Declaration of Gross Vehicle Weight

Why DMV Registers a Truck for Its Loaded Weight

A dump truck sits at 14,000 pounds empty and runs at 26,000 pounds loaded. DMV registers it for the loaded number, and the owner has to state that number on paper.

When a commercial truck works at 10,001 pounds or more, you make that declaration on the California REG 4008 form. A wrong number costs money either way. Declare too high, and you pay a fee you did not need to pay. Run heavier than you declared, and you risk a citation and a fine.

Who Must File REG 4008

DMV says registered owners and lessees of commercial motor vehicles at 10,001 pounds or more of gross vehicle weight (GVW) or combined gross vehicle weight (CGW) must declare it. You declare the weight at three moments:

• When the vehicle is first registered in California
• When you buy it, new or used
• When the weight it works at changes

Some vehicles are left out. A pickup is excluded when it has no body changes, such as an added utility bed or stake body, an unladen weight under 8,001 pounds, and a GVWR of 11,499 pounds or less. DMV’s commercial vehicle page words the pickup limit as 8,000 pounds unladen. If your pickup sits close to that line, call DMV before you decide.

One rule surprises people. A truck that DMV treats as commercial but that you will run at 10,000 pounds or less still needs the form. DMV says that without it, you are charged the maximum fee. The form has a box for this case, labeled “Vehicle operated under 10,001 lbs.”

GVW, CGW, and GVWR: Three Weights, Three Meanings

Owners mix these up more than anything else on this form.

• Unladen weight. The truck empty.
• GVW. For a truck that carries a load but pulls nothing. It equals the unladen weight plus the heaviest load you will haul.
• CGW. For a truck that pulls a trailer or another vehicle. It equals the unladen weight of the whole combination plus the heaviest load it will carry.
• GVWR. The maker’s weight rating, printed on the door sticker. The form does not ask for it, but the pickup exclusion uses it.

Here are two made up examples. A box truck weighs 12,000 pounds empty and hauls up to 8,000 pounds of cargo, so its GVW is 20,000 pounds. A tractor weighs 14,000 pounds, its trailer weighs 6,000 pounds, and the heaviest load is 20,000 pounds, so the CGW is 40,000 pounds.

Choosing Your Weight Code

The form sorts weights into codes A through N. Find the range that covers the heaviest weight your truck will work at, not its usual weight.

The 20,000 pound box truck above lands in code B, and the 40,000 pound combination lands in code F. Be careful at the edges, though. One more pound puts that box truck in code C.

Filling Out REG 4008, Section by Section

Download the PDF from DMV. It is a single page. Sections A, C, and D must be completed.

• Section A, owner or lessee. Enter the name, an optional fleet number, the physical address, and the California county where the vehicle is garaged. If the vehicle has no California county and works out of state, check the box. Add a mailing address if it differs.
• Section B, definitions. You write nothing here. Use it to decide between GVW and CGW.
• Section C, the declaration. Fill one row per vehicle: license plate number, VIN, make, the code, and the weight. Put the code in the GVW column if the truck pulls nothing, or the CGW column if it tows. Then enter the date the vehicle will first operate, or did first operate, at that weight. If the vehicle will stay under 10,001 pounds, mark the “operated under” box instead.
• Section D, certification. Sign and date. A company must print its name and add an authorized person’s countersignature, such as “ABC CO., by John Smith.”

You sign under penalty of perjury, so only write what is true.

What the Printed Fee Table Does Not Tell You

The form prints a fee for each code, from $332 for code A to $2,064 for code N. That table comes from the 2015 revision, and fees change. Some websites repeat those numbers as if they are current, so do not budget from them.

Weight fees are not the whole bill either. DMV says vehicles at 10,001 pounds or more pay Commercial Vehicle Registration Act (CVRA) fees on top of the registration fee, the vehicle license fee, and any city or county fees. Use DMV’s fee calculator, or call 1 800 777 0133, for your real total.

When Your Weight Changes After You File

• Weight goes up. You owe extra CVRA fees for the rest of the registration period. Pay them before you operate at the higher weight.
• Weight goes down. DMV records the lower weight and issues a new registration card. It gives no refund.
• A body change moves you up a class. Report it. Extra weight fees come due on the first day you operate after the change.
• Partial year registration. You do not redeclare at each renewal unless the weight changes.

If a new job will push you past your range, file the new declaration first.

After You File the California REG 4008 Form

Your registration card will show the highest weight in the range you report. The truck must carry the matching weight decal and the CVRA year sticker on both sides, and the decal must match the card. A 42,000 pound GVW shows a “45” decal, and a “54” decal covers up to 54,999 pounds. DMV issues the decal once with your first year stickers. Renewals bring only year stickers unless the weight changes.

The form adds that a Motor Carrier Permit may also be required. That permit is separate paperwork through DMV’s Motor Carrier Services. DMV also says diesel trucks over 14,000 pounds GVWR must meet California Air Resources Board rules, and a truck that does not comply cannot be registered or transferred.

Where the Form Goes and What Travels With It

DMV’s commercial vehicle registration page lists what to send when you register a commercial vehicle: your Application for Title or Registration, the weight declaration, a Verification of Vehicle (REG 31) when verification applies, a Statement of Facts (REG 256) if your case needs one, your titling documents, and the fees.

That page does not give a mailing address, and it does not say whether a commercial registration can be filed fully online. Call DMV at 1 800 777 0133 or use the Motor Carrier Services contact page to confirm before you mail anything.

What Happens if You Run Heavier Than You Declared

The form is blunt about this. If you operate above the weight you declared, DMV can charge late fee penalties (Vehicle Code section 9554.2) and a court can add a citation (section 9406.1). On conviction, fines under section 42030.1 can reach $2,000 or more per violation. Pay the CVRA fees before the truck works at the higher weight.

Declare the heaviest weight the truck will really run. Guessing low to save on fees is the costly mistake.

Last Check Before You Send It

• Sections A, C, and D are complete
• The VIN and plate match your registration
• Both the code and the weight are written in the box
• The code sits in the GVW column or the CGW column, not both
• The first operating date is filled in
• A company signature includes the company name and an authorized countersignature
• Your REG 343 and any other required papers are in the packet

Frequently Asked Questions

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