Cal registration: motorhome vs commerical

[Bajaroad]

I found a nice 07 FG140 and I'm working with the truck salesman on the purchase and registering it as a motor home instead of a commercial vehicle. There also seems to be a distinction between a removable camper (like a truck camper) and a permanent installation, with the removable type still on the hook for an extra GVWR fee.

Does anyone have experience with this in California?

-Brent

 

[Christian P.]

After I took my Sportsmobile at the DMV in San Francisco for registration (it came from Georgia) it ended up being registered as commercial truck. I was in the process of remodeling the interior so I had taken out all the cabinets/stove/etc. I did not think it would make a difference...

I tried to convince the inspector that the van was solely used as a camper but did not succeed.
I even had to take it to the scale...

The good news is that I was able to use the commercial meter parking!



So my guess is that it depends on your skills to persuade the DMV officer that it will only be used as a RV.

 

[Robthebrit]

I had a fairly hard time getting my camper mog registered as an RV, they made damn sure the box didn't come off and wanted to see the pass though door, the bed, stove, toilet, shower etc. They also complained about it being home built and not having an identification markings and not having UL labels for the gas and electric.

Ultimately they referred it to the CHP who had no problems with it as an RV and I don't pay weight fees.

Good luck.

Rob

 

[Bajaroad]

Thanks. Rob's experience sounds familiar - trying to register older dirtbikes in Cal without emission labels on the fender also required a trip to the CHP.

My hope is the salesman can initially register it as a MH, but otherwise 1-2 years as a commercial vehicle until the camper is complete.

 

[mog]

Talk the salesman into listing it as a motorhome, you will avoid any DMV/CHP inspection hassles. On my previous truck I just told my salesman the camper was going on as soon as it got home, and offered to swing by with it on, if they wanted to verfiy, which they did not. They should be accommodating. You don't say what type back you have (box, flatbed, chassis/cab, etc), but the chassis/cab alone would be tough to pull off.

Update:
from DMV form REG 256A (http://www.dmv.ca.gov/forms/reg/reg256a.pdf) Human Habitation is living space which includes, but is not limited to: closets, cabinets, kitchen units or fixtures, and bath or toilet rooms.

from California Health and Safety Code 18010.
"Recreational vehicle" means:
(a) A motor home, travel trailer, truck camper, or camping trailer, with or without motive power, designed for human habitation for recreational, emergency, or other occupancy, that meets all of the following criteria:
(1) It contains less than 320 square feet of internal living room area, excluding builtin equipment, including, but not limited to, wardrobe, closets, cabinets, kitchen units or fixtures, and bath or toilet rooms.
(2) It contains 400 square feet or less of gross area measured at maximum horizontal projections.
(3) It is built on a single chassis.
(4) It is either self-propelled, truck-mounted, or permanently towable on the highways without a permit.

Calif. vehicle code 260.
(a) A "commercial vehicle" is a motor vehicle of a type required to be registered under this code used or maintained for the transportation of persons for hire, compensation, or profit or designed, used, or maintained primarily for the transportation of property.

 

[kdgreene]

Insurance

BTW, nobody ever talks about this, but I had a very difficult time getting my Fuso with a non-traditional camper (professional box, "home-made" interior) insured. At the time we built ours, only Carl Hunter had done this (to my knowledge) and he was able to get insurance because it was a standard truck and a standard trailer on the truck. My insurance agent ran screaming in the other direction and after contacting probably 30 other companies, I found an agent in Phoenix that would write it as a commercial vehicle (for $1,400/yr) through Progessive.

 

[Bajaroad]

Insurance

Is the issue primarily with collision coverage (full coverage) or also with liability?

 

[kdgreene]

Insurance

To tell you the truth, that was several years ago and I don't remember. I was looking for full coverage at the time, but I couldn't even get anyone to talk to me when they found out it wasn't a "standard" vehicle listed in their book of lists. My vehicle is coming back to the US for the first time since 2004 (I cancelled the Progressive policy when the Fuso left the country) so I'm going to be looking again. If anyone comes up with any agreeable companies, I'd love to hear it.

 

[Robthebrit]

BTW, nobody ever talks about this, but I had a very difficult time getting my Fuso with a non-traditional camper (professional box, "home-made" interior) insured. At the time we built ours, only Carl Hunter had done this (to my knowledge) and he was able to get insurance because it was a standard truck and a standard trailer on the truck. My insurance agent ran screaming in the other direction and after contacting probably 30 other companies, I found an agent in Phoenix that would write it as a commercial vehicle (for $1,400/yr) through Progessive.

I had a hell of a hard time too. In the end I called the guy I bought it from and asked what he did. He had jumped through lots of hoops and inspections a few years earlier but eventually got it insured as a class C RV with Progressive. I called Progressive and they transfered all the details from his policy to min - my local agent didn't have a clue what to do. Liability, fire, theft is only $250 a year. Its an RV policy so you have to say how many days on the road. I said 30 (which is the minimum), its a lot of days and most of my days are off road.

Rob

 

[Bajaroad]

FYI Cal Reg Fees

Here are the differences in reg fees depending on how a brand new '07 FG140 is registered in California (maybe there are more)

As a auto/motorhome (non detachable): $266 No weight fee. My dealer is going to attempt this.

As a commercial vehicle with a unloaded weight of 6000-7000lb (I think the actual curb weight is 5900lb): $470. I believe this requires filling out a form which claims you will never carry a load over 10000lb. Weight fee is based on the unloaded truck.

As a commercial vehicle with a GVWR of 14000: $624 Weight fee is based on 10000-15000lb.

There might be more ways? I'm not sure where a detachable camper would land.

-Brent

 

[dhackney]

Registration:
We registered our FG as a commercial truck at the time of purchase. CA title, registration & plates with a TX mailing address.

Once the rig was completed we used the CA plates for most of our testing, etc. I just drove by the CA weigh stations because the plates do not say "commercial" and they look like regular plates. The rig looked like an RV and RVs are except from commercial requirements. We were never questioned about registration status by any state, county, local or other officer.

We later titled, registered and plated the rig as an RV in CO so it would match the plates on our dirt bikes (can't plate true dirt bikes in CA anymore). We wanted all the paperwork to match when crossing borders overseas. The only inspection was to confirm the VIN. Current status is CO title, registration & plates with a TX mailing address.

Insurance:
Domestic:
For domestic insurance we used USAA. Great company if you qualify. It is covered as an RV. Low rates.

International:
AIG offers international vehcile insurance, both liability and property/casualty. It is the only company I found who would insure anything but liability. Their standard Worldwide Support package policy covers a vehicle up to $50k. Web address is: https://www.aig-is.com/

In the end, they declined to cover us for P&C due to the value of the rig. They would be a good option for lower limits or for a standard vehicle such as an LR, LC or Taco.

We are currently working on obtaining liability and P&C coverage from a local Chilean carrier. We used a local Japanese carrier to insure our bike when we had it in Japan. It is possible to find coverage overseas, but it often requires a resourceful local contact.

 

[tamangel]

House Car...CA CVC 362

The key word here is 'permanently attached'. I have seen numerous rigs, even as simple as a pickup w/ a camper shell. Reg. check comes up "House Car".

Ca CVC section 362:

House Car
362. A "house car" is a motor vehicle originally designed, or permanently altered, and equipped for human habitation, or to which a camper has been permanently attached. A motor vehicle to which a camper has been temporarily attached is not a house car except that, for the purposes of Division 11 (commencing with Section 21000) and Division 12 (commencing with Section 24000), a motor vehicle equipped with a camper having an axle that is designed to support a portion of the weight of the camper unit shall be considered a three-axle house car regardless of the method of attachment or manner of registration. A house car shall not be deemed to be a motortruck.


Amended Ch. 875, Stats. 1968. Effective November 13, 1968. The key word here is "Permanently Attched"..

Mike

 

[jayshapiro]

My vehicle is coming back to the US for the first time since 2004 (I cancelled the Progressive policy when the Fuso left the country) so I'm going to be looking again. If anyone comes up with any agreeable companies, I'd love to hear it.

INSURANCE:
On the Eco-Roamer we had a really good experience working with RV America Insurance (www.rvainsurance.com) - they set us up with a policy through Progressive, but recognized that we were doing the buildup over time and just asked us to call them every couple of months to update the 'current' value of the vehicle as we start attaching all the various bits to it.

Like AIG, they were willing to add international coverage as well, but we haven't explored that fully yet.

BTW, for international HEALTH insurance, I've had a couple of people tell me to look into BUPA in the UK. I haven't signed up yet, but have heard very good things.

CALIFORNIA REGISTRATION:
I'm actually quite nervous/confused about this one... When we registered the F-650 in California it still had a pick-up bed on the back of it, so the DMV qualified it as a personal pick-up (just a very big one) and not a commercial truck. SO, that's how it's currently registered.

We've since removed the bed and are putting on the camper, but I haven't decided whether I should try to re-register/classify it as an RV, or leave it as the personal pickup. Looks like I may have dodged the commercial bullet, but I fear there may be other ramifcations "down the road" if I don't change it.

CANADA REGISTRATION:
As a quick side bar, and sorry to hijack the thread a little, but has anybod had any experience transferring a USA vehicle into Canada for permanent Canadian registration? We're playing with the idea of doing that. I'm Canadian as are my kids, so the only thing American is the truck. I thought it might make things easier at remote border crossings if we just 'align' the registration with our passports....

 

[Bajaroad]

Cal Reg / Insurance

I picked up my new '07 FG yesterday from Sacramento. It was a long bumpy 7hr drive home to Ventura. Besides the harsh ride with no load, I'm pleased with the way the FG drove. The winds and rain were fierce at times, but stability was fine. This was one of the last remaining '07s in California. The '08 are about $4K more with the particle filter.

REG:
The dealer is submitting the registration as an Auto-MotorHome. I should know this week whether that worked out ok.
By the way, James Sprenger with Pioneer Fleet in Sacramento is a excellent dealer to work with. Besides a really good price, he's been great to work with - even picked me up at the airport. His contact info is below.

Insurance:
James referred me to a nice insurance agent that specializes in commercial vehicles. We initially insurred it as my personal truck and will later attempt to change it to a custom camper. As a truck it costs about $1100/yr with comprehensive (I have one point on the driving record) - that's $600 less than my regular agent could quote. The agent's name is Travis Foster and his contact is below.


James D. Sprenger
Sales Manager
Pioneer Fleet Service, Inc.
916-381-4228-22 Office
916-792-2742 Cell
916-381-2018 Fax
6111 Warehouse Way
Sacramento Ca. 95826
www.pioneerfleet.com

Travis Foster - Agent
State Farm Insurance
40 Hilltop Drive Suite B Redding, Ca 96003
Phone: 530-242-1411
Fax: 530-242-1311
Email: travis.foster.PPY6@statefarm.com
website: www.travisfosteragency.com

 

[FusoFG]

I picked up my new '07 FG yesterday from Sacramento.

Congratulations! Which wheelbase?

It was a long bumpy 7hr drive home to Ventura. Besides the harsh ride with no load, I'm pleased with the way the FG drove.

With no load you don't need anymore than 30 -35 psi in the rear tires.

download a load psi chart for your tires to match the psi to the load.