2500 VS 3500 road taxes? Questions

[Nickaru]

On a 2008 model, can anyone tell me the difference between the 2500 and 3500 as for as registration taxes go? I have a friend looking into getting the 2500 CTD and they're pushing the 3500 model on him :-{}. He asked about the heavy road tax on the 3500 models for California and the salesman stated they are the same for both models . Does anyone know where the cutoff weight is? Thanks again.

 

[JCleary]

The listed unladen weight on my '07 3500 is 6800# and change. When I titled my '03 2500 from Nevada the scalemaster put me at over 7000#.



My '07 reg. fees are cheaper than they were on the '03.



I don't think it's a big deal either way.

 

[abdiver]

I got my 3500 under the weight so I didn't have to pay the tax and after all that found out at DMV that if you have a shell or camper on your truck you are also exempt from the tax. That was California dmv when I registered my truck

 

[Motorhead]

My understanding on Calif weight fees is the unladen weight of the pickup determines the fees.

My '01. 5 weighed in at just over 6000lbs. My friend that has a feed mill told me that I could save $50. 00 per year if it weighed in at 5999lbs or less. WELL..... I took off the spare, tailgate, jack and tools, ran the tank low and re-weighed it. He has a certified scale so I got a certified weight slip and took it to the DMV. I saved $350. 00 over the 7 years that I owned it.

 

[Allnew2Me]

In California if you have a camper or a shell on your truck you can register it at the DMV as "human habitable" and eliminate the weight fees alltogether. I have done this on my last 3 trucks.

 

[Motorhead]

In California if you have a camper or a shell on your truck you can register it at the DMV as "human habitable" and eliminate the weight fees alltogether. I have done this on my last 3 trucks.

Can it be bare inside or do you have to have some kind of living set-up inside a camper shell?

 

[Allnew2Me]

Just a shell "permanantly mounted" is all they require. That essentially changes the body style from commercial to non-commercial. It works, check the weight fee on your registration and see what you will save.

 

[tgordon]

It just blows my mind how many stupid little laws they put out there to make money an dhow many of them have loop holes in them!

 

[Motorhead]

Just a shell "permanantly mounted" is all they require. That essentially changes the body style from commercial to non-commercial. It works, check the weight fee on your registration and see what you will save.

Thanks. I went to the Cal DMV on Tuesday and had my disabled plates transfered to my new truck. The plates negate alot of the fees. I origionally didn't think that the DMV was going to allow me to transfer the plates because my new truck weighs 6600lb. I read somewhere that a truck had to be under 6000lb to have the plates.

I saw a second gen DUALLY with disabled plates and knew IT was well over 6000lb so I said I have nothing to lose.

 

[CContreras]

In California all pickups 3/4 Ton and up pay a weight fee when registering and they send you commercial plates. You can register non-commercial by putting a shell or camper on the truck. (Now the truck weighs more)

You surrender your commercial plates and they send you regular auto plates and your registration goes down $156. 00 annually. Tonnaue covers don't qualify. They told me I can't even carry a bag of groceries in the bed and of course I agreed not to.

 

[abdiver]

"They told me I can't even carry a bag of groceries in the bed"

I had not heard that before I alway carry stuff inside my shell Are you sure about that one ??????????????

 

[surfbeetle]

One of my friends dad had a shell and did that. He got the cheaper CA registration. Then he had some damage to the shell and to it to the shop to be repaired. He removed the shell and continued to drive the truck. He got a ticket because of the non commercial plate and no shell on the truck. I think that it is a stupid law. My truck weighs less than my suburban but because of the weight fee, it is more to register than the suburban.

 

[abdiver]

I think that this rule may change lets hope so.

Your surb imay be heavier but it has an shell over it naturally hence its body style. I think this law is an old carry over when trucks were used for hauling today its not just farmers and freight haulers that have trucks. We use our trucks of today differently



Ashburn Announces Bill to Repeal California's Pickup Truck Tax

 

[surfbeetle]

Good info on that one. It will be interesting to see if the state votes to give up this cash cow...

 

[CContreras]

"They told me I can't even carry a bag of groceries in the bed"



I had not heard that before I alway carry stuff inside my shell Are you sure about that one ??????????????

According to DMV if you register non-commercial you're using the truck strictly for passengers and recreational use such as camping or towing. Yes, they really did tell me that.

 

[Allnew2Me]

"They told me I can't even carry a bag of groceries in the bed"

This is a common misconception. The body style of a vehicle determines its classification. If you use a station wagon to haul lumber and tools as a contractor it is still a non-commercial vehicle by body style. You can haul all the rock and dirt and whatever else you want in my truck because what you carry does not matter, only that the body style has been changed to, in the words of the DMV, a "human habitable" vehicle. It is essentially like the station wagon. What you lose is the weight fee and it is not a fixed price it depends on the vehicle and how old it is. You pay the weight fee on any "commercial vehicle" regardless of the GVR. I had it listed on my Dakota before I put the shell on and it is gone now.

If you do remove the shell or camper then yes you can get a ticket for that because you have the wrong registration, hence the requirement that the shell or camper be a "permanant" installation.

 

[DanSullivan]

Weght fees

I had my 96 and my new truck. both with a shell on them. You don't have to pay any fees because its listed as a car not a truck. But to do this you need the pink slip , because it changes the type of vehicle it is . and the bank won't give it to you till you pay it off. So you need to use a home equity loan or what ever to get your money and the pink slip. You can carry anything you want as long as its your stuff, not for hire. I checked with the dmv and CHP before i did my 96 Have fun and enjoy your truck.