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OK I'm counting my blessings after getting
stopped unregistered/unisured/uninspected/
attaching plates etc on my jeep and getting
away with a tiny ticket.
So now to focus on getting plates for the
5-ton. I figure I couldn't easily talk my
way out of that one. Plus the tow and impound
bill would be a killer !!
To make a long story short, I was denied
antique plates based because of the rig's
weight. The DMV agent told me anything over
6000 pounds had to go as commercial.
Antique = $15/year, commercial=$403/yr.
There are not a lot of classes this
could fall into. Motor home was about $300,
I could *maybe* call it a bus for $50.
This state is pretty uncreative for
registration options.
I ran into another local dude with a
deuce-and-a-half and he had to write the
secretary of state to get antique plates
(this was back in about 1987) so I decided
try the same.
So here's a draft of the letter I plan on
sending to the Secretary of State (head of
the Department of Motor Vehicle)
Please let me know what you think about the
letter. I think I've only got one shot at
this. ...then I move to another state :)
Thanks,
-Damon M54/M332/M332
###############
I am writing you in hopes of assistance with some difficulty I
am having registering a vehicle.
I have purchased a 1955 cargo truck from Army surplus. It's in
really good shape, with only about 9800 miles on it.
My uses for the truck were all described by the Maine's
definition of an 'antique' vehicle. It's quite impractical for
routine transportation, and being in great shape with low miles
and historical significance, I'd love to exhibit it at a number
of the local antique truck shows.
After obtaining insurance and paying excise tax, I was upset to
be denied antique plates. The reason for denial was due to the
vehicle having a gross vehicle weight over 6,000 pounds. The
registration clerk informed me that anything over 6,000 pounds
must have a commercial registration. The cost for that annual
commercial registration was quite large and would have exceeded
my expected cost of fuel for the same timeframe! Also if I were
to go with a commercial registration would I then need to
maintain a Commercial Driver's License and the associated
requirements (driver logbooks, annual health screenings, etc.)?
Also then am I required to purchase and maintain stickers for
fuel tax as well?
I don't believe that the rule of any vehicle with a GVW over
6000 pounds as commercial can be evenly applied. There are
several inconsistencies I have seen that contradict this rule.
By looking at the plate types available a few instances just
don't look correct. For example, class code AM for emergency
coaches- I would imagine that any full size, 4-wheel drive van
decked out with an ambulance conversion would easily have a GVW
of 6000 pounds. AQ, antique auto, also- I'd wager many, many
passenger cars from the 30s through 70s would eclipse that 6000
pound mark empty, yet nobody would deny that a beautiful
Dusenberg coupe would be an antique. BU for bus - I don't know
of anything beyond a Volkswagen microbus that would weigh in
under 6000 pounds. Municipal plates, like those on my town's
5-ton dump trucks appear not limited by that weight restriction
either.
I kindly ask for you assistance sir. At your discretion, would
this vehicle qualify for an antique registration?
Thank you for your assistance,
###############
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