MochetVelo Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 I purchased a new car hauler in Michigan and plan to tow it back to PA. Trouble is, the dealer says I must register the trailer with the Michigan Secretary of State to get a license plate. To get a plate in PA, I must present the trailer at the tag place so they can verify the VIN. I don't want to spend weeks in Michigan to get a license plate I'll only need for the drive back to PA. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trulyvintage Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 (edited) 5 hours ago, MochetVelo said: I purchased a new car hauler in Michigan and plan to tow it back to PA. Trouble is, the dealer says I must register the trailer with the Michigan Secretary of State to get a license plate. To get a plate in PA, I must present the trailer at the tag place so they can verify the VIN. I don't want to spend weeks in Michigan to get a license plate I'll only need for the drive back to PA. Any suggestions? Every state is different when it comes to retail sales to out of state buyers. Because the retail location is in the business of selling trailers - I would trust their advice. If you doubt what they are telling you - contact the Motor Vehicle Division directly in the state you are making a purcase in. Make sure you insure your new trailer as soon as you buy it. It is absurd to believe you can tow a car hauler trailer on a public road without a license plate & current registration or a temporary trip permit for each state you are traveling thru .... Jim Edited August 2, 2022 by Trulyvintage (see edit history) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MochetVelo Posted August 2, 2022 Author Share Posted August 2, 2022 The Michigan dealer replied to my inquiry about temporary MI tags: You must be a Michigan resident. Do you want me to mail all the Paperwork to you so you can get a temporary tag from Pennsylvania? You do have the right to transport a new purchased vehicle or trailer without a plate to its home state without any penalty. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trulyvintage Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 1 hour ago, MochetVelo said: The Michigan dealer replied to my inquiry about temporary MI tags: You must be a Michigan resident. Do you want me to mail all the Paperwork to you so you can get a temporary tag from Pennsylvania? You do have the right to transport a new purchased vehicle or trailer without a plate to its home state without any penalty. Most states will not issue a license plate & registration for a motor vehicle to a non-resident. Some states will issue temporary tag to operate a motor vehicle on state roads within their jurisdictions. Whether or not your state will issue you a temporary tag or trip permit to put on a trailer you are towing varies from state to state. I have purchased (5) new enclosed car hauler trailers in the last (15) years in Georgia, Georgia does not charge sales tax to out of state residents. Georgia issues a " certificate of origin " in lieu of a title. I put my latest plate off the current enclosed car hauler trailer I am using to tow it back to Ohio where I get a new plate & registration. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MochetVelo Posted August 4, 2022 Author Share Posted August 4, 2022 This just in from PennDOT in reply to my query: Thank you for contacting PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services. The trailer would not be permitted on roads in Pennsylvania with registration. You may be able to get an in-transit tag for the trailer. For information regarding those tags, please contact the Michigan Department of Transportation at 517-322-1460 or access their website at www.michigan.gov/mdot. Interesting situatiuon. Michigan does not issue temporary tags or transit tags, and PA won't give me tags until the trailer is in PA. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 Some years ago I ordered a custom built Forest River enclosed car hauler. The dealer was Trailerworld in Kentucky, and the trailer was built in Indiana. The dealer emailed, and then sent me a hard copy photo of the VIN. I brought the paperwork, including MSO, Bill of Sale, and both a photo, and a pencil tracing of the VIN (anal retentive?) to the HQ for Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles, but it could vave been done at a local office, or by mail. They issued my permanent license plate which I brought along when the trailer was ready for pick up - no issues! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MochetVelo Posted August 5, 2022 Author Share Posted August 5, 2022 The title agency gave me Form MV-41 (Verification of Vehicle Identification Number) to send to the trailer dealer. A licensed mechanic fills in the VIN with their signature. They implied this might result in my obtaining a tag. We'll see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILIKECARS53 Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 I am familiar with your problem. The MV-41 can also be filled out by a notary public or a police officer, which I suggest you try to have do it. