck had been and how well it was still running, I think I could have sold it to him right there. It was '89 Mazda 4wd extended cab with a 2.6 FI L4...

Hopefully you will be able to get past the “HitchBallgate” someday. You seem to be still worked up over it.

While it comes as a surprise to many, LEOs work towards something more than just harassing the public, but using different probable cause reasons to initially contact people, in this case, in motor vehicles. LEOs are often checking out vehicles and drivers for information that they have been alerted to (BOLOs) or searching out individuals that don’t need to be on the road with your family and mine, DUI/Felons/Drug Runners/Driver’s Without Insurance/Murderers/Escapees/Wanted Pedophiles/Posse Comitatus/Using one plate for multiple vehicles and many more. All of these noted I have pulled over using Registration violations, including the hitch ball reason, and arrested the driver for another then found reason and one was on the FBI’s most wanted list.

One of the Drug Interdiction possibilities, we were keyed into, was that many drug runners, and Colorado was a big issue, was that they used RVs. All types. I am not saying you, Bedlam, were stopped for this reason, but I did mention pages ago in this thread the statute and reasoning for stopping people with License Plate display issues. That is, minimizing a reason for drawing attention to yourself and having a reason to be stopped. The Supreme Court has determined that a LEO may stop and question a motorist for a brief time in a probable cause stop. So no matter how you might justify it to yourself, LEOs with the right PC can and will make a brief stop to verify many factors. Often times other situations reveal themselves during that stop. That is good policing. So is getting the person back on the road, quickly. By all means, don’t lie or fabricate a story when being stopped and questioned. It can only backfire. How you choose to display your plates and your own rationalization is your business. But the law is clear in how and where one is to display a vehicle’s registration plate, from that particular state.

Safe Travels.

b

I thought I had a solution. I purchased vanity plates whereby you get two of them... but you only get one validation sticker. I planned on leaving the stickered plate on the truck and the spare on the camper but it says in the regs that only 1 plate can be used at a time but you'd think this would be ok but I haven't tested it yet.