"Sorry sir, you need commercial insurance for your truck"

[sebberry]

"Sorry sir, you need commercial insurance for your truck"

That was the comment a family friend received when he went to renew the insurance on his 2011 Dodge RAM 3500.

He was told that since the truck exceeds a certain GVWR he would need commercial vehicle insurance which costs more money and offers fewer perks (roadside, replacement cost, etc...)

Let's look at the truck - it's got leather everywhere, rear seat entertainment system for the kids, heated rear seats.. everything a cement salesman might want to drive his family around in, but nothing a cement truck driver really needs. (No, he's not a cement salesman)

The vehicle is not in any way used for commercial purposes - it sits at home most of the time since it doesn't fit under his work's parking garage with the canopy on. It's a $70,000 one-ton grocery getter and toy hauler. And movie theater for the kids.

Anyway - I'm guessing Dodge upped the GVWR on the thing since his previous two one-ton trucks didn't seem to require commercial insurance.

Is there any exception to this requirement for "commercial" trucks that will never see a jobsite?

[Super Dipper]

i have a 03 2500. my insurance paperwork does state that it is insured as a commercial vehicle. But its the category in which the truck are insured under due to the GVW of the trucks. The cost of insuring the truck doesnt change. That info came right from the ICBC agent when i renewed the insurance my truck back in july.

[sebberry]

I was at a party tonight and spoke with a former insurance salesperson. He did state that trucks are considered commercial vehicles but that shouldn't exclude them from benefits such as roadside assistance, replacement cost coverage, etc..

Weight does impact the insurance amount, but not the few hundred dollars in the instance I am talking about.

[zulutango]

Any truck is considered a "commercial vehicle" ( even everyday pickups not registered to a company) and that is why the Licence plate is an AB 1234 instead of an ABC123 like on your car. If you register it in the name of a company instead of a person then they would be more likely to consider it used for company business, than personal pleasure use.

Once you get into heaver GVWs then they even only issue a single plate, like on an 18 wheel tractor trailer. I stopped a duelly Dodge PU for only having a single plate on it to find it was regsitered for over 7000 kgs and was considered in the same catagory. This may be the situation here. Not sure of ICBC policy details but this might be why they said to register in a different class.

[Edison_Chen]

Pickup trucks are considered commercial vehicles as ICBC see it. With the licensing side of things, there are 2 numbers ICBC are concerned about: 1. net weight/shipping weight and 2. Licensed GVW.

The net weight number is usually off a NVIS (New vehicle information statement) or based on gold book weights or from the weigh scale. Its something about the weight of the vehicle (I don't have the exact definition). These net weights can be found on car manufacture web sites under net weight (shipping weight) too.

License GVW is the required minimum 1.5 times the net weight of the vehicle. IE: If your net weight is 3000 kg, your GVW will be 4500 kg (minimum). Of course you can always increase your gvw higher to accommodate heavier loads. You can go high as your want on the registration, but you cannot be lower than 1.5 of your net weight. Things to keep in mind are:
1. The license fee you pay for these commercial trucks, depends on your GVW of the vehicle. The heavier your GVW, the more license fee you pay.
2. It is also your responsibility to comply with your manufacture spec's GVWR, which is the maximum allowable tow-able weight you vehicle can carry, it may void your warranty.
3. If the GVW is over 5,000, the way these vehicles are rated will be different from say a pickup truck under 5000 GVW. Commercial vehicles over 5000 GVW, vehicle uses are very restricted depending on the use. It can increase your premiums by a lot.
4. Depending on use, you may need a NSC (national safety code) once your vehicle is over 5000 GVW and if used for delivery, other commercial use, artisan and I believe business use.
5. CVIP (Commercial Vehicle Inspection), may come into play if the vehicle gets over an certain GVW (around 8,000 kg gvw).

If your pickup truck's GVW is not high enough with what your carrying, and if you get caught, you will likely face expensive fines..

[marksport]

This was taken off another forum

Lots of good information in this thread, but lots of stuff wrong too.

