Deuce registration and drivers license in California

Hello all.

I have noticed that a few of the posts listed here are from people living in California.

My question, what is the best way to license this? I have heard as a historical vehicle.
Also, is a special drivers license needed? I have heard 2 1/2 ton - no, but 5 ton - yes.

I am picking up my M35A2 on May 10 and bringing it home on a lowbed truck.
The thing runs and drives great but I can only spare a few days to make the 400 mile journey and don't need the aggrevation of anything unexpected before I get a chance to really go over this thing.

Thanks for any and all help.

Picture hopefully attached.

I live in California also and when i went to the DMV they told me it was going to cost over $600 to register and that i would need a commercial licence. Maybe there is something i dont know about, i didnt ask about the historical vehicle title, and i would really like to find a way to avoid getting a commercial drivers licence. So I dont know the answers to your questions, but actually am wondering the same thing myself. Any Californians have advice for us?

Historic Vehicle license plates $80 a year. With the historic plates you are exempt from weight fees and having to stop at the truck scales (unless the flag you in). The historic plates in no way exempt you from having a class B cdl. I hear so many people talk about well my buddy is a cop and he said I don't need one. Best bet, call the CHP commercial division and see what they say.

I looked through the vehicle code and the only reason you would need a class B license is because it has 3 axles and weighs over 10,000 lbs and is NOT a motor home. The 3 axle thing and the weight are the only reason a class B license is req'd. I have yet to register my truck yet as it is parked in my garage and being painted etc but plan on getting the historical vehicle plates. My other duece was over $400 to register as commercial but I didnt even think about the historical vehicle loop hole. I have never been stopped and dont have a class B yet but plan on getting one just because.

Has anyone registered their Deuce as a Historical Vehicle in California recently? I was at the DMV the other day and they could not find an "exemption code" that would allow the computer to process my registration without charging me weight fees... I very politely asked for the manager, who also did not know what the code was or if there even was one, although he believed that I should not have to pay weight fees because the truck would be subject to the use restrictions for historical vehicles...

I paid registration for my truck as a historical vehicle (no weight fees), and then they forwarded my case to Sacramento's "Historical Plate Specialty Department". He said that in a few weeks I would either recieve the plates or a letter telling me weight fees are due.

I've been looking in the vehicle code, and there is an exemption for historical commercial vehicles only if they have an unladen weight of 10,000 lbs. or less.

What are others' experiences with California's DMV?

I registered my m35a2 w/w as a hist. vehicle at the end of Feb. this yeay. I did it through a place called Tony's Vehicle Registration Service. They are in Arcadia Ca. They are a truck salvage yard and they register anything..no hassles. It is reg. as Hist Veh. cost 127.00. I am looking at a Ca. commercial drivers handbook. It says that you only need a CDL if, 1) GVWR 26.001 lb, 2)tows a veh with GVWR of 10.001 or more, 3) tows more than 1 vehicle or a trailer bus, 4) 3 or more axles, 4) Is a veh. designed, used, or maintained to carry more than 10 passengers for hire, profit or used by any non-profit org., 5) transports haz mat requuiring a placard or haz waste. Both the DMV and Tony's said that a class B isn't required for this vehicle, I have not checked w/CHP because 2 entities told me it wasn't needed. I have already got the "pink" in the mail and the plates should be here this week. I only had 1 issue, the VIN verifier transposed 2 numbers when he verified..but that was fixed very quickly. Want a phone number? 626-447-2450. Address? 3301 S. Peck Rd. I have been using Tony's for years. They Know the DMV system and use it to the full extent I have registered trucks, cars, M/C, trailers and now a deuce with never a problem. As for the exemp code, they put AE on the paperwork.

I registered my 715 as historical...there was some problems, since there is no such thing as a historical truck, they are all historical autos... after being nice to the DMV, they typed in some code, I can check the paperwork when I get home...but now the 715 is listed as a auto on the title with historical tags...just put "military vehicle" in the justification, I enclosed a pic of 67beast's finished 715 ( thanks David) that I got off M715zone...it went thru no problem..a few weeks later I got a new title for a historical auto and then a few days later plates showed up...
not sure how it relates to the Dueces, but that problem with no codes for trucks caused the most trouble at DMV..finally, the butt-kissing got the supervisor to just type in some exception code that the friggen computer took....the people didn't care one way or the other, but we had to convince the computer it was ok..
Cost $25 to get new title, $50 for historical vehicle...iirc

I did mine last year a a historical. Was real easy. I showed up at the dmv in Laguna Hills on the one sat. a month they are open. Got there at 7:15am, as they opened at 8am. I was 10th in line. Was done with temp reg. in hand by 9am, cost $193.00.
Here's what I did. I filled out a REG17a completely.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/forms/reg/reg17a.pdf
Then a REG343 with everything I could fill out.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/forms/reg/reg343.pdf
Now this form needs either a calif police officer or a DVM person to inspect the truck to verify the VIN. My truck is stored in Irvine, and the Irvine Comm. enforcement officer came to my storage yard and did it for FREE! You also need to have a bill of sale + the SF97. This is what I did. My reg fee this year was $53.00 and I did it at AAA..I just did my M-105a2 trailer with a calif perm (5year) plate. It was the same thing minus the reg17a and reg343....
Now for a class B...................
Mike

