Historic Vehicle Plates: Pros/Cons in Ontario, Canada

[chris vickery]

One must remember that MTO officers can and will do as they like. Armchair lawyers take note. Better to be on the side of compliance, ignorance is not a defence, nor is "I thought..."
Trying to pass off a 1 ton plus military vehicle as a pickup when in fact it is not is only going to lead you into troubled waters.
Furthermore, it does not really matter what your registration says. Too many times the poor MTO lady at the office simply does not really know what you have either. MTO officers can order your vehicle in for an inspection and re-write of your registration if they deem it inaccurate or misleading.
At the very least you are in for a weigh in and likely a mechanical inspection as well at the scales. Remember too that MTO inspection officers are likely not familiar with the weirdness of military vehicle mechanical systems neither and can up the ante by pulling your plates and sending you off for inspection at a certified mechanic station.
Food for thought.

[Jack Innes]

Grant has led us to some very useful information. There is a section that clearly spells out the regulation that is often interpreted differently by different MOT officers. http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/tru...-faq.shtml#a16 I have printed a copy to go in each of my trucks for roadside reference if needed. It would seem that a considerable load can be carried legally if carefully placed on the trailer.

It is worth noting as well that, while they do not announce it, most weigh stations leave their scales on when they are not open & do not mind their use. I will be doing so again soon.

[Mike Gray]

Well, I agree with Chris. Ignorance is not a defence. Yet it can, and is, a double edged sword. And we often find ourselves at the mercy of those who do not know any better. Witness Jeff Davis from Maple ridge, B.C., under Coming Events forum,was stopped on the way to Remembrance Parade by R.C.M.P. and almost ticketed for not having doors on his '42 Willys.

[Grant Bowker]

Originally Posted by Jack Innes

It is worth noting as well that, while they do not announce it, most weigh stations leave their scales on when they are not open & do not mind their use. I will be doing so again soon.

Another source of information regarding the weight of your vehicles is the scale at your local gravel pit or garbage dump. Some will give an unofficial weight for free but most I have met will charge if you want an official printed version of the weight ticket.

[chris vickery]

You can also check your local truck stops, many of them have CAT certified scales but will charge you for a scale ticket.

[Eric B]

Hello

It seems this thread has moved to Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) category from historic plates.

There are lots of good points brought up. Generally 4500 kilograms is the magic number.

One thing you must remember is its not the actual combined weight that is looked at, but the Registered Gross Vehicle Weight (RGVW), this is the weight that the trailer and truck is capable of carrying.

There are two parts to your truck registration. The left side has the empty weight (GVW). The right side has the RGVW, this is the maximum you registered the vehicle for including occupants, load and trailer. If you exceed this number you are overweight and you pay by the kg over the trucks RGVW.

You can get this increased at the MTO office...for a fee of course.

The trailer will only have the GVW on the left side. The RGVW will be on the data plate attached to the trailer. (This is the number looked at for RGVW not what you have actually loaded on the trailer).

Many time the trucks RGVW is too low, when you add the GVW of the trailer with the GVW of the truck, combined it exceeds the trucks RGVW. If this is the case then you are overweight just hooking the trailer up.

If you have an unmodified pickup that exceeds 4500 kg (dual wheels) then you have some exemptions (with CVOR, Annual inspections etc).. that is until you hook up a dual axle trailer. Most dual axle trailers have a minimum RGVW of 3175 kg. Which as soon as you hook up to any truck will put you over 4500 kg.

If the trailer requires an annual safety inspection.. so does the truck.

MTO now check for CVOR when you renew your vehicles plates. If the RGVW is over 4500 they will not renew it unless you have a CVOR or advise them that it is under the exemption.

MTO Enforcers are well trained in this area. It is a standardized training and not up to individual interpretation as insinuated in this thread.

It is up to the vehicle owners/drivers to follow the rules.

With Commercial Motor Vehicles (those above 4500 kg regardless of what it is being used for) the driver and /or the owner can be charged.

Not having an annual safety inspection is a $240.00 fine, for each the trailer and truck. It is cheaper to get the safety than to get the ticket, which then will effect your insurance rating as well.

There are no exemptions for renting or borrowing a truck or trailer for annual safety inspections, so make sure it has one if you choose to exceed the 4500 kg category.

There may also be a requirement for a daily vehicle inspection and/or log book.

Again there are some exemptions but they are very limited and specific.

Please go to the MTO web page or e-laws Ontario for more clarification. Don't ask the person at the Service Ontario office, or in law enforcement who does not deal with CMV's on a regular basis as they have limited knowledge.

By the way if you are from out of province, i.e. Quebec, you might be exempt from an annual inspection in Quebec but will require to follow the Ontario rules if you choose to drive here and your combination is over 4500 kg.


Thanks

Eric

[Eric B]

Hello

I just reread my last posting. Just to clarify i am talking predominantly about the Annual Safety Inspection requirements for Ontario.

Some info is relevant to the CVOR.

So that there is no confusion... the definition of a Commercial Motor Vehicle is different for the Annual Safety Inspection and the CVOR.

Each has their own classification and exemptions.

Just because you might be exempt from the CVOR does not mean that you are exempt from the Annual Safety Inspection.

i.e Most pick up trucks towing a dual axle trailer will require an annual safety inspection on both the truck and trailer. But they do not necessarily require a CVOR.

It can be confusing, especially if you look at everything together rather than look at each requirement separately.

Thanks

Eric

[david moore]

Grant/Eric
I am now really confused about which vehicle/trailer combination needs registration other than the standard mandatory vehicle plate registration.

I'm talking here of a standard pick-up (3000kg) with 2 axle trailer (GVW i.e. max load designed for of 3500Kg but actual weight much less even with load).

The examples from MTO that you quoted, Grant , talk of trailer weight less than, or more than 2800 kg. Is this the ACTUAL weight of trailer and load or the RGV weight for which the trailer is designed which would often be much higher than the actual weight?