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avanti Bill Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 I get long term tag from Maine though I live in MD. There are services up there that handle everything and can keep you abreast of various state regs. Not all states allow for Maine trailer registration but it works in Maryland. I think the last tag I got was for 10 years and I think I could have gone longer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MochetVelo Posted August 9, 2022 Author Share Posted August 9, 2022 1 hour ago, Avanti Bill said: I get long term tag from Maine though I live in MD. There are services up there that handle everything and can keep you abreast of various state regs. Not all states allow for Maine trailer registration but it works in Maryland. I think the last tag I got was for 10 years and I think I could have gone longer. An interesting idea, Bill. Not sure if I can do this in Pennsylvania, however. I assume sales tax must be paid, for example. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTR Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 (edited) Couple of observations: First, why would anyone buy any vehicle for public road use before confirming any and all operational regulations related to that vehicle ??? On 8/2/2022 at 6:53 AM, Trulyvintage said: I put my latest plate off the current enclosed car hauler trailer I am using to tow it back to Ohio where I get a new plate & registration. While I'm not familiar with Georgia nor Ohio state regulations, I somehow suspect attaching a license plate from vehicle A (with a certain VIN) to another, vehicle B (with a different VIN), would probably be considered illegal by most or perhaps all states in the union. If not, why would anyone owning multiple vehicles, license/register (or insure ?) more than one of them, instead of just swapping that plate/registration (& insurance) between it and all other vehicles ? As far as I know Certifications of Origins, Registrations and Titles are all linked/referenced to a specific VIN, i.e. Vehicle Identification Number. Same with insurance. Only reasonably accurate answers to OP's questions are likely to be received from government authorities overseeing related regulations, i.e. Department of Motor Vehicles or State Police, a.k.a. Highway Patrol, etc, not some random online discussion forum with umpteen million "opinions". Edited August 9, 2022 by TTR (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avanti Bill Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 This is the service I use and I'm sure they would know the rules for PA and have always answered any of my questions over the phone. As the trailer will be titled in Maine there would be no PA title tax, in MD this saves 6%. This works in MD but not sure if it works in PA. Link below. https://staabagency.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted sweet Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 On 8/1/2022 at 8:16 PM, Bills Auto Works said: You do not need to put a plate on something you just bought, as long as you have your paperwork with you if you get stopped on the way back. Just like when you buy a car & need to take it for an out of state inspection before transferring the title, you drive it to the inspection location without a plate. God bless Bill https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/nationwide-single-car-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/ not in new york Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trulyvintage Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 On 9/15/2022 at 6:51 PM, ted sweet said: not in new york Not in any state that am aware of ,,,,, Jim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MochetVelo Posted September 18, 2022 Author Share Posted September 18, 2022 (edited) My license plate quest drags on. The PA title agency said the Certificate of Origin the dealer sent (like a title from the trailer manufacturer) would work as proof of ownership. Showing it to them, they said it required a notary seal, so I sent it back to Michigan for that. It was returned with the seal (stamp) on a separate piece of paper. This was rejected, so I Fedexed it back to Mich. for the third time. The dealer is in no rush and sends everything USPS which takes a week. This next time may work (maybe)... Phil Edited September 18, 2022 by MochetVelo (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MochetVelo Posted September 23, 2022 Author Share Posted September 23, 2022 Thanks to Form MV-41 (signed by a mechanic at the trailer dealership), a notarized Certificate of Origin and a check to the Commonwealth of PA, I got my trailer license plate today. PA gives 10 days to have the trailer inspected, but that's another story! My next step is to actually pick up the trailer in Michigan. Phil 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Street Posted September 28, 2022 Share Posted September 28, 2022 On 8/9/2022 at 10:52 AM, Avanti Bill said: This is the service I use and I'm sure they would know the rules for PA and have always answered any of my questions over the phone. As the trailer will be titled in Maine there would be no PA title tax, in MD this saves 6%. This works in MD but not sure if it works in PA. Link below. https://staabagency.com/ Bill I use the same agency for my trailers with same great results. Oh my local legislator buddy says Maryland is really trying hard to get Maine tags outlawed. I have had issues at scales over them but the cadet in training asked a supervisor what to do Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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