I also just got done with a transfer a current registation for 2006-2007 fees. I did mine thru AAA the fees were $68 for the deuce (transfer fees, and registration), it already had CA historical plates. "VLF class" on the paperwork says "AT" which i guess is automobile, and "type Veh" code is 10Y, "type lic" is H1 (historical?). "body type model" is "FB" (flat bed?).
i think being 3 axle you would need a "B" lic, it doen't have to be comercial,they now have a not for hire lic. that only requires a health questionaire instead of the bi-anual medical exam

when i had my m52 in cal. , i had it titled as a historic vehicle, no problem

Wow, that's some helpful new information - Thank you all! I wonder if the DMV in Sacramento will do that for me? I doubt it, I've started to think I'm going to get a bill for weight fees. If that's the case, I wonder what I should do next? (I ain't payin' 'em when everyone else pays ~$50/yr!) Should I call them and have the truck put on non-op, then go somewhere in person (AAA?) and ask them to modify the vehicle type with "military vehicle" in the comments? I already have a title... commercial. (Maybe, then, I should try to get Sacramento to do it?)

I should have posed the question BEFORE I went to the DMV! Oh well, I WILL get it sorted out... You know, ...squeaky wheel. Someone will get sick of me and do it so I'll go away.

Ron -- I just noticed a key word... You said your m52 was TITLED as a historic vehicle? Or did you mean titled commercial but REGISTERED historic? I never thought of that... Getting the title to read historic instead of commercial. Do you think the DMV in Sacramento will do it?

AAA will not do the SR97 / 1st reg.....They will do the renewal reg.... Even though it said on the form "mail in only".....
Luck me!

WillWagner said:

It says that you only need a CDL if, 4) 3 or more axles.
Both the DMV and Tony's said that a class B isn't required for this vehicle, I have not checked w/CHP because 2 entities told me it wasn't needed.

Click to expand...

DMV said no CDL? "Can I have that in writing, Ma'am? Yes, thank you, I'll wait. Love your hair, do that yourself? Oh, and your nails!!"

I stopped in at a CHP office in Stockton when I bought my Deuce and spoke with an officer there. Showed him a picture of the Deuce I was picking up and asked him "the question".
His eyes got misty...."I used to drive one of them in 'Nam and would love to have one - wife won't let me. Yeah, you need a Class B to drive it 'cause of the 3 axles."

I plan on driving/have driven mine and playing "stoopid".
"Huh? I was told I didn't have to have one 'cause it is not for hire and is under 26,000 GVWR."
What is the worst they can do. Make you leave it on the side of the road until you get a CDL person there to move it? Nothing like making a road hazard.


I like the point mentioned about the non medical for "not for hire" CDL. I could pass it but it is just a hassle to take more time off, etc. Just in case I do have to go forward with the CDL.

So Tony's in Arcadia, eh? That's not that far. Some great info added here guys. Thanks

Here's what they do when driving out of class-seen this happen more than once. They will park the truck often times sit there and watch it making sure it does not move until you can find a properly classed driver to move it for you, which is usually easy enough but can cost you time and $$ Oh, and I forget now how much the fine is for driving out of class, but it's steep.

Dieselsmoke said:

Oh, and I forget now how much the fine is for driving out of class, but it's steep.

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Gulp!! So much for that theory.

when i regestered my truck i had a heck of a time with the dmv.. i allready had a 52 m135 with hyst plates and when i tryed to regester my 1967 m35 they said that they no longer give that to vehicles that were after 1965 .. and than they came up with about 20 more excused ... so i went to a dmv office in brawley ca. . more of a farming community ... the dmv was way more helpfull , i took all my paperwork with a picture of the truck and they put it threw .. it is regestered as a CAR but shows as a kysorjeep ... and for getting stopped ... i got stopped once on the way to the dump , truck was full of tree trimmings and the canvas had slid off the top bows and was slapping the branches and blowing debri all over the freeway ... the chp was impressed with the truck , and told me to be more carefull ... let me go ..... im still in shock and its been 3 years now .

didnt say crap about calss b lic ... im also waiting to play stupid ....

louism99 said:

I also just got done with a transfer a current registation for 2006-2007 fees. I did mine thru AAA the fees were $68 for the deuce (transfer fees, and registration), it already had CA historical plates. "VLF class" on the paperwork says "AT" which i guess is automobile, and "type Veh" code is 10Y, "type lic" is H1 (historical?). "body type model" is "FB" (flat bed?).
i think being 3 axle you would need a "B" lic, it doen't have to be comercial,they now have a not for hire lic. that only requires a health questionaire instead of the bi-anual medical exam

Click to expand...

A "Not for hire" Class B license? Are you talking about a Non Commercial Class B? If so, unfortunately it only covers RV's over 40 feet long. Maybe there is another license I don't know about?

A lot of things can change in 8 years since this thread was started.

Hey Will,
I'm just doing research as of right now on the M923A2 or M927A2 and saw your post regarding Tony's. So I called and the number has been disconnected. Do you know if they are still in business?

Thank You