Need Help from fellow MI Members!

[f3dblasphemy]

So sunday finally got my Deuce home and started playing with it. All is good but the alternator. But Yesterday went down to the Dmv and was told that i need a commercial plate for it. Is this ture? She also said i could get a historical plate if i wanted but could only drive it to shows and want not, well legally anyways lol. what do you have yours plated as? If i have to plate it as a commercial i will but the price seems kinda high.

 

[319]

Unless you plan on using it for business, plate it as historical $35/10 yrs. I have not had any issues.

 

[f3dblasphemy]

i dont plan on using for any thing but a weekend warrior. and for play. i jsut didnt know if cops would give me heck if they find me driving for fun and not to a show.

 

[porkysplace]

anythimg over 10,000 lbs. empty requirers commercial plates or the historicial plate which the way the law is written a duffle bag in the back could be considered cargo and plate seized. Farm plate is only good for products grown on your own farm so don't haul any stone for you neighbor.Log plates are valid only for hauling logs from the woods to the mill no firewood this considered a comodity the same with boards once they have went through the sawmill . Any violation and the LEO can and usually will sieze the plate .Michigan is broke you want big toys they want big money.Commercial 24,000 plate about $500 a year commercial insurance to go with it $800 a year on up. At least they haven't added fees for the 3rd axel yet . You will also need annual D.O.T. inspection and medicial card and chauffers license no CDL

 

[98hd]

anythimg over 10,000 lbs. empty requirers commercial plates or the historicial plate which the way the law is written a duffle bag in the back could be considered cargo and plate seized. Farm plate is only good for products grown on your own farm so don't haul any stone for you neighbor.Log plates are valid only for hauling logs from the woods to the mill no firewood this considered a comodity the same with boards once they have went through the sawmill . Any violation and the LEO can and usually will sieze the plate .Michigan is broke you want big toys they want big money.Commercial 24,000 plate about $500 a year commercial insurance to go with it $800 a year on up. At least they haven't added fees for the 3rd axel yet . You will also need annual D.O.T. inspection and medicial card and chauffers license no CDL

My deuce is titled as a Jeep M35a2. Regular plates.

Michigan has a CDL exemption for personal use, so I don't know why you would need a DOT insp. or med card. Why would he need chauffers license? He's not driving the thing for employment or hauling people.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I used an actual, original 1970 Michigan licence plate for my Deuce. It's plated "authentic" which cost a one time fee of $30, and is good forever (non exspiring) for as long as you own the vehicle.

I have six vehicles and two motorcycles plated this way, and never once had a problem running authentic plates in 15 years.

 

[porkysplace]

My deuce is titled as a Jeep M35a2. Regular plates.

Michigan has a CDL exemption for personal use, so I don't know why you would need a DOT insp. or med card. Why would he need chauffers license? He's not driving the thing for employment or hauling people.

the motor carrier out of bridgeport post stopped my brother with a dually gmc that was a pick-up and put flat bed on took the plate over 10,000gvw requires commercial plates couldn;t get truck out of impound till properly plated per the judge 70th district court you might get away with it where your at but all it takes is one Leo with a bug up his a** and your out at least a thousand bucks another guy i know just got stopped in midland with a 1 ton gmc with a dump box he uses for personel truck they took the plate it was plated as pick-up the S.O.S. offices around here will only register dueces commercial or historic but if you read the laws on histroric its saturday sunday or for parades i just don't see the need to try and cheat because anything you save the state will take when you get caught historic does not allow for any cargo what so ever this was all explained in court so i would recommend staying out of mid michigan 3rd district state police areas they have no sense of humour

 

[mikeroot2]

