Operation of PA Farm Vehicle (Farm Trucks) Registration Plates

By the PA Farm Bureau

A certificate of exemption must be obtained from PennDOT every two years for each exempt truck. This information was prepared by the PA Farm Bureau. Highlighted is some information below.  You can find this information and more at PA Farm Bureau's transportation page: transportation.pfb.com.

Nearly all states, including Pennsylvania, have entered into the International Registration Plan, which streamlines registrations of trucks operating in more than one state so that a truck owner is able to obtain one registration honored in all states. The IRP does not require, however, that a state recognize another state's restricted use plate.

According to PennDOT, the following states will honor Pennsylvania's farm vehicle registration plate:  Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, and Wyoming will not honor Pennsylvania's farm vehicle registration plate. Minnesota, Nevada, and New Hampshire will not honor PA's farm registration plate if the vehicle has an actual or registered gross weight of more than 26,000 lbs.; for vehicles with an actual and registered gross weight of less than 26,000 lbs., these states will only honor Pennsylvania's farm vehicle registration if the vehicle is performing interstate movement.

Virginia will not honor PA's farm vehicle registration if the vehicle is beyond a distance of thirty miles in the state. In order to operate a Pennsylvania farm vehicle in any of these states, the vehicle owner will be required to obtain a Pennsylvania apportioned registration or obtain from the individual state a temporary permit.

Note that any vehicle operated in a state that recognizes PA's farm plate MUST abide by the rules pertaining to PA's farm registered vehicles. If you are uncertain if they way in which you are using your vehicles is allowable under PA farm plate rules, please view the attached document from PennDOT on the use of farm vehicles.

For additional information about this, including IFTA, FMCSA regulations and farm-exempt trucks, read the remainder of the information at http://www.pfb.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=445:recognition-of-farm-vehicles-out-of-state&catid=63&Itemid=162 (transportation.pfb.com, under "R" for Reciprocity).

Farm Plates- If you need to use your truck or truck tractor beyond the distance limitations imposed for vehicles operating under a biennial certificate of exemption, you will need to obtain an annual registration from PennDOT. The Vehicle Code allows farmers to obtain a special farm vehicle registration plate at a lower annual fee than commercial vehicles ($76.50 for weight classes 1 through 4, and one-third the commercial truck fee for all other weight classes).

A farm registered vehicle, is limited in the manner in which the vehicle may be used. It may be only operated:

1. On roads that are part of the farm;
2. On roads between farms that you own or operate;
3. On roads between any of your owned & operated farms and a place of business for the purpose of buying or selling agricultural supplies or commodities or for servicing the vehicle;
4. If sold at auction, roads used in the course of delivering of your agricultural commodities from an auction site to the purchaser's place of business (the same vehicle that transported the commodities to the auction site must be used); and
5. Roads to facilitate use of the vehicle in a driver's license examination.

Note that there are no distance limitations for registered farm vehicles. The driver of the vehicle, however, may need to comply with driver requirements imposed under federal and state regulations.   You can learn more about Farm Plates by visiting http://www.pfb.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=377:farm-vehcile-registration-plates-qfarm-platesq&catid=63&Itemid=162 (transportation.pfb.com under "F" for Farm Plates).