How to immediatEly register your bus as an RV without conversion:

[john61ct]

Never mind, I'll assume you're all set then

[Rendeane]

Originally Posted by startedonlove

Hi!

What would you say to a cop if they pulled you over in your skoolie? As the reason why your bus is registered in VT / why you have VT plates?

If I were stopped by law enforcement and questioned why my California driver's license and California proof of insurance didn't match my Vermont registration which lists my California address....I will tell them that I live/work part time in California and part time in Vermont. All important mail is directed to my California address where my assistant/family member/business partner receives it and sends it to me Fed Ex, as needed, depending on my location. My bus normally remains in Vermont and is used for camping trips in New England but my Vermont friends/relatives decided to leave the state and take a road trip.

If law enforcement wants to know the nature of your business...hell, just claim you're just one more worthless YouTube/TikToc/Instagram "influencer." Get a set of free business cards from VistaPrint that show you are a "consultant" of some sort and use the address of some grocery store in Vermont. When I lived in Las Vegas, I knew a woman who had a business renting charter buses and taking people on walking tours of New England. She had waiting lists for her 10-day walking tours.

[john61ct]

Personally I'd rather not tell outright lies, but that's me, morally quirky that way.

From a purely pragmatic PoV, when dealing with law enforcement, at least avoid unnecessary ones that could easily be revealed as lies with minimal effort.

Bottom line, especially in a revenue-hungry state like CA, it is **the law** for any vehicle remaining in the state for X days (20?) to get registered locally.

That is likely to be more strictly enforced (in jurisdictions that care) wrt owners that are resident / domiciled in that state.

Usually all about the money, not just fees but collecting local property taxes.

[Rendeane]

"Morally quirky." That's cute.

In California and Nevada, you have 30 days to register your vehicle in the state. If you are unable to provide a valid reason for your out of state plates, law enforcement will give you a ticket with a hefty fine to force compliance.

Telling law enforcement you "just moved here" but cannot explain why your out of state registered vehicle has in state insurance guarantees receipt of a ticket. Don't lecture me about having an explanation ready.

Why are you on a thread supporting out of state registration if you support registration in your own state of residence? The point for the people here is to register in Vermont for hassle free registration and cost savings.

[Rwnielsen]

I have this bookmarked and I'll be back, hopefully soon

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by Rendeane

Why are you on a thread supporting out of state registration if you support registration in your own state of residence? The point for the people here is to register in Vermont for hassle free registration and cost savings.

Was that addressed to me? Not a matter of "supporting" one or the other.

I was just pointing out, as you expanded on, that part of being able to enjoy the latter, is checking if the locally-register requirement is enforced where you are keeping the bus.

Just using the VT rego to cover "while converting", rarely driving should rarely be a problem even so.

And full-timers that are genuine nomads are usually going to be OK too, free to always move on.

All depend on the use case and context.

[Miss Mercedes]

I've used the VT registration method numerous times on barn find motorcycles. This year I used it to register a rally car and most recently, my skoolie project.

Turnaround time is currently about a month for the plates with about an additional two weeks for the registration and sticker.

I sent in the form, a check for $145, a handwritten letter detailing the fees, and a copy of my bus title. I got my plates a month later.

I've never been bothered by law enforcement for running VT plates. And I have a lawyer should I ever get a ticket. lol

[Leines]

Not sure if this is where to add my experience but i just went thru the very simple process of having my E450 shuttle bus converted over from Commercial to RV. They basically just made me swear that i had a few minor RV items in the bus and the seats were removed. and they registered it as a RV for me with no problems. Even used my old vanity Plates.

[Miss Mercedes]

Originally Posted by Leines

Not sure if this is where to add my experience but i just went thru the very simple process of having my E450 shuttle bus converted over from Commercial to RV. They basically just made me swear that i had a few minor RV items in the bus and the seats were removed. and they registered it as a RV for me with no problems. Even used my old vanity Plates.

Yeah, sometimes DMVs will just reclassify your title/registration without making sure it's been inspected. I suppose it's always worth a shot and if not, VT is always here as a plan b!

