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Old 12-03-2018, 09:39 PM   #661
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Vermont won’t issue a new title for vehicles over 15 years old. But they will give you a transferable registration meaning you can take it and register it in California as an RV after you register it in Vermont. Note that you have to wait a minimum of 90 days before you register it in California or you will have to pay sales tax again - it might be 180 days, not sure.

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Old 12-05-2018, 07:20 AM   #662
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Another possibility from a rookie

Let me begin by stating that I am only in the "research" step of creating my skoole and have no actual experience in this. I have been following this thread for a while and I think I might have a possible solution.
I have seen others that are converting step vans and what they do is to register as a "commercial vehicle for private use". Is this feasible for a bus?
I DO like the Vermont option. I spent about five years living there, and can speak from experience that they definitely have a much more "laid back" way of doing things like this. I wonder though if they are flooded with school bus registration applications if they might revise their standards.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your input and advice on all matters "Skoolie". I have learned a lot!
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Old 12-06-2018, 08:49 PM   #663
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No bill of sale

Hello! I have a question.
We bought our bus back in May of this year. We got the title in our name and it says on their that the previous owner is ‘Pasadena isd.’ We bought it thru an auction company. But we did not get a bill of sale. I think we got a hand written receipt? But I’m not finding it anywhere. We have just had the bus parked on our property while we have worked on it. Now we are at the point we’d like to register it, so we can legally drive it on the road. I’m thinking of taking this route... registering thru Vermont. The only problem is I do not have a bill of sale. Do I just find a generic bill of sale document (or the specific one for Vermont) and fill out what I can? I know the auctioneers name and address and such. But his name is not anywhere on our title. Does that matter?
Our bus is a 1991 international... so it is older than 25 years.
Thank you for your help
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Old 12-06-2018, 09:36 PM   #664
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If the title is in your name, you are the legal owner. You don't need a bill of sale, you only needed it when you got the title transferred. You just need to go in and register your boss.
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Old 12-06-2018, 11:43 PM   #665
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Just give a credible price paid for the fee / tax, not zero without proof, even if that is the truth.
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Old 12-13-2018, 01:55 AM   #666
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Quote:
Originally Posted by warewolff View Post
Last updated Oct 29 2018

I've used this method frequently for old abandoned motorcycles I bought that had no title.


HI warewolff! you have no idea how much I appreciate the info. Im in the brink of purchasing a shuttle bus here in PA. not a schoolie, i doubt there are any differences is getting it titled as an RV, but just want to double check just in case. I dont want to be stuck with a bus that I cant resell!
Again thank you so much for the info, I almost gave up as there were so many conflicting post in difference forums all geared toward different states. This is nice and simple.

some extra info about the bus.

shorter type bus ~22ft long
its on a ford e350 cutaway.
not sure the number of passengers, I would guess 16 by the number of seats left.
year 1995

thanks in advance!
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Old 12-19-2018, 12:58 PM   #667
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Registration for my 2002 ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by warewolff View Post
Last updated Oct 29 2018

UPDATE: Per the moderator of this forum, this POST will be kept updated with the most recent information based on member experiences. Registration costs increase by a few dollars every now and then so check for yourself before sending out your money.
-----
I've used this method frequently for old abandoned motorcycles I bought that had no title.

Many states have hoops that they'll make you jump through before they'll designate your skoolie as an RV. "Meet four out of seven requirements" or such nonsense. New York, where I reside, is one of those states. They are a PITA with everything vehicle related, and I know many states are following in the same suit.

Vermont, on the other hand, is not one of these states. As of the date I'm writing this, all they requested from me was that I remove the school insignia and repaint the bus. They didn't require an inspection or proof of conversion. It should be noted, however, that I have a bus with hydraulic brakes -- although, under motor home classification they don't even ask about air brakes. Check with your state to see if you need anything extra to drive with air brakes.

Vermont will offer a transferrable registration for any vehicle over 15 years old. They won't give you a title -- but fear not, you can use this registration to then title your bus in your resident state if it's really that big of an issue. Realistically, it shouldn't be. I have been using out of state plates in NY for years without issue. If your bus is newer than 15 years you will receive a bonafide Vermont title.

