| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Thomas Ford 85-16
Top Member
USA
4177 Posts |
 Posted - 02/01/2010 : 2:20:38 PM
|
Is it legal in the State of Michigan (or anywhere else, for discussion's sake) for a contractor operating in the state to use out-of-state license plates? They are based in Wisconsin but have Michigan contracts. As such, their buses are plated for Wisconsin. I know these are not "visiting" buses though because they have yellow warning lights in the 8 way system. It seems like this shouldn't be legal because they are would not be contributing to the tax system that funds the maintenance of Michigan roadways. I would think an MSP inspector would have failed these buses.
This particular contractor is a pretty respectable, so I'm not interested in getting anyone in trouble, but I am very curious because it seems like someone shady could base their company and plate their buses in another state to avoid paying higher road taxes, if one state were higher than the other. |
|
|
overbyja
Senior Member
USA
123 Posts |
Posted - 02/01/2010 : 3:29:40 PM
|
| Having lived on the MI/WI border, it's not uncommon for MI auto's to have WI plates, as long as they have a valid address to use in WI. Many people I know have done this using a friend or relative's WI address to avoid Michigan's insurance requirements. Wisconsin currently doesn't require any insurance on an auto, but that's changing this summer. As far as buses go, I'm not sure if it's legal to do this, but it sounds to me like this contractor doesn't have a valid address in MI, therefore they are unable to register it there. Do their buses have WI "School Bus" plates? If so, I would assume they are inspected by WI State Patrol as you need to have a valid inspection sticker on the plate in order to operate. I'm not sure how the bus would pass in WI by having MI specs, but by not having a Michigan registration, would that make it exempt from the MI inspection? You got me stumped on this one! |
 |
 |
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Out of State License Plates
