Informational post regarding Pennsylvania Commercial truck to RV registration attemps

Hey gang - I wanted to share this with you all as more of an informational post for those of you considering the conversion of a big rig to a RV / motorhome registration. There are a lot of people out there who have apparently done this, and many across the country have said it's fairly easy to do in their state. But there is limited information about the conversion for folks in Pennsylvania, and I'm here to say it's more challenging than you think.

I was under the impression we simply had to meet 4 of 6 requirements (see 2nd post) in order to qualify. But that isn't the end of it. I contacted PennDOT directly and it even took them almost a week to come back to me with the following response. Not saying this is impossible by any means. But for those of you looking to convert a commercial rig to a RV class, here's one thing you need to know. And this is directly quoted from the DOT:

"The proper body type for a truck-tractor that is converted to a motor home while still retaining its ability to tow a semi-trailer is a “truck-tractor”. Although the vehicle has been modified to meet the definition of a motor home, it still has the primary design of a truck-tractor; i.e., the “Fifth Wheel” assembly. Retaining this design characteristic in any way prohibits the Department from designating this vehicle as a motor home. Therefore, the vehicle must be registered with a “truck” plate. Additionally if the fifth wheel assembly is removed, the living area must be extended to include the majority of the area between the cab and the rear axle as the Pennsylvania vehicle code requires vehicles that have been converted for use as a dwelling place may have no more than 49% of the available space for use as a cargo area.

Other states also consider these vehicles to be commercial trucks and have cited Pennsylvania residents for not being properly registered. Not only has the driver been cited for improper registration, but in some cases they have also been cited for not having a Commercial Driver License. PennDOT has spoken with administrators in some of the states and has been told that a truck tractor converted to act as a dwelling place that is still used to tow trailers will not be considered properly registered unless the vehicle displays truck registration.

If you have any questions or need additional information regarding your application, please call the Special Services Unit at (717) 705-6991."

So there you have it. I'm not necessarily looking for any feedback or comments on this. But instead just wanted to share this information on the board because I know someone at some point in the future will be doing the same extensive research I did. Only this time, they'll have more info to work with.

Stay safe out there everyone!