[Leines]

Originally Posted by Miss Mercedes

Yeah, sometimes DMVs will just reclassify your title/registration without making sure it's been inspected. I suppose it's always worth a shot and if not, VT is always here as a plan b!

I should have added in from Ontario Canada...

[Sraycwb]

Sent ours in to be registered. They'll be in posession of it today. Will update as it progresses.

[Phatman]

What is the significance of registering it as a MH, as apposed to a Private Bus? I had no problem registering my bus as a private bus. Insurance was not a problem. Sent my pictures in and the amount I wanted to cover. Got full coverage at a fairly reasonable. Inspection was not a problem. Is it cheaper on your coverage?

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by Phatman

What is the significance of registering it as a MH, as apposed to a Private Bus? I had no problem registering my bus as a private bus. Insurance was not a problem. Sent my pictures in and the amount I wanted to cover. Got full coverage at a fairly reasonable. Inspection was not a problem. Is it cheaper on your coverage?

I think it's a state-by-state thing. In PA, when my bus was still a "BUS" (per the title), I was unable to find any insurance other than commercial, which was thousands per year. No agent I spoke to for any company had heard of a "commercial vehicle for private use" policy (although I've seen at least one PA resident say they had such a policy). It was only after I was registered (in VT) as a motorhome that I was able to get RV insurance from Allstate (who are fully aware that it's a bus conversion and that I reside in PA). My coverage (liability-only) is $350 a year but I think that would be the same regardless of whether I was registered in VT or PA.

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by Phatman

What is the significance of registering it as a MH, as apposed to a Private Bus?

Also many states the MH is only way to get around them requiring CDL.

[BeNimble]

In california, making it an RV means you can have a late-model diesel, and you don't pay weight fees on registration.

I must entirely agree that the Vermont thing won't fly legally in california.
Being a camper, having out-of-state plates is not such a red flag, but all it takes is an unfriendly neighbor, or you actually run a stop sign, etc, and get pulled over.

[john61ct]

Having an out of state DL & legal domicile should get you cut some slack though, so long as you are genuinely touring, not settling down in one place more than a week or two.

I agree that CA residents using it just for the conversion period, should either keep it parked out of sight or be prepared to maybe catch a fine driving it around

[Phatman]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I think it's a state-by-state thing. In PA, when my bus was still a "BUS" (per the title), I was unable to find any insurance other than commercial, which was thousands per year. No agent I spoke to for any company had heard of a "commercial vehicle for private use" policy (although I've seen at least one PA resident say they had such a policy). It was only after I was registered (in VT) as a motorhome that I was able to get RV insurance from Allstate (who are fully aware that it's a bus conversion and that I reside in PA). My coverage (liability-only) is $350 a year but I think that would be the same regardless of whether I was registered in VT or PA.

Yeah my insurance agent didn’t say one way or another about it being titled as a MH or private bus if there was a price difference. They just wanted pictures of the conversion and asked me what value I had in it. I was able to get full coverage based on a $1000 deductible for $32.00 a month. We valued it at $38,000. The DMV said if I wanted I title it as a MH, I needed to fill out 3 different forms with pictures and submit it to the State. It just didn’t seem like it was worth it unless I was able to save some money on the insurance. Getting my inspection & plates was about $275.

[john61ct]

relevant bits on the local registration laws and States's use of commercially available realtime location data https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f18/confused-about-insurance-ma-or-vt-33292.html#post414652

[Phatman]

Originally Posted by john61ct

relevant bits on the local registration laws and States's use of commercially available realtime location data https://www.skoolie.net/forums/showthread.php?p=414652

Thanks for the info John

[Narz]

I bought my bus a couple months ago and have to wait till January to get to the SOS here in Michigan so the bus is still not in my name. Could I still do this?

Michigan requires insurance to register and I'm having trouble finding anyone to insure it as a non-commercial use vehicle so im thinking this might be my ticket to get it retitled as an RV and then get some cheaper insurance.

Thanks