Kinda hate to resurrect a four year old thread, but I just got home from a Virginia DMV 'Express' office (small town) and needed to vent. I bought an HDT G.E.T. and had ZERO luck transferring the FL title for it. Bought the FL title, not just an SF97, through GP based on the selling information (which listed its make as "DHS Systems, LLC"). First, it took 60 days for the title to arrive from GP which sucked a little but I wasn't in a rush so that was fine. As of this afternoon the DMV office can't register it because neither "DHS Systems, LLC" (name on the invoice) nor "HDT Systems" (name on the data plate) are in the pull-down menus for DMV personnel to use. So...apparently that's just not possible.
I told the woman I planned to remove the ECU and genset from the trailer, which I do, and she advised that should constitute enough change to register it as a homebuilt. So that's what I'm going to do. In VA you need to get a Virginia Law Enforcement Officer to come inspect it for road worthiness per the APPLICATION FOR ASSIGNED VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER [p.1, VSA 22 (7/10/2015)]. Won't be a problem as my soon-to-be brother-in-law is a Trooper, but still a pain. Plus, I kinda hate to do it as now it will just be titled as a generic, 2015 homebuild instead of a 2009 HDT. But I don't know what else to do. The lady at the office advised (after looking at a picture of the trailer on the GP item release form) that "I had just purchased the components to a trailer" so this should be as legit as anything.
I write this just as a heads up to any other DRASH-type or other special equipment trailer buyers out there. I'm not even going to attempt getting an SF97 or title for my M116A3-based cable trailer. I'm sure "US Army Tank Automotive Command" isn't in her manufacturers' list and even I haven't been able to figure out who actually made the thing. So another "home built," here I come.
If anyone in VA wants to push for a protocol change for ex-Mil trailer registration let me know. I'll write letters with you!