Tired of your NYS Commercial Plates?

[BeerBrewer]

I finally got sick and tired of the insanity of the NY State DMV requiring that pick-ups over 6000 lbs be register as commercial vehicles. The actual use of the vehicle should determine the whether or not it needs commercial plates and NOT its weight! There are plenty of vehicles over 6000 lbs that are legally registered with passenger plates, so why not pickup trucks?. So I've written the head of the NYS DMV, Attorney General and my local New York State Senator John J. Flanagan the Minority Conference Leader. Senator Flanagan actually called me and was sympathetic to my issue. So those of your who live in NY I strongly suggest that you call, email or write your NY State Senator as well. You can reach Senator John J. Flanagan at the following web page.

https://www.nysenate.gov/registration/nojs/form/start/message-senator?senator=4518701

It's time we stand up for our rights. We can complain to DMV until the cows come home. They are only enforcing the STUPID law the NYS Legislature passed, so only they can fix this!

[BeerBrewer]

Grit dog....yeah I know that I have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting the law changed.

I was originally looking to buy a 1500 but most of the trailers that we were considering started to max out the trucks payload capacity. So we went with a 2500. In the end, I'm probably going to cap the truck, install some sort of seat bracket and register it as a passenger vehicle.

[thomas201]

How about a second dose of insanity? My DW is from NJ, with a lot of family in the Garden State and a sister has a home on the finger lakes. We live in WV and constantly visit. So, I drive a 3/4 ton with passenger car/light truck plates. This has allowed hassle free use of the hammer lanes (MD), parkways (NJ and MD), parking in neighborhoods and so on. However, unlike other states the passenger car plate is $51.50 a year but a commercial plate for my truck starts at $34.50. Yep, commercial is cheaper in West by Gosh! My insurance carrier could care less, they only want to know how I use the truck (for fun only). So, I could save money, but not trouble since I known you can get a ticket for commercial plates in the wrong place in NJ. Crazy world. I just want to know the rules.

[Grit_dog]

Good luck dude.... I’d have.bought the half ton rather than try to get state laws repealed...
But whatever blows your skirt up.
Might be easier to get some 5 lug hubcaps and 1500 badges! Lol

[BeerBrewer]

In New York State the registering pickup trucks as commercial vehicles goes back to the 1930s when they created the NYS Parkway system and had nothing to do with tax revenues. The original planners of the parkway system conceived them as way for people to leisurely drive to the parks. They wanted the roads to look like parks, hence all the twists and turns and park like look. They wanted to keep all commercial traffic off the highways because they spoil the look and feel of the parkways. Since there was to be no commercial traffic on the Parkways there was no need to provide clearance for trucks and City buses, so bridges were set lower. Also in the 1930s, most if not all pickup trucks were were used commercially, either by a workmen or farmers, so they forced ALL pickup trucks to get commercial plates as a way to keep them off the parkway. Well times have changed and Pickup trucks are now very popular vehicles and many are used as family vehicles. So in the early 2000's the NY Legislature amended the law and permitted pickup less than 6000 lbs to be registered as passenger vehicles. Why and how they came up with that weight requirement is mystery to me and also to the people that I spoke with at the DMV.

I am a Civil Engineer and I studied the creation of the parkway system while in college and it still amazes me how naive the planners of the parkway system were. In the 1930's when the parkways were built much of Long Island, Rockland and Westchester counties was mostly farmland. The planners literally saw the Parkways only as routes to the beaches and parks, when the people saw them entirely differently. They now permitted people to live out the cities and to commute into the city by car.

If the state registered pickup trucks based upon their use they'd probably generate more tax revenue, because there are a lot of 1/2 ton pickup trucks registered as passenger vehicles that you can clearly see are commercial vehicles. I'd be willing to bet that in NYS there are more 1/2 ton picks used commercially that are registered with Passenger plates than there are 3/4 and 1 ton pickups that are used only as passenger vehicles. So I don't think that this is tax revenue issue. In my humble opinion this is a classic example of uninformed politicians passing bad legislation.

So unless this law is changed, I'm going to be forced to cap the bed my truck and to install seats or seat brackets in the bed. The law clearly says "seats, seat brackets OR camping equipment needs to mounted in the truck bed". They used the work "OR", so it's "seats" or "seat brackets", you don't need both. I did ask the DMV what constitutes a "seat bracket" and they did not know. I find this funny that to get passenger plates that we have to put seats in the bed, when the DMV also told me that without the addition of a frame mounted roll bar that its illegal in NYS to drive with passengers in those seats! I doubt you can fit the roll bar under the cap anyway. They said that the pickup bed seats in this configuration (without roll bars) are only for off road or private land use only! You can't make this stuff up.

So call or write your state senators so we can get this stupid law repealed.

[Lwiddis]

“To add insult to injury, the town where I live prohibits any writhing at all on my truck.”

Couple of cities tried that in my state. Cost them tens of thousands...free speech issue.

[HadEnough]

Although the odds of getting anything changed are going to be very low thanks to a huge NY tax shortfall.

Tax Shortfall

[badercubed]

Lots of disinformation here.

I've never had an issue driving a F-150 or F-250 with commercial plates on any parkway in NY (both upstate or downstate) or parking in NYC.

