Trailering in Oregon

[JHornsby3]

Hello all,

I stopped into the Oregon DMV today for trailer registration. One of my trailers was improperly registered as a light trailer instead of a heavy trailer. The GVW is 10k lbs and they had it at 6200lbs max weight.

So, while talking to the lady, she refused to change the plates and registration because my pick up is registered "passenger vehicle", also by them. I filled out the paperwork for non commercial, truck plates.

So here is where it gets sticky. Oregon now will pull over any vehicle pulling a heavy plated trailer if they have non commercial plates. Now, my 300 DA on the trailer is over 12k and the trailer is heavy plated because it is over the 6200lbs limit. So, now they are saying that to pull any trailer over the 6200lbs the tow vehicle must have commercial registration or face heavy fines. And their fee schedule says that their charging $720 a year for registration. And that is for interstate. And those fees will be going up again soon. I am now going to look into the cost for commercial intrastate. I don't have to worry about IFTA as I pay tax at the pump. I have driven less than 5000 miles in the last year, so I can file "exempt" on mileage tax. And even if I do, the federal tax is less than Oregon. And that leaves the cost of registration which will be less than their non commercial registration. All I will need is a U.S. DOT number. I already have a state motor carrier number as that is needed for yearly over dimension permits.

The third party permitting guy looked up the pick up registration and VIN for weight limits. And I had to report the trailer max weight and current or normal weights. This was so he could set my routes grouping. And I even asked him about everything being correct. He confirmed the state has no real area for private haulers in regards to heavy loads. Only commercial haulers.

Just an FYI. She said they are now starting to look for such.

Oh, and the last time I had a pick up registered with "truck" plates, it cost me $35 a year. That was in 2013. Now, in 2023, 10 years, it has gone up to $720. Talk about inflation.

 

[Gofirstclass]

John, ain't it fun dealing with bureaucrats? NOT

In WA our plates go up by significant amounts every year. I have a '98 Explorer that we keep in AZ for something to drive when we fly down. It only gets about 3K miles a year and is a pleasure to drive, but I'm paying almost $200 for new tabs.

Can y'all say RIPOFF?

 

[JHornsby3]

Idaho was about the easiest I have seen. Go in, give them a little money and walk out with everything. No waiting months for things to come in the mail. New Mexico was pretty easy. But they were the lowest cost I have ever seen. The Burb, tent trailer, camp trailer and our little cargo trailer was all less than $50 a year.

Being the trucking superintendent for an excavation company in Idaho, I registered 6 trucks at one time and paid $1200 for them. Road tax was over $5000, And permits for 2 trucks was $12, to do over sized. IFTA was easy. Paid at the pump.

Still wondering why we are living here. LOL And you know the whole story.

 

[boatman37]

IIRC I pay about $240/year here in PA for my 2018 2500 registered at 10,000lbs

 

[NorCalRobert]

You still have it easy when compared to California

 

[JHornsby3]

IIRC I pay about $240/year here in PA for my 2018 2500 registered at 10,000lbs

10k would be $600+. I just read they are going to up the fees for older vehicles by $101 and add more for mileage. It looks like the state is wanting to fee folks out of driving. Not to mention the added fuel tax and diesel still at $5 a gallon. it's just getting crazy for all of us.

 

[Nater Potater]

10k would be $600+. I just read they are going to up the fees for older vehicles by $101 and add more for mileage. It looks like the state is wanting to fee folks out of driving. Not to mention the added fuel tax and diesel still at $5 a gallon. it's just getting crazy for all of us.

As I understand, Japan's been doing that for years, making registration even more expensive that a car payment as the car approaches thirty-five-thousand miles. That's what spawned the grey market of bringing complete low-mileage engines into the States as cheap replacements rather than rebuilding.

 

[Nater Potater]

Idaho was about the easiest I have seen.

Still wondering why we are living here. LOL And you know the whole story.

You're always welcome to come back.

 

[JHornsby3]

As I understand, Japan's been doing that for years, making registration even more expensive that a car payment as the car approaches thirty-five-thousand miles.

Dad worked in the Navy ship yards in Japan for many years. The motel they always got him overlooked the vehicle facility that did the inspections. At close to 35k miles or 5 years, vehicles need to be inspected. And the cost to break them down and put back together cost almost twice what the vehicle does new. So they are scraped and recycled into new cars. And yes, that is where the low mileage engines and transmissions come from. Now, as he understands it, it's just country made vehicles. So if you took your 68 Camaro over, it is not held to the same standard.

Ad much as I liked Idaho, I like the warmer weather better.

 

[boatman37]

So there is a local station just across the Ohio line in East Palestine (Leake Oil) where we go to get fuel about .60 cheaper. My mother lives about 5 miles away but was not evacuated. Well last night a train derailed right next to it and took out one of their tanks. The fire was huge. Haven't heard anymore updates other than they evacuated locals and pictures and videos I saw looked pretty bad.

 

[JHornsby3]

Those are hard fires to put out. Hope everyone around there is ok.

 

[boatman37]

Those are hard fires to put out. Hope everyone around there is ok.

Haven't heard of any injuries. The engineer/conductor detached the engine from the rest of the carnage and pulled away. There was a train coming in the other direction but they got it stopped and it backed up to get away. No idea how close it actually got to the wreckage. There is a place near there that we go to eat also called 'The Original Roadhouse'.
Guess the fire is out now but there was vinyl chloride or something in the cars so they are monitoring the area

 

[JHornsby3]

Haven't heard of any injuries. The engineer/conductor detached the engine from the rest of the carnage and pulled away. There was a train coming in the other direction but they got it stopped and it backed up to get away. No idea how close it actually got to the wreckage. There is a place near there that we go to eat also called 'The Original Roadhouse'.
Guess the fire is out now but there was vinyl chloride or something in the cars so they are monitoring the area

I just read that the fire exploded again. I sure pray they are all ok.

 

[boatman37]

I just read that the fire exploded again. I sure pray they are all ok.

Again? Yesterday they intentionally 'exploded' them by drilling holes in them to release the vinyl chloride then lit it off to burn it up. Hadn't heard anything about any explosions today. My mother returned home today. She wasn't evacuated but is 4.6 miles from the derailment site so left on her own. She went back home today. My aunts ex-boyfriend was evacuated and he went back home today to check on his cat. Police stopped him but then let him go through. He said he was there 5 minutes and his throat started burning

 

[JHornsby3]

I have a couple of stories about an angry boss and natural gas lines. Nater might have know them. Alta Construction in Boise. All I know is one of the bills was in the millions due to al the displaced people living within 3 miles of a 24" high pressure line.

Not that I'm a cat person, but did he get it out and to safety? I sure hope so. I would have it checked at a good vet and send the bill to the folks that are responsible.