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Panel backs changing pickup registration basis from twice shipping weight to gross vehicle weight rating
Summary
Representative Pat Heiner told the Senate Transportation Committee House Bill 13‑45 would base pickup registration weight on a vehicle’s gross vehicle weight rating rather than twice the shipping weight.
The Senate Transportation Committee moved House Bill 13‑45 forward after testimony that the bill would modernize how passenger pickup registration weights are computed.
Representative Pat Heiner said the current code language, which effectively used twice the shipping weight to set registration figures for certain pickups, produced unintuitive results — he cited a half‑ton pickup showing a registration weight near 11,000 pounds on its card. He said surrounding states (Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota) use a vehicle’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) as the registration basis and the bill would align state practice with that standard.
Brad Shafer of the Department of Transportation explained the department updated the fiscal note after the House drafting changes. DOT staff said they calculated the statewide inventory of pickup registrations (about 278,000 vehicles), applied a conversion factor (approximately 1.42 times shipping weight to estimate GVWR) and produced a net biennial revenue estimate intended to avoid increasing costs for registrants; DOT reported a remaining estimated fiscal impact of roughly $137,988 for the biennium under the proposed change.
Committee members discussed the fiscal note and asked DOT to confirm calculations; Representative Heiner said the House had already adjusted registration rates on the House side to address the plate‑fee difference. The committee approved a motion to give the bill a due‑pass recommendation.
Ending: Committee advanced the measure after DOT explained its updated fiscal calculation and members discussed the practical implications for registrants and local government distributions.
