OWNERS of compact mini trucks have been asked to turn in their registration after a statewide ban against them was passed.

Rhode Island became one of five US states to ban Kei trucks, also known as compact Japanese mini trucks, primarily used for farm work.

The state tried to allow drivers who registered them before 2021 to keep them, but the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) opposed it, according to CBS affiliate WPRI.

Kei trucks weigh around 1,500 pounds and have small engines that aren’t capable of speeds over 75 mph.

Other states like Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Maine banned them from being imported due to being “mechanically unfit” for American roads as they aren’t compliant with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

Lawmakers argue their feeble structure, weak engines, and small size make them dangerous for drivers.

‘GRANDFATHERED’

According to the DMV, there are 30 Kei trucks in the country’s smallest state.

Senator Lou DiPalma said earlier this year one of his constituents tried to register the truck and was told it was possible.

However, they were “taken aback” when they later got notices from the DMV asking them to turn in their registrations and keep their Keis off the road.

The DMV argues that the small, antique trucks aren’t safe and are dangerous to the passengers, other drivers, and pedestrians.

Other antique cars are allowed on the streets because they’re “grandfathered” because they met the safety standards of the United States when they were created, the DMV stated.

Federal law allows cars that are at least 25 years old to be legally imported into the states, but each state can decide if they can be driven on the roads.

This sudden law didn’t sit well with DiPalma so he and Representative Michelle McGraw created legislation that allowed people who bought and registered Kei vehicles to continue using them.

“What the bill seeks to do is grandfather everybody who has [a Kei vehicle] and has it registered. It would allow you to re-register if you had it prior to 2021,” DiPalma explained.

The DMV opposed the bill.

“The DMV has made efforts over the last several years to prevent any additional registration of these vehicles,” it wrote.

“There are, however, a handful that still remain registered, and the proposed bill would restrain the DMV’s ability to further eliminate unsafe vehicles from the public roadways of the state.”

THERE’S HOPE

Drivers may be able to keep their Kei trucks by forming a Montana LLC because it has more forgiving vehicle registration laws, according to LLCTLC.

By forming the LCC, the truck owner can register their mini truck in Montana.

The new registration would make it street-legal again.

This not only rids the registration ban, but it also saves money because there is no sales tax on buying cars.

That also means that if you were in the market for a new Kei truck, Montana may have what you’re looking for.

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