Maine Revised Statutes
Subchapter 3: LICENSING OF DEALERS
29-A §954. Special dealer licenses and plates

§954. Special dealer licenses and plates
1. Equipment. Equipment dealer plates and a license may be issued to a person engaged in the manufacturing or buying and selling of:
A. Farm tractors with engines in excess of 40 horsepower; [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
B. Farm equipment; [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
C. Construction vehicles or equipment; or [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
D. Industrial vehicles or equipment. [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
[PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
2. Motorcycle. Motorcycle dealer plates and a license may be issued to a person engaged in the manufacturing or buying and selling of new or used motorcycles.
[PL 2005, c. 577, §13 (AMD).]
3. Light trailer. Light trailer dealer plates and a license may be issued to a person engaged in the manufacturing or buying and selling of trailers or semitrailers with an unladen gross weight of 3,000 pounds or less.
[PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
4. Trailer. Heavy trailer dealer plates and a license may be issued to a person engaged in the manufacturing or buying and selling of mobile homes or of trailers or semitrailers with an unladen weight of more than 3,000 pounds. Mobile home dealers are exempt from the requirements of this section.
[PL 1997, c. 776, §30 (AMD).]
5. Transporter. A garage owner, body shop, finance company, bank, motor vehicle auction business, motor vehicle rental company, recycler or repossession company licensed by the Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection or any public or nonprofit organization as described in section 951, subsection 4 may be issued transporter plates and a license to transport a vehicle owned by or in the custody of that owner or business.
A. The holder may use this plate only if the vehicle is accompanied by the owner or the owner's employee. [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
B. A transporter plate may not be:
(1) Used in lieu of registration plates;
(2) Loaned to another;
(3) Used for personal reasons; or
(4) Used on a towing vehicle, except for a drive-away saddlemount vehicle transporter combination. [PL 2007, c. 306, §7 (AMD).]
[PL 2011, c. 556, §8 (AMD).]
6. Trailer transit plate. A business that delivers or services mobile homes or tiny homes, leases or transports storage trailers or transports light trailers, modular homes or frames for transporting modular homes may apply for a trailer transit license and plate. The transit plate may not be loaned, used in place of registration plates on another vehicle, used for personal reasons or used on the towing vehicle. Issuance of a trailer transit license and plate does not exempt the holder from compliance with any state law or municipal ordinance governing the movement of mobile homes, tiny homes, storage trailers, modular homes or frames for transporting modular homes or light trailers over the highways of this State and does not exempt the holder from required permits or certificates prior to moving the vehicles. Trailer transit plates issued pursuant to this subsection may be used only subject to the following conditions.
A. A storage trailer must be empty during transportation. [PL 2019, c. 397, §15 (NEW).]
B. A light trailer may be transported with a load appropriate for the light trailer, as long as the load is owned by or in the custody of the transporting business. [PL 2019, c. 397, §15 (NEW).]
C. A light trailer may be transported with a trailer transit plate only if the business owner or an employee of the business accompanies the vehicle transporting the light trailer. [PL 2019, c. 397, §15 (NEW).]
Fees for trailer transit licenses and plates are established in section 852. Trailer transit licenses are exempt from section 951, subsection 6.
For purposes of this subsection, "business" means a corporation, firm, partnership, joint venture, sole proprietorship or other commercial entity. For the purposes of this subsection, "modular home" has the same meaning as in Title 30‑A, section 4358, subsection 1, paragraph A, subparagraph (2).
A person who violates this subsection commits a traffic infraction.
[PL 2019, c. 650, §11 (AMD).]
7. Expiration date. A trailer transit plate under subsection 6 expires annually on the last day of the month of March.
[PL 2019, c. 397, §15 (NEW).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1993, c. 683, §A2 (NEW). PL 1993, c. 683, §B5 (AFF). PL 1995, c. 309, §26 (AMD). PL 1995, c. 309, §29 (AFF). PL 1995, c. 645, §B13 (AMD). PL 1997, c. 437, §25 (AMD). PL 1997, c. 776, §30 (AMD). PL 2001, c. 671, §19 (AMD). PL 2005, c. 577, §13 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 273, Pt. B, §5 (REV). PL 2007, c. 273, Pt. B, §7 (AFF). PL 2007, c. 306, §7 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 695, Pt. A, §47 (AFF). PL 2011, c. 556, §8 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 397, §15 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 650, §11 (AMD).