- First and foremost, for transferable registrations (<15yrs), make sure you include a copy of your title. If you are expecting to receive a title (>15yrs) be sure to include your ORIGINAL title. If your bus has no title, make sure you have a bill of sale and a vin verification, verifying it's not stolen. As of now (01/01/17), it seems that a vin verification is only necessary if you have no ownership papers.

Vermont's application is named VD119. It is the appplication used for title, registration, renewal, transfer, tax, et cetera. Listed below are the steps I used to complete the form:

- Fill out Section 1 with your basic personal information.

- You can skip Sections 2 and 3A. To be safe, I completed 3B with the sellers info.

- Under Section 4, check "new registration". Skip the bit about plate # and expiration, as this is a new registration. When it asks for your registration/plate type, manually write in "Motor Home" followed by 19. I believe this is the code they use in the system to designate personal use.

- Fill out Section 5 with the relevant info from your title. If you do not have a title, fill it out as best you can. Beneath that, just to be safe, I listed the amount of axles, empty weight, and gross weight of my bus under "trucks".

- Under Section 6, write in the price you purchased the bus for. Vermont uses the purchase value -- or the listed NADA value -- whichever is greater, to calculate sales tax. Most buses are not listed in NADA. In this case, simply use 6 percent of what you paid for the bus. In my case, 2550 x .06(%) = $153. Write your total under "Net Taxable".

- Leave Section 7 blank unless you are tax exempt or purchasing a vehicle over 25 yrs old. I do not know how that works if your vehicle is older.

Add up your fees in Section 9 and figure out the total. For most of us, this should just be the registration fee for a Motor Home (As of now, $76 for one year or $140 for two years) and the tax calculated previously in Section 6.

If, however, your bus is newer than 15 years, and you are expecting a title back, include an extra $35 title fee. Check should be issued to "Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles" for the total combined amount. For added comfort, add an ADDITIONAL handwritten page outlining what you would like to accomplish and itemizing the fees you are paying.

So just to be repetitive:

Transferable registrations: Buses 15 years or older, include COPY of title + bill of sale + completed application + registration fee ($76/1yr or $140/2yrs) + 6% VT tax (or proof that tax has already been paid) + handwritten note itemizing your costs

Titles: Buses newer than 15 years old, include ORIGINAL title + bill of sale + completed application + registration fee ($76 or $140) + title fee ($35) + 6% VT tax (or proof it's paid) + handwritten note itemizing your costs

**If you do not have a transferable registration or title from the previous owner, include a vin verification.**

Sign your application at the bottom and mail all that stuff in to the Vermont DMV at:

Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles
120 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05603-0001

Wait 2 weeks and call to check the status of your application. If there are no problems turnaround is generally 2-3 weeks.

As of 10/29/18, turnaround time is between 3-4 weeks. Registration generally takes the full month. Please plan accordingly.

Your bus is now legally registered as an RV regardless of your geographic location and the title or transferable registration that was issued will make it possible to retitle your bus in your home state with (hopefully) no issues, should you so choose. For most of us full timers it doesn't really matter as we're all over the place geographically.

Hope this helps everyone else struggling in the more difficult states. Leave a comment and tell me about your experiences.

Example:

This form can be printed from online correct? And also I have air brakes but should I list it or just put hyd to be safe?
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Old 12-19-2018, 01:07 PM   #668
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Again, be cautioned that while the state of Vermont may not require inspections of the four of seven items to considered it an RV, your insurance company will. So you n
ow have a bus registered in Vermont as an RV and your insurance won't cover it because it isn't an RV so you will end up having to get more expensive insurance.
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Old 12-19-2018, 01:19 PM   #669
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Quote:
Originally Posted by o1marc View Post
Again, be cautioned that while the state of Vermont may not require inspections of the four of seven items to considered it an RV, your insurance company will. So you n
ow have a bus registered in Vermont as an RV and your insurance won't cover it because it isn't an RV so you will end up having to get more expensive insurance.
Thanks for the info and as of right now I do have insurance through natural general insurance as a incomplete Rv conversion policy.
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Old 12-19-2018, 02:06 PM   #670
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Quote:
Originally Posted by o1marc View Post
Again, be cautioned that while the state of Vermont may not require inspections of the four of seven items to considered it an RV, your insurance company will. So you n
ow have a bus registered in Vermont as an RV and your insurance won't cover it because it isn't an RV so you will end up having to get more expensive insurance.


