antique registration

When you register an antique 1959 5 ton truck with antique plates, do you need to have DOT labels and a DOT inspection, or can you get away with a regular state inspection ? and CAN you register a heavy truck with antique plates even with air brakes ? Massachusetts.

state laws are different . In IL an antique plate is only good on a vehicle less then 8000 pounds .

You need to find out from your state.

Follow the local legal requirements. Ask the local officials and ask for a copy of the legal requirements, if you do not get them from the internet. Follow them and you will have no trouble.
Wolf

Rick59 said:

When you register an antique 1959 5 ton truck with antique plates, do you need to have DOT labels and a DOT inspection, or can you get away with a regular state inspection ? and CAN you register a heavy truck with antique plates even with air brakes ? Massachusetts.

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As others have mentioned things vary from state to state. The Federal guidelines do not require DOT inspections unless it is used in commerce, nor do they require a CDL or U.S. DOT number as long as it is just for personal use. But that is only the Federal guidelines as each state has the option to make the rules tougher. Call up the DOT people in your state and ask for a Commercial Law Enforcement Officer. The key things you will want to know ask them (after you tell them what the GVWR of your truck is and that it is for personal use, i.e. not for hire) are:

1.) Are you required to stop by any scales since you not be in commerce.

2.) Do you need the annual DOT inspections on your truck.

3.) Do you need a state DOT number.

As far as the antique tags go that too is up to your state. When you ask DMV about it ask for the statute number that covers vehicle licensing. Then use Google to try and find that statute on line. The first time I tried to get an antique tag in Alaska for an M220 I was told I could not because it was too heavy. When I went and read the state statute myself I found out there was no such restriction. I took a copy of the statute in with me when I went back to DMV and when I left I had an antique plate. So if they tell you no ask for the statute number.


Also, because of the tandem rear axles be careful driving out of state with the truck as that opens up a whole other can of worms.


Ruppster

Rick, here's a link to the antique truck club of America.. I noticed that there was a Mass. chapter..maybe you can contact that guy and ask how to proceed..

Antique Truck Club of America, ATCA, Truck Collectors Club

also from the ATHS (American Truck Historical Society) chap page, a couple more in Mass..
http://www.aths.org/athschapters.cfm?chapterid=43

http://www.aths.org/athschapters.cfm?chapterid=44

good luck also with MASS DOT.. hope you find someone interested in pursuing this for you..

Mike

sorry Rupp, didn't recognize you on the other site..

Looking at the Massachusetts DOT website, a DOT inspection is required for all commercial vehicles. Below is what constitutes a commercial vehicle in MA:


Registry of Motor Vehicle Regulations for Commercial Motor Vehicle Inspections
540 CMR 4.02: Special Definitions
(24) Commercial Motor Vehicle shall mean any motor vehicle which is not a private passenger motor vehicle, antique motor car, motorcycle, auto home, house trailer, taxicab, ambulance, hearse, livery vehicle, or school pupil transport vehicle. A commercial motor vehicle shall include the following vehicles:

There is a long list of what constitutes a commercial vehicle here, but focus on the above paragraph. There are words saying a vehicle with a GVWR of >10,001 lbs shall be considered a commercial vehicle, but it's after the 540 CMR 4.02 definition.


Okay, so an antique motor car is NOT a commercial motor vehicle. The question becomes, is a 1959 5-ton truck an "antique motor car?" According to the MA DOT, it is, as defined below:

4.02: Special Definitions
In addition to the definitions set forth in M.G.L. c 90, § 1. the following special definitions shall also
apply:
Antique Motor Car shall mean any motor vehicle which has been assigned an antique registration plate.

If you have antique registration plates, it's an antique motor car, and antique motor cars are NOT commercial vehicles, so I would say it doesn't require the DOT inspection/stickers. But I'm not a lawer.....thank goodness.



Sorry for the color and the type size, the website I copied this info from came out black on dark green and was very hard to read.

