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Committee hears bill to base pickup registration on GVWR; DOT warns of major revenue shift
Summary
Representative Pat Heinert introduced a bill to use vehicle GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) rather than doubled shipping weight to determine pickup registration classification. DOT told the committee that change could decrease revenue substantially and offered to model revenue‑neutral alternatives.
Representative Pat Heinert opened testimony on House Bill 1345, which would change the registration metric for passenger pickup registrations from the doubled shipping weight formula to the vehicle manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).
Heinert said the change was primarily aimed at making registration weights easier to understand for owners of modern half‑ton pickups and aligning North Dakota with neighboring states that use GVWR. “My intent was to make us the same as the surrounding states and get rid of that double the weight so people could understand this,” Heinert said.
Why it matters: North Dakota currently derives many pickup registration fees by doubling the shipped weight figure; the sponsor argued shifting to GVWR would be simpler and more transparent. DOT warned the committee a straightforward change to GVWR without fee schedule adjustments would reduce state, county and local revenues materially — DOT estimated a roughly $40 decrease per affected registration and provided an overall fiscal estimate in a late fiscal note.
Key testimony - Sponsor: Heinert explained GVWR is posted on a vehicle’s door tag and represents the factory rating; he said the change should clarify registration burden for owners of modern pickups. He noted surrounding states (Minnesota, Montana, South Dakota) use GVWR. - DOT: Brad Schafer, Driver and Vehicle Services Director, said when the agency first reviewed the concept they did not expect a large revenue impact but later calculated an estimated $40 decrease per pickup registration and cited approximately 278,179 pickup registrations in 2024. Schafer said DOT can model alternative fee schedules to keep the change revenue‑neutral if the legislature directs it.
Committee concerns and outcome: Lawmakers pressed whether the bill would automatically change fees or whether the fee schedules could be adjusted to be revenue‑neutral. Representative Koppelman proposed DOT return with revenue‑neutral options or a conversion factor to preserve current revenue. The sponsor said he had not intended a major fiscal shift and welcomed DOT work to model alternatives. No final committee vote was taken on HB1345 during this hearing; DOT was asked to provide additional analysis and revenue‑neutral options.
Next steps: DOT agreed to return with modeling that would show how to align registration formulas with neighboring states while avoiding unintended revenue losses to state, counties and townships.