I've been with CVSE for over 10 years and currently am the Supervisor at the Kamloops Eastbound Scale. If anyone on the forum would like correct information about commercial trailers, licensed GVW, NSC, or any other issues feel free to PM me.

Oh, and there is a link to the info off of CVSE's website too...http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/cvse/referen...info_sheet.pdf for info on towing commercial trailers.

Or for info on GVWR...http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/cvse/referen...82003)GVWR.pdf

[spc]

Most of the information on this post is correct but since I deal with this subject at work every day I will correct a few errors.

ICBC issues licence plates in sets of two except for trailers, motorcycles and special use licence plates such as demo, repairman, transporter, etc. Therefore all passenger vehicles and commercial vehicle regardless of licenced GVW must display two licence plates or face the possibility of a $109 fine. The only time licenced GVW comes to play on licence plates is deciding whether to put the validation decal on the front or rear plate.

Attachment of number plates
MVAR 3.011 Number plates issued for a vehicle under the Commercial Transport Act or Motor Vehicle Act must be attached
(a) one plate to the front and one plate to the rear of the vehicle, if 2 number plates are issued for a vehicle, and
(b) to the rear of the vehicle, if a single number plate is issued for a vehicle.
[en. B.C. Reg. 279/2006.]

Attachment of validation decal
MVAR 3.012 If a validation decal is issued under the Commercial Transport Act or Motor Vehicle Act for attachment to a number plate, it must be attached
(a) in the case of a motor vehicle licensed under the Commercial Transport Act that has a licensed gross vehicle weight exceeding 5 500 kg, to the place provided on the front number plate, or
(b) in the case of any other vehicle, to the place provided on the rear number plate.
[en. B.C. Reg. 279/2006.]

CVIP is required on vehicle with a licenced GVW exceeding 8,200kg
MVAR 25.01 (2) This Part applies to
(a) a taxi,
(b) a bus, including a school bus in respect of which a permit has been issued under Division 11,
(c) a commercial vehicle having a licensed gross vehicle weight of more than 8 200 kg,
(d) a vehicle, other than a motorcycle, the operator of which is required to hold a licence under the Motor Carrier Act or a licence or temporary operating permit under the Passenger Transportation Act,
(e) a vehicle, other than a motorcycle, owned or leased by a driver training school, and
(f) a trailer and semi-trailer as defined under the Commercial Transport Act,

[sebberry]

Found some information on ICBC's website tucked away nicely into a PDF file.

It appears that quite a few insurance "features" are limited to vehicles under 5,00KG GVW. Seems silly that you'd be excluded just because your family's truck weighs a little too much.

[Brianrietta]

Originally Posted by sebberry

Found some information on ICBC's website tucked away nicely into a PDF file.

It appears that quite a few insurance "features" are limited to vehicles under 5,00KG GVW. Seems silly that you'd be excluded just because your family's truck weighs a little too much.

They should probably have chosen a more reasonable family vehicle than that truck then.

everything a cement salesman might want to drive his family around in

Because that's exactly the sort of vehicle that is used FOR WORK by everyone else with it...

[sebberry]

More reasonable family vehicle?

Can you suggest something more reasonable for a family of 5 with a bog dog and a 35' 5th wheel RV to haul?

The truck is never used for commercial purposes, unless you count driving to and from the pharmacy where the owner works "commercial".

[RRxtar]

you dont need 'commercial insurance'. i believe you can register a truck above 5000kg as pleasure only or perhaps to and from work and avoid the over 5000kg issues, you just pay a little more, but on the bright side, you also avoid aircare. if it is insured for business use (commercial) of any kind, above 5000kg or 5500kg you come into restrictions.

im going to be insuring a truck for commercial use at 6800kg tomorrow. NTSC required.



its not ICBC changing laws or anything or even the truck manufacturers fault. its guys like your buddy who want to haul 35 foot RVs which means truck manufacturers HAVE to sell trucks with higher GVWs simply so you can legally tow them. trucks today are twice the size they were 15 years ago. normal guys used to buy f250s and 2500s for towing their toys and the commercial guys would buy the f350s and 3500s. now everyone buys f350s and 3500s