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Permanent Tag

USMC6062

Member
371
1
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Location
St Augustine, FL
I'm getting ready to get my tag for my truck finally. I can get a permanent tag here in Florida, and only have to pay for it one time, it's like $30. The only stipulation is that the truck is used for exhibitions, parades or public displays. I guess any time you drive it would be a public display. What I'm wondering is if I needed to use the truck to haul something or what not, or just out joy riding, am I gonna get hasseled. I doubt cops know the law on this, and I doubt they would bother me, but I was wondering if anybody else had any experiance with this. I also may be bobbing my truck in the future, but it will remain military looking, I also wonder if this would be a problem. Thanks, Alex
 

Big Mike's Motor Pool

Member
Supporting Vendor
here in new jersey we have a similar tag. its a historical tag you pay for once and you get historical insurance super cheap with full coverage. i pay $65 for my deuce for insurance but my pickup with full coverage her in jersey is like $2200. we also have the stipulations like you mentioned, and most dont know about them but just last week i was stopped with an atv in the bed of my truck and the officer knew about the limitations of that tag. he was a young guy too. i would figure only mostly the older guys would know bout historical tags
 

bbf

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port st lucie fl
i am in fl and my m813 is street legal i drive eveywhere . i try for historical plates but anything over 5000 gvw no good i pay 250 a year for insurance
 

Recovry4x4

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I have that plate, never ever have a problem. I public diplay my truck at Home Depot alot.
 

Reich965

New member
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1
Location
Jacksonville, Florida
I did the research on the tag you are talking about and you actually have to apply to Tallahassee to get that antique/horseless carriage status. If you use it outside of parades and exhibitions it will just be a matter of time before youl get a ticket.

If you are wanting to save a few dollars on registering your truck in Florida, this is how I would do it: 1. Bob it like you suggested and then take it to any weigh station (truck stop, concrete company, etc.) and have them issue you a weight. Them take that new weight in and register the truck on that baisis. 2. When you go to register it they will ask you what GVW you want. Tell them you want 1,000 pounds more than the net wieght. So, if your bobbed duce comes in at 11,000 pounds net and you ask for 1,000 pound weight, your GVW will be 12,000 pounds. That will come in at around $120 per year to register it. You could of course ask for more, just be prepared to pay for it.

Alternatively, if you bring it in as a 6x6 and register it at it's full capacity, you might end up paying annual tax on 24,000- 30,000 GVW which will cost a lot every year.

If you do register it at 12,000 GVW, you are agreeing you won't carry more than that on road. This route will cost you more than the antique plate, but you'll not have to worry unless law enforcement seriously chanllenges the weight of what you are hauling compared to your GVW.

As for the inexpensive collector insurance designed for parades, it is good for that. However, if by chance you are in an accident unrelated to the parade, they will not provide coverage or a defense and then if the other insurance carrier pays, they will follow you around forever trying to get their money back which could include collections, suits, garnishments, etc. For my Unimog, I pay $320 per year for 100/300/100 for convential liability coverage and $76 per year registration and I never worry about the whirling red lights following me.
 

USMC6062

Member
371
1
18
Location
St Augustine, FL
I already have full coverage insurance through Gulfway and they don't dictate what you can do with it other than it can't be your only mode of transportation. As far as the tag, I can get a regular antique tag like I have on my old car and it costs about $20 a year. The truck falls under two catagories for antique tags, it's over 30 years old and it's a former military vehicle, both qualify you for the antique tag. Since it weighs over 5,000 pounds it qualifies for the permanent tag. If you get caught with the permanent tag and your not going by the rules, I wonder what they could/would fine you or what what happen. The rules they set could be interpreted many different ways. What defines public display, I would think driving it on any public road would be a form of public display, the public gets to see it.
 

Recovry4x4

LLM/Member 785
Super Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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The problem is the vehicle type code. I get mine at the branches no problem. I also bring a statute book with me to prove my point. They don't know the code for MVs. The code for firetrucks is FT and that is what they have been using. Still takes me an hour though. I'll try to get the proper code so that you Floridians can better arm yourselves.
 

LibertyDeuce

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Location
New York, NY
Permanent Tags

Kenny

The code you're looking for is a "Q" code. Florida uses this as the antique code so do other states like Louisiana.

Go to floridaplates.com to see all the plate codes.
[thumbzup]
 

renovate7

Member
422
7
16
Location
Florida
I'm here in Florida and chose not to go the antique plate route. A standard plate wasn't that much more and just don't want any future hassles about using it for non parade/display stuff. All you need is one Officer that knows the rules and it will make for an unpleasent time on the side of the road...I also use Gulfway insurance, good knowledgeable people.
 

USMC6062

Member
371
1
18
Location
St Augustine, FL
How much are you paying for a standard plate? I just want to avoid paying a high price because of the GVW. I have a truck stop with certified scales a mile from my house, but I don't want to screw with changing the weight on the registration. It's proably stupid, but I just want to leave it as it is.
 
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