Commercial plate is needed to be legal. Especially if your title says "stake" or "dump" for body style. Historical is only legal for parades, shows, etc. Sure you might get away with it, you might not. Go through the wrong town with a bored cop, or past the wrong State Boy and you're in trouble. Will the savings be worth it? Put a load of fire wood in it, or use it to help your buddy move and you're illegal. You could drive it for decades and never have a problem or you could get popped in the first 20 minutes. To answer you direct question of is it rue you need commercial plates because of the weight? Yes, unless you'll never drive it to the store, the pizza joint, to a GL site for a recovery, or anything other than parades, car shows, repair shops or test drives after repair(cops aren't stupid). As the law reads if you are not using your truck for commercial reasons you do not need a chauffeurs or CDL. If it is a personal vehicle used for personal reasons you are exempt.

www.michigan.gov/documents/TS-025_Chauffeur_40680_7.pdf

 

[98hd]

the motor carrier out of bridgeport post stopped my brother with a dually gmc that was a pick-up and put flat bed on took the plate over 10,000gvw requires commercial plates couldn;t get truck out of impound till properly plated per the judge 70th district court you might get away with it where your at but all it takes is one Leo with a bug up his a** and your out at least a thousand bucks another guy i know just got stopped in midland with a 1 ton gmc with a dump box he uses for personel truck they took the plate it was plated as pick-up the S.O.S. offices around here will only register dueces commercial or historic but if you read the laws on histroric its saturday sunday or for parades i just don't see the need to try and cheat because anything you save the state will take when you get caught historic does not allow for any cargo what so ever this was all explained in court so i would recommend staying out of mid michigan 3rd district state police areas they have no sense of humour

I fully intend to stay above the bridge. You guys can have the LP

No cheating the system, I walked into the DMV told her what it was and answered the questions, and I got what I got. When registered my Deuce Dump I had to title it commercial, and she said it was because it was a dump.

I didn't know about the 10k lb rule, being that it is already plated I'm not too worried about it especially whith how much and where I drive it.

 

[Preacherboy]

I have an authentic historic plate from 1952 and my truck is titled as a Studebaker. The plate was free (from my uncle) and the registration fee was $35 for lifetime. The law states not to be used for routine transportation only for parades and club activities...I am not hauling firewood or anything in my truck (besides tools to fix it with); but "club activities" sure could be a lot of things.

The lady at the SOS tried to title my truck as a stake truck and I wouldn't let her, so it is titled as a pickup. However, I as of yet have not been able to locate historical vehicle insurance and all my company will do is insure it as commercial.

If you are planning on hauling a lot of stuff with it, get commercial...but if you are just using it for parades, shows, display, and club activities get the authentic historical plates.

 

[f3dblasphemy]

i manly just wanna drive it. do a little wheeling with it and thats it

 

[Bob H]

The Authentic / Historic plates are fine for occasional use.
The law restricts use as follows:
"A designated historical vehicle cannot be used for routine transportation"

"Since 1956, the state has issued historic and authentic license plates for antique vehicles used in parades, fairs, car shows, swap meets and other events"

The application that I used for mine and keep a copy of in the vehicles
also said something about public interest, etc.
(too lazy to go out and get one for an exact quote)

Driving it for enjoyment and testing purposes is also allowed.

Now Pi55 off a LEO and laws no longer matter, I have seen it and have seen the magistrate blindly go along with them too. at that point paying a lawyer is required. The LEO's and magistrate's know this and they know most people won't spend the money required to beat bogus tickets and wrongly confiscated plates.

I personally have had vehicles plated with authentic / historic plates for over 15 years and have not had one problem / hassle.

and each Secretary of State office (DMV) seems to do things there own way.
even each clerk.
I have one deuce that they picked "pick up" for body style.
two more that a different clerk determined must be be titled as "utility"
and both said it couldn't be "stake" because they had bed sides and a tailgate.
I have friends that requested "stake" as the body style and the SOS clerk went with it.

bottom line:
regardless of how the SOS registers it, make sure that your insurance company knows exactly what it is and include pictures too!

