All trucks, including pickup trucks and motor homes, are registered based on combined gross weight.  Thus, in registering a truck the owner should declare the gross weight of the tag/tax receipt based on:

• The weight of the truck with maximum load, including full tank of fuel, the weight of passengers, tools, etc., plus
   
• The weight of the heaviest load to be towed if, for example, the truck is used to tow a utility trailer, the truck must be registered based on the weight of the truck, passengers, cargo in the truck, the weight of the trailer, and the weight of the load carried if the vehicle is used commercially.

Act 2004-520, effective January 1, 2005, creates two new weight classes for trucks, an 8,001 to 10,000 pound category and a 10,000 to 12,000.  Many owners of pickups may need to register their trucks in the new 8,001-10,000 pound category.*

*Act 2006-356, effective July 1, 2006, states that a registrant who is operating a pickup truck, w/ 2 axles and a GVW of 12,000 lbs or less and is operating the vehicle exclusively for personal or agricultural use, may register the vehicle at the empty weight of the pickup plus the weight of any permanent, attached equipment and accessories such as tool boxes or winches, however, are included in determining the actual weight of the vehicle.

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