Funnily enough, I had a harder time getting my title moved back than I did getting insurance. The BMV tried everything under the sun to make me do the proper conversion forms, but I managed to skirt it. My insurance company didn’t even ask for any proof or inspection.
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Old 12-19-2018, 03:13 PM   #671
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Quote:
Originally Posted by erniejt View Post
Let me begin by stating that I am only in the "research" step of creating my skoole and have no actual experience in this. I have been following this thread for a while and I think I might have a possible solution.
I have seen others that are converting step vans and what they do is to register as a "commercial vehicle for private use". Is this feasible for a bus?
I DO like the Vermont option. I spent about five years living there, and can speak from experience that they definitely have a much more "laid back" way of doing things like this. I wonder though if they are flooded with school bus registration applications if they might revise their standards.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your input and advice on all matters "Skoolie". I have learned a lot!
No, to my knowledge it is not possible to register a bus as "commercial vehicle for private use", but many members insure their vehicles that way. RV insurance is generally cheaper is all.

Quote:
Originally Posted by simpletradition View Post
Hello! I have a question.
We bought our bus back in May of this year. We got the title in our name and it says on their that the previous owner is ‘Pasadena isd.’ We bought it thru an auction company. But we did not get a bill of sale. I think we got a hand written receipt? But I’m not finding it anywhere. We have just had the bus parked on our property while we have worked on it. Now we are at the point we’d like to register it, so we can legally drive it on the road. I’m thinking of taking this route... registering thru Vermont. The only problem is I do not have a bill of sale. Do I just find a generic bill of sale document (or the specific one for Vermont) and fill out what I can? I know the auctioneers name and address and such. But his name is not anywhere on our title. Does that matter?
Our bus is a 1991 international... so it is older than 25 years.
Thank you for your help
Do the best you can with a generic bill of sale. I don't think DMV will give you a huge issue but I wouldn't want to risk sending the paperwork in without it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jonnyc View Post
HI warewolff! you have no idea how much I appreciate the info. Im in the brink of purchasing a shuttle bus here in PA. not a schoolie, i doubt there are any differences is getting it titled as an RV, but just want to double check just in case. I dont want to be stuck with a bus that I cant resell!
Again thank you so much for the info, I almost gave up as there were so many conflicting post in difference forums all geared toward different states. This is nice and simple.

some extra info about the bus.

shorter type bus ~22ft long
its on a ford e350 cutaway.
not sure the number of passengers, I would guess 16 by the number of seats left.
year 1995

thanks in advance!
Yes, you can register a shuttle bus or ANY other vehicle in the same manner as skoolies.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JasmineR29 View Post
This form can be printed from online correct? And also I have air brakes but should I list it or just put hyd to be safe?
Yes, form can be printed online. Link should be in the first post. I would make sure you mention that you have air brakes. You could face serious consequences should you ever have an accident if you don't disclose it now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by o1marc View Post
Again, be cautioned that while the state of Vermont may not require inspections of the four of seven items to considered it an RV, your insurance company will. So you n
ow have a bus registered in Vermont as an RV and your insurance won't cover it because it isn't an RV so you will end up having to get more expensive insurance.
Yes, 01marc is correct. However, Vermont does not require you to have insurance on your vehicles if you are not driving them. In my state, I would have to pay insurance for every day the bus sat on my property during conversion ... in New York I have to pay for insurance every single day the vehicle is registered, regardless as to whether it has an engine or not. This is a convenient way around that requirement and saved me a few hundred dollars in needless insurance costs.

Any more questions let me know.
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Old 12-19-2018, 03:54 PM   #672
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For most the VT path is just a temporary means to an end.

So many of these generalized statements about insurance vary by state, really best to find an agent with RV experience, if not some in conversions.

