Pickup truck over 6000lbs registration? Commercial? (insurance, DMV, camping)

[brianosaur]

Looking to get a 3/4 ton pickup to tow a new travel trailer.

NYS DMV states pickup trucks over 6000 lbs must be registered as a Commercial vehicle unless you have a bed cap, seats and/or a stove in the back - which I dont really wish to do.

Besides not being able to drive on parkways in NYS -

1. What are the pro's and con's of registering a truck either with passenger or commercial plates?

2. Are the commercial registration fees vastly higher then passenger registration fees?

3. What about insurance? It it usually higher/lower or the same to insure a commercial vehicle?

Thank you

[VA Yankee]

It would seem that registering as a commercial vehicle could cause the following:

1) Higher tolls on the Thruway
2) Banned from Parkways
3) Here are the fees, you can look them up
https://dmv.ny.gov/registration/regi...enger-vehicles
4) Call your insurance agent about the rates and ask them about the validity of registering commercial due to weight.

I believe you misread the statute https://dmv.ny.gov/registration/regi...-class-vehicle .It states "If you have a modified pick-up truck with an unladen weight greater than 6,000 lbs., then you may register it in the passenger class if it meets the following conditions:
◦the pick-up truck does not have any business advertisements and is used exclusively for non-commercial purposes

[Joe461]

I have had 3/4 ton trucks registered both ways. Insurance and registration cost were basically the same.

Toll rates were also the same (obviously not when pulling a trailer). NYC area bridges and tunnels base rates on number of axles. The thruway rates are based on number of axles and vehicle height. As long as you are driving a SRW, that's not a concern. You can also use your same E-Zpass tag when towing - the system automatically charges the correct amount for a trailer (note that it very often overcharges, so check your bill).

The only real problem in NYS is lack of parkway access. It can be a real problem at times. In NYC, some street parking regulations are applied differently to commercial and non-commercial vehicles (always check the signs carefully).

On Long Island, some towns, incorporated villages and HOAs have different parking rules for commercial vehicles, such as you are not permitted to leave them parked on the street overnight. While enforcement may be more strict to true trucks and vehicles with business info posted, there is still the possibility that cash strapped municipalities will ticket you.

On enforcement... it seems to be lacking. Perhaps that is just an acknowledgment that the current laws are very out of date.

Look around and you will notice many 3/4 and 1 ton trucks with passenger tags and no bed cap. Some leave the dealer that way (many with a "receipt" for an installed bed cap). Others check a box on a DMV form and convert to passenger tags. These vehicles are on the parkway along with the 1/2 ton pickups.

What's crazy is I have even seen some DRW trucks with passenger tags. Not sure how they pulled that one off, but if you do that with a dually, I think you are asking for trouble.

DMV does NOT inspect the vehicle for compliance. If the form is filled out and the box checked, they issue the passenger tags.

For those that actually get the "permanent" bed cap, those that I have seen do not bother with the seats/seat fitting/camping equipment requirement. YMMV.

I do find it ironic. The rule is based on weight. Yet for a heavy vehicle to get the same rating as a lower weight vehicle, it needs to add several hundred pounds of extra equipment to make it even bigger.

[PFM]

Biggest problems on parkways is when 13'6" class 8 vehicles absentmindedly get on and then have to stop and back up to the nearest exit when coming up to their first overpass...

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/gov...e-strikes-long