Commercial plates in NY do NOT mean you need DOT numbers. Generically, you need DOT numbers when you are doing business and over 10,000 lbs. A private (or business) truck registered as commercial and under 10,000lbs does not need to display numbers. Because you don't need DOT numbers unless a business, you do NOT need to pull into weigh stations either.

From NYC.gov

Commercial Vehicles
Pursuant to Section 4-01(b) of the New York City Traffic Rules, a commercial vehicle is defined as the following:

it bears commercial plates, and
it is permanently altered by having all seats and seat fittings, except the front seats, removed to facilitate the transportation of property, except that for vehicles designed with a passenger cab and a cargo area separated by a partition, the seating capacity within the cab shall not be considered in determining whether the vehicle is properly altered; and
it displays the registrant's name and address permanently affixed in characters at least three inches high on both sides of the vehicle, with such display being in a color contrasting with that of the vehicle and placed approximately midway vertically on doors or side panels.
For the purposes other than parking, stopping and standing rules, a vehicle designed, maintained, or used primarily for the transportation of property or for the provision of commercial services and bearing commercial plates is considered a commercial vehicle.

[valhalla360]

So how does removing the sticker on the door change a 1/2 ton with a 1000lb of gravel in the back? Does is somehow accelerate and brake more quickly? Does it do less damage to the roads?

NYC simply doesn't want anyone driving in the city...so that's a bit of a red herring.

I don't see why an identical commercial truck should pay more than for your personal use truck. In fact, while I'm no eco-freak by a long shot, I would lean the other way. It's typically much more difficult to replace a commercial truck with a passenger vehicle as opposed to the typical 1/2 ton pickup that never tows or hauls anything.

[blt2ski]

Sounds no different than here in Wa St. ALL pickups buy tonnage! In 2000 lb increments, Min is 150% of your tare/empty weight to the next highest ton. As such, my sons 1500's are licensed at 8000 lbs. Same as my C2500. All three weigh in the 4800-5200 lbs range. I any of us are at 8001+ lbs, we would be illegal. I do not get my door stiker 8600 lbs. if I was to want to do so, I would buy a 10K plate. About $15 per ton.

If you had passenger plates on your truck, you would technically speaking, not be able to haul anything but passengers! No trailer, nothing in the bed. We do not have to stop at weigh scales etc.

Marty

[BeerBrewer]

ACZL wrote:
Having commercial NY plates on a personal truck does NOT mean you have to pull into weigh stations. Only those trucks operating under a business name and w/ USDOT numbers need to pull in. LEO's are not going to waste their time chasing after every RVer in NY who drives past weigh stations. While I agree that it's not right one would have to reg a 3/4 ton p/u as a comm truck based on GVW and NOT allowed on certain roads while the exact same truck used by hiway dept's get reg under gov't plates and CAN use roads comm ones can't.

This may be a mute point in an attempt to get things changed and I fully understand as to why it should be attempted anyways. Sadly, pass plates don't go high enough for GVW weights. ONLY if DMV changed things as it's all about $$$$ for NYS. But say you throw pass plates on a 3/4-1 ton truck for 6,000 lbs.(hypothetically speaking) and truck weighs 9,000 and RV weighs another 13,000 for a total of 22,000 lbs. Get into an accident and some sue happy att'y is going to have a field day.

Even with Passenger plates on my 2500 I still would not be permitted to tow on the parkways, the bridges are just too low. The point is when I'm not towing, I can basically only use Rt 495 to go east or west on Long Island. Not to mention I can't park on most streets in NYC and according to NYC law my truck needs to have my names, address and phone number painted on both sides, removeable magnetic labels aren't legal either. Pure insanity!

[danrclem]

I feel for you but I doubt that you'll be able to do anything about it. The only place to make changes is in the voting booth but I think NYS is too far gone.

[SidecarFlip]

Didn't know you had any 'rights' living in NYS.

[ACZL]

Having commercial NY plates on a personal truck does NOT mean you have to pull into weigh stations. Only those trucks operating under a business name and w/ USDOT numbers need to pull in. LEO's are not going to waste their time chasing after every RVer in NY who drives past weigh stations. While I agree that it's not right one would have to reg a 3/4 ton p/u as a comm truck based on GVW and NOT allowed on certain roads while the exact same truck used by hiway dept's get reg under gov't plates and CAN use roads comm ones can't.

This may be a mute point in an attempt to get things changed and I fully understand as to why it should be attempted anyways. Sadly, pass plates don't go high enough for GVW weights. ONLY if DMV changed things as it's all about $$$$ for NYS. But say you throw pass plates on a 3/4-1 ton truck for 6,000 lbs.(hypothetically speaking) and truck weighs 9,000 and RV weighs another 13,000 for a total of 22,000 lbs. Get into an accident and some sue happy att'y is going to have a field day.

[wanderingaimles]

Can you get a little "hybrid" tag off a wrecked Prius?
That may make them love your truck. 😄

[BeerBrewer]

Having commercial plates in NY Means that we can't legally drive on any parkways (There are many) and to drive anywhere in NYC you need to have your name, address and phone number permanently written on both sides of the truck in 3" letters. To add insult to injury, the town where I live prohibits any writhing at all on my truck. It also costs more for insurance and to drive thru a toll booth.