Insuring And Plating An Antique Truck

[ThaddeusW]

So I am actually contemplating buying a truck, I have some pennies saved up. Now the biggest question is how to properly plate and insure the truck so I can use it to cruise around town or pull a small trailer now and then. I was doing a bit of quick reading and I read that a commercial vehicle can be insured using private auto insurance as long as its not used for commercial purposes. Antique plates as far as I can tell are only good for a very specific purpose: parades, shows and club events; you cant move anything with them and you cant cruise around town.

So I figure I could register the truck with commercial plates (you have to in NY state) and insure it with regular auto insurance for private use. Has anyone done this before? Any other advice/input?

[Lmackattack]

Every state differs. I have my 77' plated with antique tags with gulfway insurance. Only thing I haul is a sled pulling truck on a low boy when going to the county fairs/ show . Never been bothered. You can pull your own stuff around to shows and in my opinion pull any trailer if its are being used to bring show related stuff to a show.

[mowerman]

well,i know this doesnt apply to you,but were lucky here in nevada,we have commercial antique plates,thier only 12 bucks a year,no limitations,except.no income with it,,,but as far as the insurance we go under motorhome catagory,its only around 150 a year,you might want to check on that...but the luck stops there,lol no mack parts here.lol...i see all these cool old trucks,for sale back there,for like $1000.bucks,,but then $4000 to have them shipped here.bummer dude..good luck bob

[1958 F.W.D.]

Dont know the laws in NYS, but here in Pa. an antique gets antique tags for a one-time fee with a permanent registration. Why on earth would you want to tag it commercially? Thats going to cost you boo-koo bucks. As for occasionally hauling around stuff, thats your business, no one can stop you from hauling stuff as long as you are not doing it for hire/within the definition of commerce.

As for insurance for my 1958 Firetruck, I have Condon & Skelly (Maple Shade, NJ.) Costs me about $70.00 (seventy) bucks a year for above-minimum coverage. I cannot exceed 2500 miles in one year (if I do 500 that was a busy year) and I cannot drive it between dusk and dawn.

I have heard good things about JC Taylor Insurance also.

One thing you DO NOT want to do is go through your own auto insurance carrier (unless they KNOW antique/classic coverage.) Go to the specialists like Condon & Skelly or JC Taylor- they know how to get you the best rates.

[single drive]

I just insured my dump trk with state farm here in mich for $130 for six months, it was a little more because i am going to use it for haulin some gravel for personal use. I had to go with a farm plate for it instead of the collector plate. The law reads on a mich collector plate that it can only b driven to and from shows, cruises, for repair purposes, and i think some type of leisure rides. I figured it was easier to go with the farm plate and save my self some hassel as i get enuf of that OTR.

[ThaddeusW]

Here is the line that has me thinking twice about historic plates:

Is a historical registration different from a standard registration?

Yes. You cannot use a historical vehicle for daily transportation. An automobile collector normally registers a historical vehicle or a vintage vehicle to use it for exhibits, club activities, tours, and parades.

I do want to use it for personal hauling so that appears to be out of the question. I will look up my options to see if there is an alternative, if not I might start out with historic plates and if they don't like what I am doing, then I change it if I have to.

[1958 F.W.D.]

I do want to use it for personal hauling so that appears to be out of the question. I will look up my options to see if there is an alternative, if not I might start out with historic plates and if they don't like what I am doing, then I change it if I have to.

What exactly are you going to haul, and how often are you going to do it? Remember, the minute you accept any money for hauling anything, you have broken a money law, and they frown on breaking money laws.

Again, I don't know the laws of the state of New York, but if they are the same or similar to Pennsylvania, they might be able to legally define (for regulatory purposes) what you can and cannot do under a historic tag, however proving what you are and are not doing are two different things entirely.

First of all, it would take a Cop with a pool cue shoved halfway up his ass to hassle you to begin with. I have never been pulled over (maybe being in a firetruck might have something to do with that, who knows) but even if you are pulled over, what are they going to say to you: "I dont like these boxes in here?" Keep your nose clean, your equipment in good order, and all of your documents handy and in good order, and you will be fine. I have all of my documents (registration, insurance, CAT weight receipt and even a letter from the Commissioner of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Driver Licensing) all in clear sheet protectors in a 3-ring binder behing the seat. That way if I ever DO get pulled over, first thing Mister Smokey (or local yokel) hopefully sees is that I am professional all the way.

I do not have a CDL, which is NOT required in the State of Pa for a privately-owned antique that is not within commerce. My trucks chassis GVWR is 29,000lbs however on a good day when fully loaded she does not exceed 19,000. So I also keep the letter from the State in the binder, along with the CAT ticket, just in case some over-zealous member of the law enforcement community decides on his own that I need a CDL.

My insurance (and antique tags for that matter) basically says that I can only use my truck for parades, shows, and "leisure" drives. What is the definition of a "leisure" drive? Does this mean I cannot take it to my kid's kindergarten class if the teacher calls me and asks????? Can I not use it in a Firefighter's funeral? First of all, what cop is going to ticket me for a non-regulated use that is not clearly defined under Pa statuates, and secondly, how is he going to prove that me going to my kid's kindergarten class is a non-regulated use????

