Drive a heavy truck or SUV? California could consider charging weight-based registration fees
Currently, a drivers' registration fee is based on the general value of the car or truck.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- If you drive a large vehicle in California, you could face an extra fee depending on its weight.
A bill crafted by assembly member Chris Ward, a San Diego Democrat, would require the California Transportation Commission to submit a study looking into the costs of levying a weight fee for heavy vehicles to pay for street safety improvement projects.
AB 251 would require the CTC to create a task force to study the relationship between vehicle weight and "injuries to vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists," according to the bill's text.
Currently, a drivers' registration fee is based on the general value of the car or truck.
Robert Cleveland, a Southern California resident, drives a larger truck and feels it would be an unnecessary expense. He feels with gas prices breaking the bank, adding any additional costs to commuters is just too much.
"It's a little wild out here and if they add some weight costs on top of that, it's just going to go through the roof," he said.
Meanwhile, drivers like Gary Wells don't think the bill is a bad idea.
"If these vehicles are causing more damage than the average vehicle, then that's probably appropriate," he said.
