Cargo Bus

[Grump]

Gents,

I am involved in a non-profit orgainization that transports donated food, clothing, and other items to an Indian Reservation. We are looking for a hauling rig capable of transporting about 8 people, and a whole lot of cargo in a dry, semi-heated area. A skoolie relieved of all but 4 of its seats seems to fit this bill, and the prices are much more attractive than using a regular dry van.
This rig would not include any of the things required to be called an RV. What snags might a guy run into trying to register and insure one as a cargo hauler? Any of you guys ever done anything similar?

Thanks,
Grump

[Steve]

Registration will be no problem, you can register it as a private bus, van, or suburban type vehicle. My bus was registered as a suburban when I bought it.

As for insurance you will just register it as a truck not a school bus. Give them the year, make and model of the chassis and then you are usually good. A lot of farmers use school buses for hauling things and carrying people around most states even have special laws allowing for this.

It sounds to me that school bus will be an excellent vehicle for your organizaion. They can carry a LOT of weight, cheap to buy and mantain, been maintained to govt standards, and best of all you can easily customize it to suit exactly what you want

[stego]

When I asked my DMV here in Colorado about changing my bus title, I told them we were pulling all the seats but 4 and i would be used to haul gear. The woman suggested to me that it be retiltled as a truck - quick and cheap! The only caveat would be I have been stopped twice by polce that were curious as to why my bus had truck plates. After giving them registration and a brief explanation all was good and we were on our way.
Now the bus has a "Not for hire" sticker and a "Max Cap 10" sticker and hasn't been stopped since.

Hope this helps -
Stego

[Grump]

Thanks for the info guys!

Stego, I'm in Colorado too, sounds like your set-up is about what I'm looking to do. Good to know about the "Not for Hire" and Max Capacity" stickers.

[busone]

That is good to know about Colorado. We might be moving back there in a few months and I want to eventually get an skoolie to haul firewood and construction materials. It would be cheaper than a pickup and can haul a lot more.