I just pulled up Az dot web site and here is what it says in FAQ. Click and rest 1b
Commercial Vehicles
That doesn't really say anything about who has to stop at ports of entry weigh stations and obtain weight and trip permits, though. Plus, if you go strictly by the partial answer in the FAQ, a placarded cargo van isn't even considered a CMV in Arizona. Section 1(b) is the relevant part to us vanners, but to get the full definitions you need to click the
link in the FAQ.
As far as who is supposed to stop at the ports of entry, you have to look deeper (despite there being an Arizona state law requiring the state legislature by 2009 to create clear and concise and easily obtainable information about exactly who is supposed to stop - they have yet to do so).
First, some important defintions...
In the Arizona statutes, "Foreign vehicle"
means a motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer that is brought into this state other than in the ordinary course of business by or through a manufacturer or dealer and that has not been registered in this state. ("foreign" is a holdover from the days of yore when individual states still had their own domestic sovereignty <snort>)
In addition, "Commercial Vehicle" as opposed to "Commercial Motor Vehicle" is defined as
"vehicles based in another state, a bus, truck or truck tractor that has a gross weight of six thousand pounds or more and that is operated in more than one jurisdiction" (more than one state). For vehicles licensed in Arizona, the definition is simply,
" a bus, truck or truck tractor, trailer or semitrailer."
And "
Truck" means a motor vehicle designed or used primarily for the carrying of property other than the effects of the driver or passengers and includes a motor vehicle to which has been added a box, a platform or other equipment for such carrying.
Basically, if you are exempt from from payment of gross weight fees under section
28-5432 if the motor vehicle were owned by a resident of the state, then you don't have to pay the fees if you are from out of state.
As it applies to cargo vans, if you live in the state (or, thus, are from out of state), you must pay the Gross Weight Fees if (Section
28-5432 A-2) if your vehicle is
"A motor vehicle or vehicle combination if the motor vehicle or vehicle combination is designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of passengers for compensation or for the transportation of property." or (Section
28-5432 A-4) is
"a commercial motor vehicle as defined in section 28-5201" (which covers the placarded HAZMAT).
So, if you vehicle is used, designed or maintained primarily for the hauling of property, or if you are placarded, then you gotta pay the fees.
However, as B1 of the same section above states, you are exempt (in and out of state) if you vehicle is a station wagon, or a three-quarter ton pickup or cargo van,
if and only if, the exempted vehicle is operated and maintained for 1000 hours or less during the year for the transportation of property in the furtherance of a commercial enterprise. Most Sprinters are 3/4 ton vehicles, but it's the "maintained" part that makes the exemption not apply. There are certainly plenty of cargo van drivers these days who are hard pressed to get in 1000 hours (20 hours a week) of transporting freight, but if it's still sitting there and outfitted for cargo, then even that doesn't get you off the hook.
So now that all the exemptions and definitions are out of the way, we're at the heart of the matter with regard to less-than 10,001 pound cargo vans with Section
28-2321, which states, in summary, that every foreign motor vehicle owned by a nonresident and operated in this state shall be registered and licensed (the weight fees) if the motor vehicle is operated in this state for the transportation of passengers or property for compensation.
So, to take on the role of the Arizona State Legislature, here it is, clearly and concisely: If you drive a cargo van in expediting and you weigh more than 6,000 pounds, then you gotta stop at a Port of Entry and obtain a registration trip permit. The
Permit Table shows what it costs. The trip permits are good for 96 hours, or upon exit of the state, whichever occurs first.
I have taken many loads into and through Arizona, and I have never stopped at a Port of Entry to obtain a trip permit.
