Q: What are the requirements to use dealer plates? Is it just for dealers and immediate family members, and when you test drive a car? Can the dealer use them as his personal plates? Can you drive a car with dealer plates on a Sunday when there are no car sales?

Thanks.

 

Jett,
St. Anthony, MN

Jett,,

Licensed car dealers purchase those plates, which do have specific uses. They should know those rules, but often they say they don't.  Dealer plates are assigned to dealerships, not persons or specific vehicles. The vehicle they are being used on has to be a vehicle that is being held for resale by the dealer (with a paperwork file as documentation).

The law actually states that, "Motor vehicles, new or used, owned by the motor vehicle dealership and bearing the number plate, except vehicles leased to the user who is not an employee of the dealer during the term of the lease, held for hire, or customarily used by the dealer as a tow truck, service truck, or parts vehicle, may be driven upon the streets and highways of this state:

(1) by the motor vehicle dealer or dealer's spouse, or any full-time employee of the motor vehicle dealer for either private or business purposes;

(2) by a part-time employee when the use is directly related to a particular business transaction of the dealer;

(3) for demonstration purposes by any prospective buyer for a period of 48 hours or in the case of a truck, truck-tractor, or semitrailer, for a period of seven days; or

(4) in a promotional event that lasts no longer than four days in which at least three motor vehicles are involved.

(b) A new or used motor vehicle sold by the motor vehicle dealer and bearing the motor vehicle dealer's number plate may be driven upon the public streets and highways for a period of 72 hours by the buyer for either of the following purposes: (1) removing the vehicle from this state for registration in another state, or (2) permitting the buyer to use the motor vehicle before the buyer receives number plates pursuant to registration. Use of a motor vehicle by the buyer under clause (2) before the buyer receives number plates pursuant to registration constitutes a use of the public streets or highways for the purpose of the time requirements for registration of motor vehicles."

Dealer "In-Transit" plates are even more restricted.  The law actually states that Dealer In-Transit plates are,
"For use upon all new or used motor vehicles being transported from the dealer's source of supply, or other place of storage, to the dealer's place of business, or to another place of storage, or from one dealer to another."

I hope that answers your questions, and thanks for asking.  Portions of actual statutes were quoted and used with permission of the Office of the Revisor of Statutes.

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol

Q: Can you tell me if it is illegal for a CDL driver to drink a pop or coffee or eat a snack while driving ?

Thank you..

 

S. Jones,
Duluth, MN

S. Jones

The answer is that even though it is not a safe thing to do, no, there is no specific law prohibiting a CDL driver from drinking pop or coffee or eating a snack while driving.  However, if you are doing any of those things and you commit a moving violation or have a crash then you could be cited for inattentive driving which is the same thing that could happen no matter what type of license you have or vehicle you are driving.

Thanks for asking.Sgt. Curt S. Mowers

Public Information Office
MN State Patrol

Q: My boyfriend received his second DWI and his pick-up was impounded and we've been told that he will not ever get it back...He blew twice the legal and we were told that based on that that the vehicle will be sold on auction...Is there anything that we can do to get the truck back or is what we've been told what is going to happen????

 

Katerina,
Sacred Heart, MN

Katerina,

Yes there is something you can do.  Instead of going through all of it here on this Web site, I will only say it would be easier if you just read all of the information sheets that your boyfriend got from the officer at the time of his arrest and revocation of registration and forfeiture.  Those sheets tell you what all your options are and what you can and must do, etc. There is a limit of time to react so you better find them and read them quick and hire an attorney to follow up as soon as possible, if it's not too late already.  Thanks for asking.

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol

Q: If WHITE colored signs are "regulatory" and YELLOW colored are "advisory" wouldn't it make since to have the WHITE and YELLOW lines on road surfaces have the same meaning as signs?  

Consistency in regulations is a plus. Possibly this whole issue of colors needs to be explored.

 

Robert,
Lutsen, MN

Robert,

The State DOT must follow the Federal DOT guidelines to be "consistent" with how it is being done all over the country and in some other parts of the world.  Lines are different than signs, so "consistency" for them is not relative, in my opinion. I see what you are driving at but that is kind of like comparing apples to oranges in a sense.  I agree that consistency in regulations is a plus.  I am sure that if you thought of this, an engineer for DOT has thought of it too, but I can sure pass it on and see what they say.  Thanks for writing.Sgt. Curt S. Mowers

Public Information Office
MN State Patrol

Q: My driver's side seat belt is broken. I got pulled over for no seat belt, I told the officer that it didn't work, and I got a ticket. I thought I would get a Fix it ticket before I could get the No Seat Belt ticket. What are the regulations on Fix it tickets? If the problem is that something doesn't work right with your car, do they have to give you fix it ticket or is it up to the officer that pulls you over? Can I fight it and get it reduced to a fix it ticket?

 

Angie,
New Ulm, MN

Angie,

It's against the law to drive with a "broken" seat belt.  Unless your vehicle was manufactured before January 1, 1965, then you are not exempt and the officer did the right thing.  Most agencies don's do fix it tickets anymore. Some do, but thats up to the officer and the agency.  Those apply mostly to minor vehicle equipment situations anyway.  Anyone can contest a violation. Thanks for asking.

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol

Q: I have 1965 Mustang that has no evidence of ever having seatbelts. Am I required by law to install them before driving?

Thanks.

 

Jerry,
Bovey, MN

Jerry,

No, you are not required to install them in that particular vehicle.  Many people do install them just to be safe, even though our law pertaining to seat belts in older vehicles says that you are exempt from having to wear a seat belt if you are, "driving or riding in a passenger vehicle manufactured before January 1, 1965". Your 1965 vehicle was no doubt actually manufactured the year before, as is the case for motor vehicle models and years classifications, and is exempt from having to have a seat belt, or it would have had them in it now, or at least there would be some evidence of having had them.  Thanks for asking.

