Commercial Registration with Residential Plates?

[Petr51488]

Does anyone do it this way? I was told that in NJ (could be other states as well) that you can have commercial registration with residential plates. This would work out perfect for me because i would be able to park in the street (would do it either way) and i would be able to drive on roads that commercial vehicle’s are restricted (would do that either way too) So my question is has anyone done it? Any problems with doing it this way?

[SiteSolutions]

I don't think you have to register a half ton pickup as a commercial vehicle. At least not here. You might register it in the name of the business, instead of your own name, but it would get a regular non-commercial tag. Trailers under a certain weight (10,000?) also get the same tag as every other privately owned trailer.

Commercial tags here are for taxis, limos, and bigger trucks.

"Company Cars" just get regular tags.

[SimonCX]

Does anyone do it this way? I was told that in NJ (could be other states as well) that you can have commercial registration with residential plates. This would work out perfect for me because i would be able to park in the street (would do it either way) and i would be able to drive on roads that commercial vehicle’s are restricted (would do that either way too) So my question is has anyone done it? Any problems with doing it this way?


I don't know who told you this but if your truck is registered as commercial then you get commercial plates you don't get a choice in it, you also have to display business name, town and gvw on the the truck. To register a commercial truck you have to file with the dmv to get a corpcode from them. Insurance is also filed as commercial which is bacially the same thing they just file it different.

[Petr51488]

I don't know who told you this but if your truck is registered as commercial then you get commercial plates you don't get a choice in it, you also have to display business name, town and gvw on the the truck. To register a commercial truck you have to file with the dmv to get a corpcode from them. Insurance is also filed as commercial which is bacially the same thing they just file it different.

I was told by my insurance agency, dealer, and a cousin that knows someone who does the same. Everything would be commercial (insurance, registration) but i would just have residential plates. It's a certain code under the NJ law that not too many people know about. I'll get more information once the new truck comes in.

[SiteSolutions]

I don't know who told you this but if your truck is registered as commercial then you get commercial plates you don't get a choice in it, you also have to display business name, town and gvw on the the truck. To register a commercial truck you have to file with the dmv to get a corpcode from them. Insurance is also filed as commercial which is bacially the same thing they just file it different.

I don't think a half ton truck has to have the name, town, gvw, DOT#, etc on it, although if you're in business I don't know why you wouldn't letter up your truck. I have heard that only one ton trucks and above have to register with the DOT to get a DOT number. I can't recall if 3/4 ton have to do it. I would think the same logic applies to license plates, but since when has logic ever been central to government rules. I would say that the rules lump 1/2 ton trucks in with sedans and SUVs and so forth, and I don't ever see any of those with a commercial tag. The contractor I started out with has commercial tags on his trucks that tow equipment, 3/4 and 1 ton trucks and up, but on his old blazers and explorers and stuff that employees ride in to jobs, the have regular plates just like any other car.

[SiteSolutions]

Of course, I am sure every state is different, probably just to prevent people from being able to figure out the rules.

[SimonCX]

I don't think a half ton truck has to have the name, town, gvw, DOT#, etc on it, although if you're in business I don't know why you wouldn't letter up your truck. I have heard that only one ton trucks and above have to register with the DOT to get a DOT number. I can't recall if 3/4 ton have to do it. I would think the same logic applies to license plates, but since when has logic ever been central to government rules. I would say that the rules lump 1/2 ton trucks in with sedans and SUVs and so forth, and I don't ever see any of those with a commercial tag. The contractor I started out with has commercial tags on his trucks that tow equipment, 3/4 and 1 ton trucks and up, but on his old blazers and explorers and stuff that employees ride in to jobs, the have regular plates just like any other car.

In new jersey it's alittle different, laws are so different from state to state. In nj any commercial truck has to have the name, town, and gvw or dot instead of GVW or you can get a ticket. Sorry but I have a hard time believing that dmv will register your truck as commercial but give you regular plates. Maybe your agent and dealer is just putting in the policy that it's a personal/work truck but it's in your name not the company. I have the book and know what I went through at dmv to register my trucks commercial and no where does it mention what your talking about. You can register your truck non-commercial code 15 which states you are only using it for personal use(no signs on door or advertising) http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Vehicle/NonCommercial.htm or commercial code 11 which your registration and tags start with X http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Commercial/Commercialvehicle.htm#11
Like I said before to register a truck commercial in nj you have to write up a letterhead with the company info and go to dmv, it takes a couple days for them to process it and you get a corpcode from them and then you can go register your truck as commercial, I've done it a few times and its always the same thing only quicker after the first time you get the corpcode. Call dmv and they will tell you the same thing, I went through it a couple years ago and it's either personal or commerical use.

