Southern California no longer registering MVs

[mdainsd]

Found this out from a friend trying to register a 1968 M715 Jeep truck, just last week. Has to be verified by CHP only, no title services. Only one officer in Southern California is able to do it. He is saying no, no move HMWVVs. Explained it wasn't a HMWVV and he said call it what you will, NO more Military Vehicles will be licensed in CA. This apparently is a backlash from all the morons that tried to sneak their "Off Road Use Only" HMWVVs through the titling process.

[Ed Roberts]

Seems curious. I just renewed the reg. on my '42 GPW good to 12/19. More info on this needed, ie specific MV's, initial registrations (?) etc. I'm in Northern CA and will ask around. Whatever it is, theoretically should be uniform throughout the State.
Ed

[W. Winget]

Tell DMV it's a Pink AMC "Commander" Pickup truck...
The "Wall" should go from Canada to New Mexico passing just East of Vegas.
W Winget

[gerrykan]

Did he look at it?
If he refused to even look at it, he is not doing his job.

[D.R.H.]

Sounds to me like you were in touch with a disgruntled C.H.P. officer. I have several Dept. of Motor Vehicles stories that are teeth grittingly irritating. They all involve proper paperwork on my side AND grumpy DMV workers who were not motivated to any more than "just enough not to get fired". California needs constant revenue, a very lucrative source is vehicle registration.
I looked through several google pages in hopes of finding this new law, but could not find even a hint of it. I have stopped telling general vendors exactly what I need parts for because when I mention the words military truck, the counter dork says, "oh we don't have anything for military vehicles" and ITS' mind snaps shut.
Just throwing this out there. I hope it is not true, I have several friend in So. Cal. who own M.V.'s and would hate to hear that their truck were not able to be driven on the street to shows or events any more.

[Chuck Lutz]

Check with your local club to find a sympathetic Sheriff or PO who will do the VIN Verification letter for you before going to a DIFFERENT DMV. Since there apparently is no "law" that restricts Humvees per se, you just need to find a different DMV office in another location. If you get any flack from another clerk, ask to see their Supervisor and see if they are aware of any "law" preventing registration. In fact, ask them to show you that "law" in the State of CA DMV regs IN PRINT or on the internet.

Be polite, that helps....those DMV offices are understaffed to meet the new regs concerning the drivers licenses you will need to use as ID for flying and such as the "regular" licenses will not be legal for that. I was at DMV three times a couple months ago; for selling one trailer, recycling a car and registering another car I bought. I wouldn't want their jobs....not after somebody waited 3 1/4 hours each time in line only to then wait another 30 minutes to get my number called....many people by then are livid and difficult to deal with. Maybe you got one who had just plain had it that day with anything more difficult to register than a new Chevy.

[17thAirborne]

It seems that since CA judges can create new laws in the courts, it only follows that clerks at the DMV can legislate also. Clerks are now one of the three branches of CA government (legislative, legislative and legislative)
Sorry you are having to deal with this.

[Dozerman51]

Hope this is not true. It’s California so you never know with the ever changing laws those Mental Giants are passing in Sacto. Oh, by the way, I am a lifelong resident of the state and have watched it change for the worst IMHO. You all have a fine day now.

[mdainsd]

Just finished the registering project of a 1952 Jeep trailer. 8 trips by the previous owner, two of them with me to DMV. They had excuse after excuse why they would not issue title or license. Finally had to get a State Assemblyman involved. He tried once by phone and assured us all was good to go. But once again we got to DMV and they said no way.
Next and final trip was with State Assemblyman. Plates and title issued in less than 5 minutes.

[Kevin Lockwood]

Thanks for the play by play. It is unfortunate that this is becoming more common. Glad your assemblyman was willing to help.

[mdainsd]

Heard some bad news at a meet a couple weeks ago. This is the second Hmwvv owner I have personally talked to that California has sent notice of revoking its registration for street use. This poor guy bought it out of state with a road title, brought it to the land of fruit and nuts, got the title changed to California road use I his name. Six months later comes the notice. They did offer to register it off road though

[blitz67]

I just registered a Jeep last week, no problem and no questions, you have a disgruntled CHP officer and you ought to report him, you are paying his salary!!!!!!

[Chuck Lutz]

It has been suggested a million times that if you run into resistance at the local DMV and if the clerk can't figure it out, request the Supervisor. If they are up on MVs and the CA Vehicle Code you should be OK...if they refuse, do what everyone I know does...go to another DMV office.

Be advised that you need to get a VIN Verification Form downloaded from the DMV online and then just get any LEO to inspect your vehicle BEFORE going into DMV. That way you can avoid some uninformed CHP officer at DMV refusing to do the inspection. They are merely verifying that the information they find on the vehicle in question. They are making no judgements about anything else or if it should or should not be titled/registered in CA.

DMV is swamped these days so make an online appointment. When I bought a used vehicle last fall, I waited two and a half hours to get to the front of the line to get a number, then waited another hour to have it called. This is at the Novato DMV office, trying to pull it off in that amount of time at the Corte Madera office was worse....people in San Francisco were coming to Novato or across the bay because the lines at the SF DMV on Fell St. took even longer.

This is due to the coming law about flying and the Homeland Security no longer accepting the current Driver's Licenses (your US Passport or foreign Passport are accepted) and the new licenses requiring multiple forms of ID...which the CA DMV did not do to begin with so Homeland Security refuses to honor them, which meant that those who did get the "new" license had to go back and get another and provide additional identification.

[artificer]

Can't all this registration stuff be done through AAA in CA?
Why fool with the DMV lines & rude folk behind the counter
I registered a SAAB I bought on eBay once @ Manhattan Beach on cnr of Aviation & Artesia.
This was about 10 years ago & things may have changed?

[rondo]

Commiefornia is what I heard a guy call it. Can you imagine all those nuts running the whole country? If that place didn't have sunshine why would anyone live there?

Here's how I got a title for M38A1 where I live. Frame only, no number on the frame, bill of sale, no body. Okay, here's your title
Yeah its not a HMMWV but i'd lose my mind if DMV STOLE my HMMWV plates after I got them legally.

Talking to the DMV supervisor? That was useless here. I had a 44 GPW, wanted antique plates. Was politely informed that only 1943 and older would qualify. Would you like to talk to the big boss? I was warned she was really mean. They were right. I told her that in 1944 no civilian vehicles were made because of, oh what was it called, oh yeah WW2. She said no no and hell no