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol

State Patrol Duties

Question: I know this might be a wide open question, but what kind of things are the State Patrol involved in that might be of interest to the general public that we may or may not know about?  For instance, what do you do besides write speeding tickets?

Answer: Wow that is wide open. Well, there should be no doubt that we are a patrol agency, and that our primary focus is traffic safety.  While most people probably see troopers pulling vehicles over on the roadways, we are involved in much more than I could write in this column in one sitting.  Like other agencies, we have been changing with the times as necessary.  Generally, we are working to reduce the deaths, injuries, property damage, and other life-changing events on Minnesota's roadways. I hope that is what people see us doing out there anyway.

The Minnesota State Patrol is constantly working to maximize service to the public and provide assistance to our allied agencies.  We also want to recruit, develop, and retain a quality yet diverse workforce and effectively acquire and strategically deploy resources while enhancing organizational efficiency. Just some of the things we get involved with include aviation support, air searches, crash reconstruction, commercial vehicle enforcement, executive protection, homeland security, K-9 patrols, motor vehicle crimes investigation, Special Response Team unit deployment, Public Information/media collaboration, training, recruitment, public information and many other important involvements. We still write speeding tickets while working with our aircraft too!

The Minnesota State Patrol is constantly working with other law enforcement agencies on special enforcement projects. We know that by working together, we can accomplish more.  Some of these involve long term specially funded projects as well as on-duty short term enforcement events.  Our old mission statement told the public that we were working together to ensure a safe environment on our roadways, while our current mission statement boasts that we are a progressive law enforcement agency providing superior service to Minnesota's residents, visitors, and allied agencies.  Also, it says that we strive for excellence in all that we do through the development of forward thinking leadership, technology, innovation, and a quality workforce.  I will let you be the judge of how we are doing with all of this.  I know we are going to continue working hard on traffic safety as long as necessary and yes, that includes writing speeding tickets!  

If you have any questions for future columns concerning motor vehicle traffic in Minnesota, please send your questions to:  "ASK A TROOPER" c/o Sgt. Curt S. Mowers MN State Patrol  P.O. Box 644 Brainerd, MN  56401 or email questions to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  with Ask A Trooper in the subject line. Questions are edited.

Q: Is it true that an officer must have his parking lights on (or some lights) in order to lawfully pull over speeders?

Thank you.

 

Mark,
Apple Valley, MN

Mark,

As you strictly worded it, your answer would be no.  If you mean at night, then the answer could be yes or no depending on the circumstances.  Generally, an officers lights have to be on in the same situations that a civillian's lights need to be on, except for special circumstances too many to name here.  One circumstance does NOT include normal patrol or traffic enforcment.  I have written about this before on this cite, so that's all I will say.  I hope this helps you out.  Thanks for asking.

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol

Q: Hello, I drive a Ford Ranger pickup truck, when I had my truck wired (professionally) so I can tow my boat trailer, they removed one of my two license plate lights and used the hole to put in my connection. They say that as long as there is a light illuminating the plate, my truck is legal. However, my friends keep telling me that if it came from the factory with two (2) rear license plate lights, BOTH have to be working.

Help! who is correct?

 

Terrence,
Minnetonka, MN

Terrence,

The law just requires that the license plate be lit during times that lights are required to be on.  There is no statute that says two are required, however, if your vehicle is equipped with two lights, then technically they both need to be working.  I suppose it could happen, but I have never seen an officer write a ticket for a license plate light being out when one is clearly working and illuminating the plate.  Thanks for asking.

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol

Q: What are the specifics on bumper height in Minnesota? Are there any specific rules about what material they must be made out of, etc. What are vehicle "raising" regulations for road legal? Is it illegal to drive a truck through the ditches on the side of a highway? Thanks.

Mike,
Braham, MN

Mike,

The law says, "All private passenger vehicles shall be equipped with front and rear bumpers, except that pickup trucks and vans shall be equipped with front bumpers and with either rear bumpers or reflectors." It also says, "No person shall operate a private passenger vehicle that: (a) was originally equipped with bumpers as standard equipment, unless the vehicle is equipped with bumpers equal to the original equipment; or (b) has a suspension system or body so modified that the height of the vehicle or any bumpers varies more than six inches from the original manufactured height for the vehicle".

The law goes on to say that, "(a) Notwithstanding the restrictions contained in subdivision 3, bumpers required under this section shall not exceed a height of (1) 20 inches on any passenger automobile or station wagon or (2) 25 inches on any four-wheel drive multipurpose type vehicle, van as defined in section 168.002, subdivision 40 , or pickup truck as defined in section 168.002, subdivision 26 , when the vehicle is being operated on a public highway".

And, the law continues, saying, "The height of the bumper shall be determined by measuring from the bottom of the bumper, excluding any vertical bumper attachments, to the ground. A vehicle which has an original bumper which does not exceed a height of 30 inches may be modified by attaching a full width bumper to the regular bumper to meet the height requirement. The attached bumper must be at least 4.5 inches in vertical height, be centered on the vehicle's centerline, extend at least ten inches on either side of the frame, and be attached to the frame in at least four places with angle braces at no less than 45 degrees so that it effectively transfers impact to an extent equal to or greater than the original bumper".

Yes, it is against the law in most cases to be driving a truck in the ditches with a truck. There are exceptions, like road maintenance vehicles, etc., of course.

I hope this helps, thanks for asking.  Portions of statutes were reprinted in part here with permission of the Office of the Revisor of Statutes.  Good luck.

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol