California HDT registration

[dzlnut]

Has anyone registered their HDT as a motorhome / house car in CA recently?

 

What was your experience like?

[VegasFlyer]

There was another thread about that within the past month.

[MrSeas]

It won't happen. DMV has put a stop to it.

[dzlnut]

how about buying a HDT that is already registered as a house car and transferring it to the new owner?

[MrSeas]

how about buying a HDT that is already registered as a house car and transferring it to the new owner?

I believe there has been a successful "transfer" of a HDT RV to a new owner. Do a search on this forum for the thread discussing this in more detail.

[CrazyCooter]

I transferred mine at AAA without issue. I'm still betting it all comes down to the VIN inspector and who processes the paperwork at the DMV. Wondering now if it could be done at one of our smaller DMV's in the outlying areas here in Far Northern CA? Have a mind to go buy that Freightshaker I was looking at, convert it, and sell it for a profit......

[dzlnut]

how did you go about doing it at AAA? I thought they dont do VIN inspections

[CrazyCooter]

Mine was already a MH in CA so it was just a transfer and pay fees.

[Jack Mayer]

Just hope they do not go back through the registrations that are MH and reissue you as a truck. That is what they did in SD.

[CrazyCooter]

Lets hope not! If they do, I'd be forced to register in another state or sell all together.

[dzlnut]

why not file a class action against the DMV?

[Broncohauler]

Well time for a change.

The wife wants me to sell the trailer and bed and have the truck made into a conversion and pull a stacker trailer behind it.

 

I know it's cheaper to buy one done and sell ours as a package deal. But we love the truck and I know it inside out and it's complete history from day one.

So we'll wait and see what California does.

Unless somebody comes along and offers me the right price which would be a lot.

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

 

why not file a class action against the DMV?

That is what happened in South Dakota. A NASCAR owner sued the state and they pulled existing HDT/Motorhome registrations.

 

They did change the regulations to allow private truck and no CDL license to compensate.

 

So if you think you can beat the State of California, go ahead.

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

Maybe it's because the title already said Motorhome on it, but when we registered the truck in South Dakota, the new title also says Motorhome. Maybe a slip up in the system, or a clerk that was having a rubber stamp day.

[Chad Heiser]

There is a sentence in the DMV manual that is currently preventing motorhome conversions in CA. This came up with a licensing company (Brakken) that had previously been doing conversions for people here on the forum. Their DMV contact found the sentence and stopped doing the conversions. No one else has tried it on their own since then that I am aware of. There has been a successful transfer of a previously converted CA HDT/Motorhome from one CA resident to another (CrazyCooter) recently. No one has tried to register on out of state previously converted HDT/Motorhome since the restrictive DMV manual sentence was found by the DMV clerk in Southern CA.

 

There is a long story as to why the DMV manual has this restrictive sentence. The sentence says a truck tractor (an HDT) cannot ever be titled as a Motorhome. It does not come from the CA vehicle code, but rather from an administrative code. In essence, it was put in place some time ago by a previous governor who was trying to prevent commercial truckers from registering their trucks as motor homes to skirt DMV fees and regulations.

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

Regs are the most dangerous items in law. State Codes are generated and passed-on by the Legislature. They usually are reviewed by lawyers.

 

Regs are done by administrators with little is any overview. They often can't pass a challenge.

 

Example: "a truck tractor (an HDT) cannot ever be titled as a Motorhome". This is a common statement made by commercial enforcement people. Then how do they handle a Renegade. It was a truck trailer and is now a motorhome without any question.

 

But the problem s there are defined procedures for dealing with State Codes, there are none for Regs.

 

When South Dakota dumped motorhome registrations for HDTs, that is exactly the challenge they had from the manufacturers of Renegade type motorhomes. New State Codes were generated that properly handled the situation.

[Pappy Yokum]

Has anyone registered their HDT as a motorhome / house car in CA recently?

 

What was your experience like?

 

 

Unfortunately the several(?) reconfigs of the forum lost a lot of old history on the wins and losses of and for CA registration. Many were before The Guide was created.

 

Another poster says it can't happen - "DMV has put a stop to it".

 

If those old posts were available - readers would find that was somehwat true "way back when".

One CA DMV would say no way - another broke the bottle of Champagne over your newly registered House Car (MH).

Note: There were no registration/title agences like Backen - then.

The posters went to the DMV with whatever documentation (and probably their truck/MH) and stated their case. Sometimes it was "greased" - sometimes not.

(It helped to know which/where the "conversion friendly" DMVs were located)

 

One of the supposed caveats to becomming a MH was *no* capability of 5th wheel towing.

After conversion - and removal of the commercial hitch and gladhands - folks got around that by adding an RV style hitch "later".- after registering.

Would the/a DMV care? = Yes. Would/did the CHP care? = No.

 

The interpetation (and/or knowledge) of the last sentence in Chad's info *may* have been around a long time - for yes or no to MH - key word "unless".

"........unless the living quarters permenantly prevent the truck tractor from towing or drawing other vehicles".

 

If Florida Fireman (Tommy?) was still on here - or his posts were still available, the "situation" was similar in Fl. He added an RV hitch after registering.

(He sold his truck a few years ago, and is no longer on here)..

 

Resource Guide -

See: "HDT Decisions" - "State Lising of HDT Registrations" - click on "California".

 

The info is listed from old to new - (unfortunately no dates) - with the most recent at the bottom.

Follow along until you eventually get to Chad's info - but be sure to read the previous info by Raquel -

and the links to the source she used in Northern CA.

 

IMO - *if* I was "attemting" CA "first time" registration, I would first try a DMV in the "boondocks", and/or contact a different service - as Raquel did (she is/was in No.. CA and Backen in So. CA is/was a long ways away).

If that was a no-go, South Dakota or Texas would be Plan B.

Even with a successful CA registration, it would *always* on the "back burner".

 

Anyway - here's the recent thread on CA registration.

See Post #12 & 13 - with info by Chad.

Somehow the link he posted was not included in the Resource Guide info.

 

Thread: "FYI Title transfer of HDT Converted MH in CA" - by Crazy Cooter, 6-21-15

 

http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=118588

 

BTW - No dog in the fight - just an old dog in CA - with lots of CA DMV "experiences".

 

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[MrSeas]

So here's a question for you Pappy.....How many successfull "new" HDT to RV conversions have been successfull since Jan 2015? Not referring to the transfers of existing conversions!

[Pappy Yokum]

So here's a question for you Pappy.....How many successfull "new" HDT to RV conversions have been successfull since Jan 2015? Not referring to the transfers of existing conversions!

 

 

Back at ya, Mr. Seas -

how many successful "new" HDT to MH (House Car) CA registrations -per year, or grand total- were there *prior* to Jan 2015, *not* referring to the transfers of existing conversions?

 

Long before Backen -and licensing agencies- there were some successes and some failures posted here.

Some very well documented "Mission Impossible" sagas, while for others it was easy.

Unfortunately - their threads are long gone.

 

And - *since* Jan 2015, how many owners of not previously converted HDTs have tried to register and failed - either through the DMV or a licensing agency (other than Backen)?

 

Seems the latter would be recent/current - and readily available info.

 

.

 

 

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[MrSeas]

I simply asked the question because you seemed to imply to "know" something that would make the HDT to RV conversion doable in California! Seems you were just talking about past experiences. As to how many HDT to RV conversions that have been attempted since the beginning of 2015 I only know of one attempt that was not successful. So if you have a " method" to get the conversion completed successfully please share!

[Pappy Yokum]

It was a roll of the dice well before 1-1-2015 - and probably the same now.

 

Many exchanges with folks (back to 2005) on here who had contacted every DMV official in Sacremento they

could think of up the "chain of command" - and the answer was no, no and - "NO".

 

Others were happily going down the road with their CA registered HDT MH.

Some - but not all - of those registrations took place at "out of the way" ("rural") DMVs.

 

Why? How? Nobody could say for sure. (Think of a craps table in Vegas!)

 

If you read through ScottE's info in The Guide in re his pre 2015 convrsion info - he states, the HDT *MUST*

be singled . Never heard of one that was *not* singled for CA reg...........until -

don't want to put the owner in San Diego on the spot - but his (still) tandem, HDT was registered in CA. - when that supposedly couldn't be done.

 

Do I know any secret to CA DMV success? - Nope!

Maybe.... try a different one - same for licensing agencies, LOL! -

CA DLs - incl CDL - for 58 years. Been to a "few" CA DMVs for "stuff", usually when I couldn't do otherwise.

Have your ducks in a row, don't volunteer any info - "heresay" or otherwise - unless asked.

 

Different DMV personnel = different strokes by different folks

 

Some DMV folks are like a motor officer we all knew in the city where I worked. If he pulled *anyone* over for

some infraction - no matter how minor - you were going to be cited - period!

(Which included other LEOs from the same city!)

 

Other DMVers (an individual at any office or in the system) may have a less jaded outlook.

Each is "the authority having jurisdiction" - with "the power" at the moment, at their level.

Paperwork is correct (or maybe not) = done deal, or no deal.

 

On edit:

CA DMV employees have a job that generates a lot of "guff" from PITA people

Some employees expect it - and/or deal with it better than others.

It helps to be their "pleasurable" experience of the day!

 

Number of licensed drivers in CA = 24.4 million (2013)

Number of registered vehicles, all types in CA = 27.7 million (2012)

Each is about ten million *more* than the state in 2nd place.

 

As anyone knows who has been there - those #s = a *very* busy place!

Get a number, get in line, and wait - LOL!

 

It is what it is.

 

 

 

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[Timon]

It's the same problem with 1 ton trucks. The CA DMV has no understanding of private use so they want you to get wight stickers. That means if you tow your 18,000 trailer you need a weight sticker for at 26K but more likely 30K.

 

Sure wish one could get some state representatives to push through a bill for private trucks used to pull RV and not classify us as commercial trucks and that we don't need to get weight stickers. To go along with that I have no problem with heavy fines for using a truck with private registration for commercial use as long at picking up something for your family with your truck does not equal commercial use.

 

I can't wait to get out of CA so I won't have to worry about it when we get ours.

[dzlnut]

has anyone transferred their out of state motorhome into California recently?

[Pappy Yokum]

It's the same problem with 1 ton trucks. The CA DMV has no understanding of private use so they want you to get wight stickers. That means if you tow your 18,000 trailer you need a weight sticker for at 26K but more likely 30K.

 

Sure wish one could get some state representatives to push through a bill for private trucks used to pull RV and not classify us as commercial trucks and that we don't need to get weight stickers. To go along with that I have no problem with heavy fines for using a truck with private registration for commercial use as long at picking up something for your family with your truck does not equal commercial use.

 

I can't wait to get out of CA so I won't have to worry about it when we get ours.

 

Timon (and one ton trucks)

 

Observation on "private trucks": Very logical reason for commercial. There are LOTS of folks who

would be running commercial businesses and avoiding commercial registration when registered as a "private truck". Giant can of worms.

*Never* going to happen.

 

 

Weight stickers. See wher your 1T LDT (and trailer) "fit" here -

 

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/vr/commercial

 

On the left side, scroll down (and select) the 4th item, "CRVA weight decals / year stickers"

That should take you to: "Registering Commecial Vehicles and PTI Trailers (FFVR 27)"

 

Once there, scroll down to - "Vehicles NOT Affected".

Then further (way) down to - "Trailers" (for your TT or 5th wheel).

 

Regarding "weight" of the current crop of LDTs (pickups) with and w/out utility bodies, state beds, etc.,

you should also be aware of -

 

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/trucks/weigh-stations/stopping.htm

 

Scroll down to - "Do these vehicles have to stop at scales".

 

 

As always, at the CA DMV - and or the scales (as above) - "Don't ask, don't tell" - may or may not apply.

It's just part of the CA "experience" - fun and games in the Golden State -

and, some can do "work arounds", some can't - so, yes moving *is* another option to consider! ....

 

 

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[Big5er]

 

Observation on "private trucks": Very logical reason for commercial. There are LOTS of folks who

would be running commercial businesses and avoiding commercial registration when registered as a "private truck" .

Giant can of worms. Never going to happen.

Why is it that other states that allow HDT "private trucks" do not have this "giant can of worms" problem that you speak of?