Calling into the insurance companies yourself can really limit your options.
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Old 12-19-2018, 05:42 PM   #673
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Remember that insurance companies are in the business of making money. The fact that they did no inspection when you showed them your RV title and insured it that way without an inspection doesn't mean in the event of a claim they won't deny you because it's not an RV according to their 4 of o7 requirements. The issue of commercial for personal use is only for the insurance company, not registration. During the build-out your bus will be registered as a bus, and your insurance will be commercial for personal use. After it's converted you can convert the title to RV and convert the insurance to RV rates.
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Old 12-20-2018, 11:35 PM   #674
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Two questions

Hey warewolff!

Thanks for all the help! Signing my papers tomorrow and had a couple questions looking this, perhaps geared at people who have recently done this:

First of all, I noticed your link for the VD119 form doesn't work anymore. When googling that number and clicking the first result, I noticed something different on the form that your picture -- instead of asking for your license number, it asks for "Vermont License". Has anything changed regarding our ability to do this without having a Vermont ID?

Second, if we have a signed title, should we send it in as-is, or should I get my new title from my state first and then send the new title with the form?

Thanks!
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Old 12-21-2018, 12:09 PM   #675
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VIN question

Heyas - thanks for the info. Anyone have any expierience with this on an older bus?? My bus is a 1973. The VIN is not a "standard 17 number" VIN. So do I apply for the new VIN from Vermont too?? Just wondering if theres any extra steps to take before I take the leap.
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Old 12-21-2018, 01:47 PM   #676
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Flawed_RV View Post
Heyas - thanks for the info. Anyone have any expierience with this on an older bus?? My bus is a 1973. The VIN is not a "standard 17 number" VIN. So do I apply for the new VIN from Vermont too?? Just wondering if theres any extra steps to take before I take the leap.
That's a great question.

My first bus did not have a proper VIN. just a manufacturers serial number. Caused me a lot of grief when it came to title/registration.

I look forward to seeing how others have dealt with this.
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Old 12-21-2018, 03:03 PM   #677
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That's a great question.

My first bus did not have a proper VIN. just a manufacturers serial number. Caused me a lot of grief when it came to title/registration.

I look forward to seeing how others have dealt with this.

yeahhhhh this one is MO-7904 or something like that. Im betting it's a PITA to get an "assigned VIN". Thanks though for your exp. Waiting on others to chime in before I give up on this bus.....
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Old 12-25-2018, 10:32 AM   #678
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WareWolff
The old link you posted doesnt work so here are the new links. The first one is the instructions and fee cost and the second is the the new VD-119.

{VD-119i} https://dmv.vermont.gov/sites/dmv/fi...structions.pdf
{VD-119}https://dmv.vermont.gov/sites/dmv/fi...itle_App_0.pdf
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Old 12-25-2018, 11:34 AM   #679
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Talking

Ware Wolff

Thank you for the time & research for the titling process, I have also attached the new form for your review I followed your first post so I just want to make sure that I did it correct.

I just have a few questions:

1) Will this process work on a buss that has back fees on the title here in California?

2) The title was lost by the owner, but he gave me a bill of sell, so I am assuming that this process should work according to your post? And because of this I know that I will have to do a vin verification.

3) Here in California they have this new thing called cameras on the freeway and they are checking for out of state license, I am wondering how this will affect the Vermont license on a bus that is registered to a California resident. I believe that a California resident would get a ticket and would have to convert to a California title in the end any way. But this will help me in the mean time to get the bus converted without having to hop through all the California regulations and save me some money to put towards the bus project and not into the hands of California

Here are the new links to the vermont VD-119 https://dmv.vermont.gov/sites/dmv/fi...itle_App_0.pdf
Attached Thumbnails
elvis presely vermont title.PNG  
Attached Files
File Type: pdf ELVIS PRESLEY VERMONT TITLING PROCCESS.pdf (682.3 KB, 14 views)
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Old 12-26-2018, 12:27 PM   #680
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yes with LP and facial rec cameras everywhere, the AI will be able to automate forcing local registration.

in that case this process is just good for the conversion process, and / or rarely driving within your home state
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