[Greg Rider]

I have my A insured with Allstate. We had State Farm but they got on my nerves with the flood of mail and phone calls about life insurance and trying to sell other stuff that I said enough. I have a "model year" plate. To run this I had to get a historical plate and then give them the numbers on the model year plate to be valid. It says parades, shows, events, etc, etc. What I call a special event and they call are different definitions. I have driven my truck to work a few times,so what. If I ever got pulled over,,um I am driving it because it needs driven. I need to take it on some shakedown trips to make sure it is ready and running correctly for the real shows. I have hauled plenty with her and never been bothered,even get waves and thumbs up from police. I make sure that my insurance will cover loads, on the bed or on a trailer. As long as it is mine or I'm doing a favor, meaning no profit, I am covered. I am sure to ask my agent the dumbest scenarios possible to get his answer. In about 2 weeks I'll be hauling some lumber for my neighbors new deck,,covered,,no questions.

[Greg Rider]

http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo259/gregrider/?action=view&current=0520011223.mp4

This is faith with the flatbed for my Dodge on the back. I drove about 30 miles 1 way to get this.

[fxfymn]

Contact your DMV office and ask them what the rules are for NY or look them up on their web site. In VA antique tags allow you to use the vehicle for special events, etc., anything but routine everyday use. At one time you had to get an affadavit notarized that you had another vehicle and you would not use the antique as your daily use vehicle, but the DMV dropped that rule.

My insurance is with J.C. Taylor. You state the value and they insure to that value. I gave them a value of 12K for the 75A and I pay about $100.00 per year. The insurer limits the miles and the use to basically the same rules as DMV.

[Lmackattack]

If you do plan to run the truck to make side cash. I would see if your state has mileage tags. This plate costs about 2/3 less problem is the insurance. Regardless of how often the truck is working if in a wreck you need the coverage. I wad quoted 5.5k per year here in Chicago.

[mowerman]

If you do plan to run the truck to make side cash. I would see if your state has mileage tags. This plate costs about 2/3 less problem is the insurance. Regardless of how often the truck is working if in a wreck you need the coverage. I wad quoted 5.5k per year here in Chicago.

know what you mean,man..i was paying (8)G,S a year in california,and that was 21 years ago.guess the point is,watch what what you ask them for lol...bob.and thats my story

[The Fireman]

I've got historical plates on my 56 ford fire engine here in new york, hagerty charges me 150 a year for insurance (because its a fire engine with red lights and a sieren) I'm limited to 2500 mi a year with it and the way it was explained to me at the DMV was that the tags were good for show's parades and what not. They did say that it was not for daily transportation but driving it to work or taking it for a cruse once in a while wasnt going to be a problem either. I drive the old girl to work every once in a while and run it to the fire house for meetings from time to time. I've never had any problems with old johny law, I did put a set of mufflers on it to avoid atracting attention to myself. She sounded good with the striaght pipes but it was a little loud even by my standards, figured it was best to tone it back a little to avoid giving some cop a reason to pull me over.... although getting a ticket in a fire engine would sure make for a good story if it wasnt such a hassel.

I say get the historical plates, keep the truck in top notch shape, get the appropriate inspection for the weight class (my truck weighs 15000 and has juce brakes so I'm good with a light truck inspection) and dont attract alot of attention when you are out driving and I think you'll be just fine.

[mowerman]

I've got historical plates on my 56 ford fire engine here in new york, hagerty charges me 150 a year for insurance (because its a fire engine with red lights and a sieren) I'm limited to 2500 mi a year with it and the way it was explained to me at the DMV was that the tags were good for show's parades and what not. They did say that it was not for daily transportation but driving it to work or taking it for a cruse once in a while wasnt going to be a problem either. I drive the old girl to work every once in a while and run it to the fire house for meetings from time to time. I've never had any problems with old johny law, I did put a set of mufflers on it to avoid atracting attention to myself. She sounded good with the striaght pipes but it was a little loud even by my standards, figured it was best to tone it back a little to avoid giving some cop a reason to pull me over.... although getting a ticket in a fire engine would sure make for a good story if it wasnt such a hassel.

I say get the historical plates, keep the truck in top notch shape, get the appropriate inspection for the weight class (my truck weighs 15000 and has juce brakes so I'm good with a light truck inspection) and dont attract alot of attention when you are out driving and I think you'll be just fine.

hehe,,well the cop would have to be a real piece a work anyway,to even ask for paperwork,on it lol.long as tags are current.bob

[fxfymn]

I've got historical plates on my 56 ford fire engine here in new york, hagerty charges me 150 a year for insurance (because its a fire engine with red lights and a sieren)

Try checking with J.C. Taylor in Upper Darby, PA. My 52 Mack runs about $50.00 per year less than you are paying for a stated value of 12k.

[The Fireman]

Try checking with J.C. Taylor in Upper Darby, PA. My 52 Mack runs about $50.00 per year less than you are paying for a stated value of 12k.

I'll have to check with them, when I got the truck I was in a hurry to get it regestered because the previous owner had lung cancer and wasnt doing real well so I wanted everything in my name in case something happened to him. Unfortunatly he passed away last month but I did manage to get the truck all cleaned up and took it his family reunion last fall so he got to see it back on the road, sure made his day and mine to seeing the smile on his face when I pulled in with the old girl.

The biggest problem I ran into was my age and the fact that it is a fire engine, very few comapanies wanted to talk to me at all being that I am only 26.