I encourage all people to visit their state DOT/DMV websites and download any pertinent laws regarding antique vehicles. If you do get stopped, having a copy of the law and a good attitude may mean the difference between receiving a ticket or a "Have a nice day" (although you'll probably get that with the ticket, anyway).

Every State is different.

There are, however, some 'constants' that seem to be true in every State:

The DMV does not know what they are talking about.

Do your research, and print out/take them with you when you go to the DMV in cases you get a DMV agent that stopped understanding their job the day they got hired (see above).

'Shopping' for a knowledgeable DMV office is the rule, not the exception.

California is the worst place to live (MV wise).

Wisconsin is a close second.

California is the worst place to live (MV wise).

Wisconsin is a close second.

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Man, you've got that right!!

As these fellows have pointed out, the titling and registration of Motor Vehicles are entirely a state responsibility. Despite the obvious wisdom of having such regulations being consistent throughout the nation (especially so given the states' reciprocity laws), there is in fact huge disparity between individual states.

Some guys choose to even register their HMVs out-of-state, to avoid problematic laws. But some states, such as Wis., even have statutes which prevent a person from doing this. Here, as soon as a Wis. resident drives their own vehicle into Wis., then Wis. registration is required.

'Shopping' for a knowledgeable DMV office is the rule, not the exception.

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Sadly, this is true.

Learning about your own local registration regulations is just a part of the learning curve for owning one of these vehicles.

this guy over on the ATHS forum (Road Kill Cafe) posted this bit ( after I posted your initial question there):

"my G-73 is registered here in taxachusetts with antique plates and just a state inspection sticker. " his avatar is this Mack G-73 so I would guess he is talking about this truck..

here's the thread..

Antique plates for HD trucks in Mass..

Mike

flyxpl said:

state laws are different . In IL an antique plate is only good on a vehicle less then 8000 pounds .

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Joe you might want to check on that again all mine are plated as AV I might be wrong but the service that does my titles and plates said it was OK to plate them as AV I checked and couldnt find any restrictions.

My duece is also plated antique. When I went to register it, I was told I would either have to plate it with "H" rated plates or I could also plate it with antique plates. I took a picture of the truck with me at the time and the guy also knew what kind of truck it was as he had driven them in the army himself.

I had a truck plated with a mileage F plate half the price of a regular F and alllows 6000 miles on it annually before going to the higher rate.

Antique Registration

Actually if Rick WAS in Wisconsin, and wanted to register it as a historic vehicle, it would be NO PROBLEM AT ALL! Register it as a Historic Military Vehicle. $30 fee one time. No state inspection. Any year allowed, No size or weight restrictions.

Ya Ya Ya it is restricted to using it for club events, public displays, parades, historic events and maint drives. So you can't use it as regular or commercial transportation. That's the same restriction as most every other state that has a low cost / low use historic registration option.

Cat Man

my m817 is registered in CT as historic. they dont care about the weight. the reg has the weights removed from it. I have seen other CT historic truck registrations and they also have the weight boxes blank. dont make it more complicated than it needs to be. keep asking question and you will keep getting different answeres.

Thanks for all the info every one has given me, I talked to a bunch of people in Mass. , members of antique club of america and antique truck historical society and you can register with antique plates with any weight without DOT labels. The only thing nobody has an answer for is, " in my opinion I think the air brakes is throwing a wrench into the basic state inspection , but we will just have to see.

Rick59 said:

Thanks for all the info every one has given me, I talked to a bunch of people in Mass. , members of antique club of america and antique truck historical society and you can register with antique plates with any weight without DOT labels. The only thing nobody has an answer for is, " in my opinion I think the air brakes is throwing a wrench into the basic state inspection , but we will just have to see.

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You may not need to have it inspected if its registered as antique here in illinois were exempt from inspection with AV plates.

A 30 year old vehicle and $17.00 a year gets you an antique tag in Kansas - no yearly inspection or other problems. I won't complain next time the sheriff wants $10.00 to inspect an out of state title - sounds like we have it easy here.

Just beginning my troubles with M1009 and titling. Seems the person I need is out, at lunch, or 'just left' and will be back shortly. Good luck, but persistance will win out.