Getting bus home without registration

[bb12489]

My wife and I will be heading to GA this weekend to pickup a partially converted bus. It's a Thomas 2002 safety-liner. 20in roof raise has already been completed. I've already secured insurance for the bus, and I will have the bill of sale+title in hand when we pick it up. It is not currently titled as an RV. It's going to be about a 3 hour drive back to NC from GA.

My question is....How can I get this bus home without it having a registration? I obviously can't wait the 2-3 weeks for VT registration if I'm picking it up this weekend. Is the bill of sale and title enough to have on hand? The bus will have liability coverage. Just trying to be as legal as I possibly can be. I don't expect to run into any trouble driving it back home, but this will be my first time driving a bus. I know that all eyes will be on me during the drive.

[rossvtaylor]

I don't know the GA laws and I didn't find an applicable answer just now, with some searching. In AZ, we can get a 3-day trip permit pretty quickly...like instantly. GA mentions 72-hour permits, but those seem to be for commercial truckers. You might check at one of the "County Tag Offices" GA has listed. If you go in one, they may have a cheap/quick option for you.

I will respectfully dispute your "all eyes will be on me" statement. I've driven lots of new buses across the country and found that they have been universally invisible to law enforcement on the road. I always have a paper temp tag taped in the rear window, but it could just as well be restaurant menu I think...I've never had anyone seem curious or try to check it.

[ewo1]

Originally Posted by bb12489

My wife and I will be heading to GA this weekend to pickup a partially converted bus. It's a Thomas 2002 safety-liner. 20in roof raise has already been completed. I've already secured insurance for the bus, and I will have the bill of sale+title in hand when we pick it up. It is not currently titled as an RV. It's going to be about a 3 hour drive back to NC from GA.

My question is....How can I get this bus home without it having a registration? I obviously can't wait the 2-3 weeks for VT registration if I'm picking it up this weekend. Is the bill of sale and title enough to have on hand? The bus will have liability coverage. Just trying to be as legal as I possibly can be. I don't expect to run into any trouble driving it back home, but this will be my first time driving a bus. I know that all eyes will be on me during the drive.

simple solution...

Please visit the state of Georgia website for a temporary operating permit.
https://dor.georgia.gov/temporary-op...icense%20plate.

[ewo1]

Originally Posted by ewo1

simple solution...

Please visit the state of Georgia website for a temporary operating permit.
https://dor.georgia.gov/temporary-op...icense%20plate.

Dekalb county tax collector office -> https://dekalbtax.org/temporary-operating-permitsplates

[bb12489]

Originally Posted by ewo1

simple solution...

Please visit the state of Georgia website for a temporary operating permit.
https://dor.georgia.gov/temporary-op...icense%20plate.

How would I do this if I'm picking up the bus on a weekend? I can't do this online correct? I'm not currently in GA.

[Hutchy]

You're fine I bought my Element in Atlanta and drove it home to NC and also drove my bus from Alabama to NC through GA(mostly the same route once I hit ATL). All you need is a driver license, title, bill of sale, and insurance. You have a grace period to drive it home.

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

NCDMV if you have the VIN number and insurance will give you a 10-day tag.

[alpine44]

I just had the same challenge with a dump truck I bought near Atlanta, GA.
The temporary operating permits issued by Georgia are not applicable since they require a GA driver's license.
NC DMV did not issue temporary plates in April of 2022. (I have to check whether they do now, which would be the obvious solution).
So I called Georgia State Police and they assured me that I would not get hassle if I had the title, a bill of sale no older than a week, insurance, and would appear to be on my way to my state of residence.

[alpine44]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger bus 223

NCDMV if you have the VIN number and insurance will give you a 10-day tag.

In April of 2022 they would only issue this for vehicles with NC title for purposes of inspection and registration. Did you get an NC temp tag for a vehicle with out of state title more recently?

[TheHubbardBus]

My return trip was 3 days across multiple states, so I did things on the up & up.
3 hours across 1... I think I would have risked that. But that's me.
Caveat: If not being registered would provide cause for insurance to deny a claim, I would not risk it. Don't know how that works.

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

Originally Posted by alpine44

In April of 2022 they would only issue this for vehicles with NC title for purposes of inspection and registration. Did you get an NC temp tag for a vehicle with out of state title more recently?

no i bought an old truck from the other side of town 7 years ago and had bill of sale and title.
got pulled over for tags and played stupid saying i thought dealers only got temp. tags.
then he wanted to see the vin but on that truck it is stamped into the frame rail and he didnt want to go looking for it.
i got a warning and said next time go to the DMV and get temp. tags.
i drove both of my buses home without tags and my most recent purchase was a shorty i drove from wakeforest down here with no tags only had insurance bill of sale and title not even signed over to me and had no problems but most was I40 and a had a close tag along behind me.
but they were all in state purchase.
anything out of state was all trailered but that was because they were not road ready.
maybe make your own plate saying in transit.
i was in my local DMV registering and titling the shorty and after they told me that they couldnt fully register it as a bus and i had to go to the troopers to certify it as an camper/RV and asked if i needed temp. tags to get it inspected.
that was middle of march this year in onslow county?
if you dont like the answer at one office go to another.
example i live on three county lines?
we normally go to carteret county DMV with no problems but heard that jones county little sattelite office was easier because they were contracted?
didnt turn out that way that grumpy old witch just didnt want to do it but i had a few other vehicles before that to do.
so we went to the onslow county office and got the title changed which is all we were trying to do at this point no problems.
when its time to register i might go to carteret county and see what they say?
my big bus is registered as a bus no questions asked but that was 2013 or later i think?
good luck
bill of sale and title both stamped by a notary with proof of insurance and hit the road.
the notary stamp proves its legit.

[sportyrick]

go for it, the cops understand especially if you are going to another state and have to go through theirs.

[turf]

go for it!

we all did, bringing our own buses home.

a recent, notarized bill of sale should be enough to get your new vehicle home to be registered.

if you have insurance, you should be good.

the reason no one knows... is you 're making it harder than it is. its not criminal to purchase something across state lines and bring it home. it happens every day.

if you were moving a commercial load, then.... pull all the permits you want. for you new rv, they arent needed.

get in, drive it like you stole it.

have fun

[turf]

i had friend on fb that got a bus in utah.

under my advise, i said, drive it home thru rocky mountain national park.

the park doesnt allow commercial vehicles.

she pulled into the park, paid her fee and went forward. the park police pulled her over a 1000' past the toll both, to assess the situation.

the bill of sale was all she needed to continue on thru the park. proving she was the owner and the vehicle was not commercial use.

enjoy your new rv

[roxious55]

I drove from Savanna Georgia to Faye NC not once but twice with bluebird tc2000s without any registration any insurance just drive safely and I promise you won’t have any problems

[roxious55]

All nc dmv are private owned

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

no not all of them.
jones county satellite offices are private owned the main office is state owned.
onslow and carteret are state owned when i lived in wake county 20+ years ago it was state owned.

[bb12489]

Just to give an update to everyone. We made it back with no issue from GA to NC. It was about a 200 miles trip, and I passed by a few different cops. One even flew past me. No one batted an eye. Everyone else was just amazed at the bus and was waving and taking photos as they passed.

I made sure to have my proof of insurance, bill of sale, and title with me. If I had to do this again, I would feel a lot more at easy for sure.

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

cool
what kind of bus?
what part of NC?

[bb12489]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger bus 223

cool
what kind of bus?
what part of NC?

It's a 2002 Thomas Saf-t-liner. I think about 38-40ft. It has a roof raise already completed. You can follow us @TheBeersBus on Instagram.

We live in Asheville area.