 

[Preacherboy]

Bob is right about the insurance, let them see the thing and let them know how much it weighs. I told the lady at the SOS how much the truck weighs and that is when she freaked out. I also told her that the military builds everything extra heavy duty and when she kept insisting that it was a stake truck I asked her how she plates an extended cab F-350...she said "pickup" and I said that my truck has a better turning radius and is about the same size.

She said it is a pickup then and I sent in the title application along with a picture of the authentic plate and a week later got the registration.

 

[dozer113]

In Michigan you need to ask this qustion of your duece, are you going to be using it to make money. It the answer is no, then you can purchase a regular michigan plate. Since it is not involved in a commercial venture then none of the federal regulations apply. If the answer is yes, then you are bound by the federal regulations for a commercial vehicle. That means, med cards, dot numbers, and all the bells and whistles. I would not recommend the historic plate unless you are going to be driving under those tight restrictions. Yes you can get away with the historic plate but eventually your going to get stopped by a officer who is aware and wants to enforce the restrictions of the historic plate.

 

[harleyrkc]

Who are you guys using for your insurance? Hopefully I'll be putting plates on my duece withing the next two months.

 

[Preacherboy]

dozer, what exactly are the tight restrictions on historical plates? I treat my deuce just like every other guy here in town and all over the state treats their covettes and hot rods. Drive to get ice cream occassionally, to parades, cruising around...I am not using it to make money...it is purely for pleasure.

If a LEO pulls me over because I am out cruisin in the deuce he better be consistent and pull over every covette and hotrod he sees too. I personally have never seen a hotrod with a historical plate pulled over. (However, I did hear that last year the Royal Oak police were pulling everyone over the day before the dream cruise started over the historic plate issue.)

Honestly, my plate isn't even mounted on the truck! I know other guys who also do not have their plates mounted; granted, I haven't had my truck for very long, but I sure have seen a lot of police. I will be careful not to drive near Bridgeport though unless it is a "club activity, parade, or event"

I went to a college with a strict dress code, we had to wear suit jacket and ties, but the rule said, "suit jacket and tie or an occassional sweater." No one could really enforce the jacket rule and everyone just wore sweaters. The big joke on campus was "occassional sweater". The big joke of the historical vehicle plate law is "club activities". You could say picking up a load of drywall is a club activity. It is a joke, whoever crafted the wording did it carefully and left it open. I personally like the wording of the law and we all benefit from it.

If you want to make money with your vehicle get it plated properly, if you want it for pleasure (not hardcore mudding) then get a historical plate. Very simple. Of course, this is all "my opinion."

 

[ida34]

The need for a CDL is based on use. The plate in question is not a "commercial" plate. It is a plate based on the GVW of the vehicle. Use has no bearing unless you get an historic plate. The historic plate provisions are pretty vague and as long as you are not using it as a daily driver or commercially you should be fine. Those who know me know I am a credible source for Michigan State Law. If you have a question on Michigan and need for a CDL do a search to find my threads on the subject.

 

[citizensoldier]

The need for a CDL is based on use. The plate in question is not a "commercial" plate. It is a plate based on the GVW of the vehicle. Use has no bearing unless you get an historic plate. The historic plate provisions are pretty vague and as long as you are not using it as a daily driver or commercially you should be fine. Those who know me know I am a credible source for Michigan State Law. If you have a question on Michigan and need for a CDL do a search to find my threads on the subject.

Ida34 for governor! Unfortunately in certain areas they are trying to make money and bending such laws knowing you wont fight it and just pay. Its all about the Benjamens! They either get you at the SOS or they get you at DOT! I have historical plates on over 10 trucks. I drive them to and from shows and to show others or mechanical testing.. They will need to prove I am doing otherwise.. Now the firewood issue?? Well the VFW has a fire place and I don't want my vets to get cold !

 

[f3dblasphemy]

thanks guys im going with hagerty. My insruance broker knows all about it and thinks it cool. lol