WA State: commercial truck to motor home licensing.

[diyengineer]

Only costs $130 bucks on average to transfer my tittle to motorhome. with a little work it wont be hard. NO DOT/state patrol inspection required (they got rid of it) or scale weight. I plan on adding a small cot, and some kind of food prep thing. Just enough to get by legally, but yet out of the way. Really excited!! Already confirmed with the DMV, state patrol, and license office. Now insurance should be affordable! It wont be classy by any means, but it will be legal Pictures to come.

RCW 46.04.305
Motor homes.

"Motor homes" means motor vehicles originally designed, reconstructed, or permanently altered to provide facilities for human habitation, which include lodging and cooking or sewage disposal, and is enclosed within a solid body shell with the vehicle, but excludes a camper or like unit constructed separately and affixed to a motor vehicle.


[1990 c 250 § 19; 1971 ex.s. c 231 § 3.]



Also: thank you to this site for providing information that got me on the right path.

[diyengineer]

Sorry i forgot to mention. 2005 Chevy Kodiak van style connected to a 16' heiser box with 7' todco rollup door. pics to come.

[Bob86ZZ4]

Sounds good. The one thing that sticks out to me is the "permanently" word. Do they have to inspect the conversion? In MN I think you need a cop to sign off that it has the needed items installed.
What's going in that box?

[diyengineer]

Originally Posted by Bob86ZZ4

Sounds good. The one thing that sticks out to me is the "permanently" word. Do they have to inspect the conversion? In MN I think you need a cop to sign off that it has the needed items installed.
What's going in that box?

At one point there was a washington state patrol inspection, AND scale weight.

Now, there is no inspection in washington state, and no need for scale weight since motorhomes are fully exempt. Motor homes are also exempt from needing a CDL, or air brake license.

[diyengineer]

Here are a few pictures of the truck so far. Bought it from Krispy Kreme before they went out of business locally. Got a sweet deal on it.

[hot rod]

Interesting cab/box union there. I've never seen anything quite like that. Any chance of a few more pics of the right side, a little farther back for perspective? Also maybe the inside cab roof? The wife might not appreciate that jump seat! lol.

[diyengineer]

Originally Posted by hot rod

Interesting cab/box union there. I've never seen anything quite like that. Any chance of a few more pics of the right side, a little farther back for perspective? Also maybe the inside cab roof? The wife might not appreciate that jump seat! lol.

Here is one. There is a small sheet metal dent in the side skirt that needs some TLC.

"it's technically a van style Kodiak". cutaway cab, i believe they call it.

[hot rod]

Wow. I can't decide if that is the coolest use of maximizing a small area, or the ugliest cab I have ever seen. I'm seeing the utility, you already have your rv door and steps built in, usually the first big project on a truck box conversion. From that angle it does not even look like a truck cab, only the Kodiak hood gives it away. I guess I'm leaning towards different and cool.

[Oscarvan]

Originally Posted by diyengineer

Here are a few pictures of the truck so far. Bought it from Krispy Kreme before they went out of business locally. Got a sweet deal on it.

That's funny.

[bushpilot]

looks like an old BUS (entry) w/ a closed off cargo/passenger area.

[ctd4me]

I am currently trying to convert a freightliner to RV use or private truck use in Washington, the licensing dept sent me to WSP for inspection and they wanted a scale ticket. I had a microwave, electric ice box, inveter and a portapotty in it and they shot me down.... SO I am wondering which licensing location you went through, maybe they know better than the one I went to.

I brought the RCW with and he said " I can put a port-a-potty in the trunk of my car, it doesn't make it a motorhome"

thanks

[hot rod]

I believe there was another thread on the topic that had some comments specifically dealing with your state.

Here in Ohio we have a classification for "heavy duty non-commercial" for a truck of any size that is used for, you guessed it, non-commercial uses only. Like pulling your camper. Here that plate is not much more than a pickup truck, and FAR cheaper than a commercial plate. You would be exempt from all dot requirements the same as a pickup. All you have to do here is sign an affadavit at the bmv that it is exclusively for non-commercial use. But DON'T let them catch you doing anything commercial with it after that, they will stomp all over you. If your state has that, really no point in trying to fake it up as an RV. If not you will have to get a little more serious with the conversion to pass muster as an RV. It'll need to look and smell like an RV to pass muster with the inspectors, they are all pretty suspicious of something that still looks pretty commercial. I am assuming that you removed the fifth wheel? Some states will now not register anything at all with a fifth wheel as an RV, even a full blown Renegade rig and the like. At our local title bureau they actually had a photo copy of about a 17' full Renegade toterhome conversion posted on the wall with big magic marker "this is not an RV!", but then they don't actually inspect it here anymore, they just make you sign and notarize an affadavit that it has all the required equipment. That is how my race car type trailer with living quarters is now a "travel trailer".