[Petr51488]

In new jersey it's alittle different, laws are so different from state to state. In nj any commercial truck has to have the name, town, and gvw or dot instead of GVW or you can get a ticket. Sorry but I have a hard time believing that dmv will register your truck as commercial but give you regular plates. Maybe your agent and dealer is just putting in the policy that it's a personal/work truck but it's in your name not the company. I have the book and know what I went through at dmv to register my trucks commercial and no where does it mention what your talking about. You can register your truck non-commercial code 15 which states you are only using it for personal use(no signs on door or advertising) http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Vehicle/NonCommercial.htm or commercial code 11 which your registration and tags start with X http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Commercial/Commercialvehicle.htm#11
Like I said before to register a truck commercial in nj you have to write up a letterhead with the company info and go to dmv, it takes a couple days for them to process it and you get a corpcode from them and then you can go register your truck as commercial, I've done it a few times and its always the same thing only quicker after the first time you get the corpcode. Call dmv and they will tell you the same thing, I went through it a couple years ago and it's either personal or commerical use.


I completely forgot about this thread. Guess What? I got my commerical registration with residential plates! Its a gray area, but it got done. Their comm/pass registration. The registration is in my company name, with regular plates. I was told i wasn't allowed to put lettering on the truck, which i wasn't going to do anyway, so it works out for me. I also did what you said, and had to get the corp code for my dealer to set all this up.

[Lawn Tech LLC]

In Missouri if you register as a comercial truck you get 1- 24,000lb plate. Anything less than 24,000 is a residential plate. Here we can not put commercial plates on a 1/2 ton truck.

[Petr51488]

In Missouri if you register as a comercial truck you get 1- 24,000lb plate. Anything less than 24,000 is a residential plate. Here we can not put commercial plates on a 1/2 ton truck.

Mine's a 3/4

[ZX12R]

Petr,what happens if you put lettering on your truck?

[Petr51488]

Petr,what happens if you put lettering on your truck?

I won't be putting lettering on my truck so i never asked. I would assume that you would have to get commercial plates as to what i have now which is the residential regular plates.

[SimonCX]

You can register a truck in the company name instead of yours with normal plates but it's not commercial that is why you can't put signs on it. I was at the main trenton dmv last week to renwal mine and asked the supervisor and he said either commercial or residual there is no inbetween. Look it up in the book it states any vehicle used for business has to have commercial plates, business name and town on both sides. If a cop pulls you over while you are working he can give you a ticket for not have these because your using your truck for profit. Sorry but I highly doubt what your saying is true, I think you just registered it in the your company name instead of yours as residual which isn't the commercial you think it is.

[Petr51488]

You can register a truck in the company name instead of yours with normal plates but it's not commercial that is why you can't put signs on it. I was at the main trenton dmv last week to renwal mine and asked the supervisor and he said either commercial or residual there is no inbetween. Look it up in the book it states any vehicle used for business has to have commercial plates, business name and town on both sides. If a cop pulls you over while you are working he can give you a ticket for not have these because your using your truck for profit. Sorry but I highly doubt what your saying is true, I think you just registered it in the your company name instead of yours as residual which isn't the commercial you think it is.

I'm really not going to argue this point. There really is no need for me to make this stuff up. What i have is passanger/commercial plates. The registration is under my company name (commercial registration) and I have Regular plates (It says garden state rather than commercial on the bottum). I am not allowed to have signs on the truck, nor do i want to damage a nice truck. I explained exactly what i wanted at the dealer, and he registered the truck that way. Yes, i may get a ticket, i don't know.

[AintNoFun]

my personal truck/suv is always owned/registered by my business and i've never had commercial plates on them...

[Lawn Tech LLC]

One of my trucks is a 3/4 ton and it is registered commercially with commercial plates. I have seen times where the clerk at the DMV office has no clue about anything commercial and they complete transactions that should not have been done.

[SimonCX]

You can write your business as the owner/registerer of any vehicle from car to motorcycle and not have commercial plates, but it doesn't mean it's registered as a commercial vehicle as far as dmv goes. For a vehicle to be registered commerical it has to have the things I mentioned before. Look it up, this is for commercial truck http://www.nj.gov/mvc/Commercial/Commercialvehicle.htm and this is for non-commercial truck http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Vehicle/NonCommercial.htm the difference is you sign that the vehicle will not be used for business but for personal. If you don't believe me ask a state police dot officer and you will find out there is no gray area.

[colestat]

If you have your truck registered as commercial and have commercial plates on it in NJ - are you allowed to use it for personal use like tow an RV on weekends?