owner/license info on sides of trucks

[lonejacklarry]

Am I the only one that remembers painted information on the sides of 40's and 50's pickups?  I don't mean advertising logos but real license and weight info.

 

Bob Smith

Buttcrack, KS

BL GW 6,000

 

or something similar.   I tried to get information from the Missouri Department of Revenue but no one went back that far.  The responding person, Steve, had been there for 35 years but that only put it back to the early 80's

 

Or did I dream that up?

[Plymouthy Adams]

I don't know Bob Smith but I went by Buttcrack KS on a trip to pick up a 1941 Dodge........I think it was just off I-35 south of Kansas City

 

As a kid I recall every truck did sport the GVW rating on the vehicle usually on the lower door or cab corner depending on body style room...

Edited September 7, 2018 by Plymouthy Adams

[ggdad1951]

my truck had a GW painted on the front of the bed sides....nothing was official on that (at least in MN).  I think it was more of an idea for a grain elevator to know the weight of the truck before they tipped it and/or a way to try and get the local DMV to believe the truck was "smaller" than it was loaded.  But I'm 99% sure nothing was ever official.

[Radarsonwheels]

I seem to remember reading that some states required the info- possibly only on commercial trucks? 

[Plymouthy Adams]

today it is commercial truck, class rating private is divided at 6000 lbs.   back in the day and speaking with  my cousin who stated that practice was discontinued around 1968 to his recollection, the GVW rating were applied two fold....first was paying fair share of road tax based on weight and second to pay fines if you were ever checked and exceeded your rating, rating was marked on the vehicle...today  many states use license prefixes for such distinction .  Todays designations of trucks in size/load series numbering make the system automatic with regard to taxing, insurance ratings and so forth......you can get a 2014 for cheap price....they not going to give you a cheap tax rating....nope, its tabled increments based on the FMV

 

thinks change for sure....you can still pay a lower fee for a lesser GVW rating on some light trucks by registering as a passenger car he states but don't get caught exceeding the GVW....

 

I hate that I cannot separate my mini vans from the truck schedules...

 

Edited September 7, 2018 by Plymouthy Adams

[austinsailor]

In Missouri, for one, owner's name, licensed weight (in 6000 lb increments) town and local or beyond local were required on ALL trucks, pickup or not.

 

Another quirk is, a station wagon could chose to be either a  truck or car. A cars  license cost was based on SAE horsepower, a truck was based on gross weight. A local  truck license (with a range of 25 miles from it's licensed address) was much cheaper. As a result, many wagons were licensed as trucks. Of course, they had to stay under the gross weight they were registered go - including a trailer if they towed one.

[rekbender]

My '37 Plymouth PT50 had the tire size and class stenciled on the bed side. It had been parked since 1952 in a building in Indiana. Photo is from around 1980.

[lonejacklarry]

22 hours ago, austinsailor said:

In Missouri, for one, owner's name, licensed weight (in 6000 lb increments) town and local or beyond local were required on ALL trucks, pickup or not.

 

 

That's how I remember it, Gene, but I don't know when it went away.  Sometime in the 60's?

 

I thought it might be neat to add it to my truck when it reaches that point.

[johnsartain]

I remember seeing GVW and owners name on pickups as a kid in northern Illinois. Some also had another bit of information, For Hire or Not For Hire. 

 

[Shovelhead Dave]

I think the requirement in Mo went away because hunters of all stripes, bird, coon etc, sued to remove the requirement because of

dogs being stolen because when they parked their trucks to hunt the bad guys had their address from the truck. Could be true.

[lonejacklarry]

Dave-

The requirement was for a name, a city and state and a weight .  There was no address required.