COMMERCIAL VEHICLE REGISTRATION
A commercial vehicle for the purposes of registration is any vehicle used for commercial purposes.
Under AS 28.90.990(a)(4) “commercial purposes” means activities for which a person receives direct monetary compensation or activities for which a person receives no direct monetary compensation but that are incidental to and done in furtherance of the person's business;"
Commercial Vehicle registration fees are primarily based on the unladen weight of the vehicle under AS 28.10.421(c); The unladen weight of the vehicle may be determined by various methods, and once established remains on file with the department for all future registrations including transfers of ownership. If an owner is required to establish an actual weight on initial registration or wishes to update the weight when modifications have been made the DMV recognizes 4 methods of determining Actual Weight for a vehicle.
- "Unladen", "Actual" "Shipping" weight is listed on ownership documents or previous state registration
- Weight Slip or official recording issued to the owner by a private or government organization (Commercial vehicle enforcement, city/muni dump, Shipping/logistics company)
- GVWR by the VIN Plate/label
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- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) VIN DECODER
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- If GVWR is listed as a range, then the lowest GVWR may be used.
Please Note: Any vehicle that is registered in a business/company name even if an individual is also listed as an owner, is registered based on its unladen weight even if not used for commercial purposes.
Leased vehicles
Leased vehicles are owned by a business/company, they are automatically considered commercial vehicles for purposes of biennial fees even if the lessee does not use the vehicle for commercial purposes. This includes vehicles that would normally be considered passenger vehicles such as cars and RV's.
10,001lbs or more
Trucks or cargo vans with an unladen weight greater than 10,000 lbs. are registered based on weight regardless if they are used for commercial purposes.AS 28.10.421(b)(1).
Dual Registration
A commercial vehicle may only be titled in only one state but may have multiple registrations. If registered commercially elsewhere, you may qualify for dual commercial registration in Alaska, and display more than one registration plate.
Heavy Vehicle Use Tax
Anyone who owns or operates a vehicle with an empty weight greater than 8000 lbs. must provide additional information and documentation to the DMV when registering their vehicles to ensure compliance with the Heavy Vehicle Use Tax.
Annual Registration
Normally vehicle registrations are for a 24 month period. With the exception of Taxicabs and Tour buses, commercial vehicle registrations may choose a registration period of 12 or 24 months. If a period of 12 months is chosen all fees will be prorated including Motor Vehicle Registration Tax (MVRT) if applicable. AS 28.10.421(h).
How to register a commercial vehicle?
For any commercial vehicle or any vehicle with an empty weight of 8,001 pounds or above, you must:
- Complete a Vehicle Transaction Application (Form V1) in its entirety, front and back and submit here or visit any local DMV office. Be sure to sign the application in all the requisite locations.
Commercial Vehicles and vehicles that weigh over 8,000lbs must complete the required sections of page 2 and possibly provide additional information such as:
- USDOT Number and Associated Tax ID number
- Seating capacity
- Schedule 1 Form 2290
A short video demonstrating how to fill out a V1 application can be found here.
Renewing Commercial Vehicles - including fleets
For commercial vehicle(s) that are 8,000lbs or less, you may submit a spreadsheet of vehicle information through my.alaska.gov DMV Online Services.