Tow vehicle registration

[DRSmart]

Has anyone registered their tow vehicle plate with a combined truck and trailer weight?

[scouser]

I did once before leaving for the USA for 4 months, I believe it's required in Ontario that you pay sticker on gross combined weight even if the trailer is an RV.

[wnjj]

Bedlam wrote:
Paying for a single GCWR plate might make sense if the tow vehicle is always towing some trailer, otherwise it is better to pay for GVWR on each tow vehicle and trailer. My truck tows 75 percent of the miles I put on it but my other vehicles tow less than 10 percent of their mileage. I could see GCWR being an advantage if you have multiple trailers but just one tow vehicle...

Oregon just has “car” plates that are all the same price no matter what you haul or tow (exception below). No commercial BS. No weight ratings, etc., until you get trailers above 7k and then only with non-RV trailers. For those you get a T (truck) plate that is licensed for GCWR. The thing is that T-plated truck can pull any heavy trailer and they all have permanent plates with no annual cost. Makes sense to me since you can’t pull more than one at a time.

Motor homes, RV trailers and truck campers all have their own plates with price based upon length. They say the money from those mostly goes to the State Park dept. Under 7k cargo/flatbeds/horse have a renewable plate with a fixed price. This is one place that sucks as I have 3 and some get used very little, however the reasoning is that any/all could be towed by any vehicle at any time.

[Bedlam]

Paying for a single GCWR plate might make sense if the tow vehicle is always towing some trailer, otherwise it is better to pay for GVWR on each tow vehicle and trailer. My truck tows 75 percent of the miles I put on it but my other vehicles tow less than 10 percent of their mileage. I could see GCWR being an advantage if you have multiple trailers but just one tow vehicle...

[Cummins12V98]

The comment about multiple rigs towing the same trailer, well that plain SUCKS to have to pay tonnage on all three based on GCVWR.

[twodownzero]

DRSmart wrote:
Has anyone registered their tow vehicle plate with a combined truck and trailer weight?

No. My state registers trucks for GVWR regardless of UVW.

[fj12ryder]

Not dirt cheap, around $200/year for both of them. The truck is a little over $100 and the trailer is the same.

[Cummins12V98]

fj12ryder wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

DRSmart wrote:
Has anyone registered their tow vehicle plate with a combined truck and trailer weight?

...

For those places that require combined licensing I say why license trailer.

Yup I understand semi’s license combined.

Why license the trailer? Uh, because the Missouri DOT demands it? They are not one to pass up revenue.

I understand that, let's hope your RV tabs are dirt cheap then!

[Bedlam]

My state charges GVW on the truck and GVW on the trailer. We do not have a GCW plate until you get into commercial trucks. I can pull my small trailer with three of my vehicles and not have to pay for extra GCW on each of them since I already paid for the trailer GVW once.

[fj12ryder]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

DRSmart wrote:
Has anyone registered their tow vehicle plate with a combined truck and trailer weight?

...

For those places that require combined licensing I say why license trailer.

Yup I understand semi’s license combined.

Why license the trailer? Uh, because the Missouri DOT demands it? They are not one to pass up revenue.

[Cummins12V98]

DRSmart wrote:
Has anyone registered their tow vehicle plate with a combined truck and trailer weight?

NOPE!!! Trailer tabs cover trailer. License truck for it’s loaded weight.

For those places that require combined licensing I say why license trailer.

Yup I understand semi’s license combined.

[bsbeedub]

fj12ryder wrote:
Yes, your plate in Missouri is dependent on your total weight. If you license your truck for 12,000 lb. combined weight, and are pulling a 15,000 lb. trailer, you can be ticketed if stopped and checked.

I was stopped for not having a correct year license plate mounted on the truck. I had the plate just had neglected to mount it. The highway patrolman commented that at least I had the proper weight plates. They were 23,000 lb. plates, and I was pulling a 15,000 lb. 5th wheel. He could easily have called out the roving weight patrol, weighed my truck and trailer, and given me a ticket if I was overweight for my tags.

That's why you would want to.

Yep. I’m in Missouri too and what he said is a fact. I still have a lightweight TT that is well below the limit but I licensed my 2018 3500 as if I would be hauling my new fiver (that I don’t have yet) because I didn’t know when I would be getting it. It would be my luck to get pulled over and fined. It’s more expensive to license it correctly but not a deal breaker.

Oddly enough, if you license it over a certain weight (can’t remember it now) you only get one plate and it goes on the front.

[DRSmart]

wanderingbob wrote:
Ever state will be different as well as the enforcement will be different depended on your attitude and the officers attitude . Always carry a box of donuts !

Good plan! LOL

[DRSmart]

Grit dog wrote:
These types of questions are like getting online and asking the general public if you should have a colonoscopy because your ____ hole feels a little different this morning.
How the ____ would we know unless we live in YOUR ____ hole (or Ontario)? Lol
So fair enough to ask the question and hope someone from your ____ hole knows the answer.
BUT, why would the rest of your talk about your own ____hole when the OP is asking about his ____ hole, which is different than yours?
(Unless you know about his ____ hole, or Ontario in this case.)

It's interesting to see how regulations vary across the country.

Local DOT don't separate commercial and personal use towing when it comes to vehicle registration. They're telling me that the combined weight is what should be reported for registration. Because of the truck GVW alone, I have to sign a declaration of personal use to avoid CVOR rules.
I can increase my registered weight for those months that I'm towing (about 23,000lbs) and revert back to just the truck GVW (11,500lbs) when not towing. This is all to follow the letter of the highway traffic act in Ontario Canada.
All that being said, I don't know anyone who does this and have never seen a RV pulled over to be weighed. I have heard of it happening but don't know the outcome.

[wanderingbob]

Ever state will be different as well as the enforcement will be different depended on your attitude and the officers attitude . Always carry a box of donuts !