weight certificate for California registration? Need help finding SJ station

[rsouthern]

I just also bought a Gladiator Mojave in upper Oregon, what a long drive. Congrats! I didn't know I had to get it weighed, that helps me a lot, I will do that today before I go to the DMV.

You'll need to go to a smog station and get the pink slip before going back to the DMV and waiting (and waiting) for them to do everything. They will do an inspection, want the weight (with a VAN apparently), the smog cert, the bill of sale and any taxes collected by the Oregon dealer. Then they can issue you a california pink slip plates and a temp tag until the plates arrive. Be prepared to spend the better part of a day doing this.

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[rsouthern]

Just go to CA.GOV and search public scales listing near you. 2 years ago I had an independent mobile DMV vehicle inspector come out to inspect a Toyota Tundra i had purchased from Idaho and needed to be registered in CA. It had a camper shell on the bed and was given the option to register the truck as a passenger vehicle instead of commercial.

How recently did this happen for you? I wonder if 2025 changed the camper/passenger vehicle rules since that wasn't offered even though I spoke with 3 different people at the DMV office (Los Gatos).

Also, for the scales, did you have to include your VIN on the weight certificate?

 

[HorneyBadger]

You are playing with fire in trying to trick California. Trucks no matter how big have been classified commercial for a long time. Just their way of getting more money from, you.

 

[Vtur]

I don't think that's possible any more. I have a shell on already and when I did the DMV inspection they said it didn't matter. Because it has a bed the shell could be taken off and the vehicle loaded up which would cause more wear on the road.

Check out this link. Yes you can registered as passenger for camping purpose. Place some of these items in the bed, a microwave or camping stove, water container, power station, sleeping bag etc

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handb...rcial-vehicles/pickup-with-a-camper-attached/

 

[zebest]

I just got done with the DMV, I didn’t have to get the gladiator weighed. I smogged it before I got there and it was an easy process.

 

[Sandman 4x4]

I also bought in Oregon and had mine weighed in Placerville. Just a heads-up, if you take your hardtop off and your spare tire out you should be under 5000 pounds which should save you something like $75.00 a year...

If you’re running oversized tires, like anything over 32”, especially with wheels over 18”, unless they’re forged, then you’re spinning an extra up to 200 lbs more, especially if 37-40” could add more unsprung weight that hurts more than just on scales. But robs power spinning up, plus slowing down. So if trying to get as light as possible? Try to get a set of 245/75-17 HT tires that on stock alloys the lightest setup for Gladiators. Or live in freedom loving Florida, where there’s not even inspections!

 

[Alan_Hepburn]

Once you get everything squared away you might want to check the CARFAX report for the vehicle. We bought our 2020 JT and our 2022 JLU when we lived in California. When we escaped from California and settled in Tennessee we registered our vehicles here - later we took the JLU in to the dealer for some work and the dealer provided us with the CARFAX report: it showed us as being the second owners! Apparently reregistering the vehicles in Tennessee triggered it as being sold - took over a month to get CAFAX to fix that.

 

[rsouthern]

I just got done with the DMV, I didn’t have to get the gladiator weighed. I smogged it before I got there and it was an easy process.

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Did you have your Gladiator listed as a passenger vehicle? DMV was pretty insistent with me when I paid for registration that I needed to have the weight to get the plates (they issued me a temp tag with only an estimated weight). The Dealer in Oregon had also left me a voice mail requesting I send them a copy of the weight certificate along with the other stuff for when they file the paperwork. Turns out I probably didn't need to go to (i.e. waste my time) the DMV for the registration, only the inspection - they were going to file for me.

 

[ecidiego]

FFS California.

Yeah, I love that I have to pay CA commercial vehicle fees. "It"S A TruCk YoU MuST bE DoING HeAvY DUtY ThIngS With iT AnD CoNDuCTinG CommErCe!!! It HurTs TeH roAdZ!!!" My Blazer EV is heavier.

 

[zebest]

I am not sure what it was listed as, it states commercial, I know they went off the sticker for the vehicle weight.

 

[bill61]

California does whatever angle gets them the most money. Los Angeles (thank God I don’t live there) is even worse.

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