Regulation Q's for Private Antique Truck in MA

@SmallPackage might be able to help.

 

You need to read through and understand the laws of MA and all the states you plan to drive through. Asking someone at the DVM will get you different answers depending on who you talk to. Join the ATHS and reach out to the local chapter. I'm sure there are people already doing what you want to do and they can walk you through it

https://www.mass.gov/doc/540-cmr-2-motor-vehicle-regulations/download

Pay attention to the deffinitions of commercial and personal vehicles. I keep a copy of the laws in my truck because private semis aren't a common thing for officers to come accross and most don't know how to deal with it. Having the actual laws to point to helps

When I shut down my business I transfered my truck into my name personally and put historic/collector plates on it. The (now closed) company name is still on the doors but the DOT numbers are removed. Every state is a little bit different so some of that might not work for you. I looked over the laws linked above and it says something about displaying a company name making it a "commercial plates required vehicle". Do some more research about that

 

If you are not using It for business purposes and is registered personally then you shouldn't need any numbers at all.. no different then driving an rv down the road

 

I really think this is right. If you aren’t using it to make money with then I don’t see why you need to worry about any of that stuff.

 

@RocketScott and @D.Tibbitt are both right. I second the advice of Rocket. Once you get the regs keep copies of them in all your antique trucks. I’ve had sergeants and lietinents bears in TXDps not know anything about the regs for hobby trucks. They most times don't realize we can turn a commercial vehicle non commercial with change of registration. Here in Tejas we can plate them with an old state plate of the same year as vehicle. If not they issue one antique truck plate, even tho we are a two plate state. We can also register them at 26,000 to keep them under cdl and still pull trailer loaded as long as it is our antique stuff.

 

Ownership rules!

You cannot be non-commercial if you realize a monetary gain from buying and selling your tractors.

Otherwise private use just to show N shine your own stuff, and acquiring the next barn find to restore is non-commercial and less than 26000# GVWR avoids fuel tax [IFTA] and apportioned {IRP] registration so your home state license plate is fine.

I would check into the state regs on having an antique plate rated for the weight you actually haul.

I saw a bunch of NJ shore dwelling commuters who's 3/4 ton pickups were registered JUST under the weight allowed on the Garden State parkway Above Rt. 18 [no commercial trucks land] even though the GVWR was more so STATE[sic] rules matter most and might require a non-IFTA commercial plate just based on the weight you are toting around.

 

Get insurance in your name and you can stick just a straight commercial plate on it (not IRP) is all you need, not even a DOT number

Straight shine and show no prizes right? Cause if there is then it actually is considered commerce

 

The 26,000 lbs weight isn't an issue for CDL or IFTA. My truck weighs 33,500 and I drive it without a CDL and don't have to deal with IFTA since I'm non-commercial now

When I moved from WA to KY a few years ago I researched the laws for all the states I would possibly go through. Just about all of them had similar laws, exceptions, exemptions, etc. Oregon is a little different. ODOT wants you to contact them ahead of time so they can issue a hobby exemption letter. It doesn't cost anything and is as simple as writing a letter stating what you're driving and why you're driving it