advertising on a van without commercial plates

[tpos]

hi, i've been wondering for a while now, and haven't been able to find an answer, i own my own business, floor maintenance, and use a van for my machines. i don't have commercial plates, can i put a magnet on the side saying my company's name, Positano More Shine Floor Cleaning Services, with my number and so on? i've heard you need commercial plates to have ads on the side of a van or truck.. any input?

[Eagle]

I don't think you need commercial plates to put a company name on your van. However, if you are using the van for a business but have it insured as your personal vehicle you will run into problems. If you get into an accident the insurance company may not cover you if they find out you were operating a business with the van.

[BKM]

If you have a name on the side of a vehicle then you need commercial license plates.

Likewise if you were to have the commercial plate then you would need to have a name on the side of the vehicle.

You cannot have one without the other.

If you do decide to get commercial plates you will need to check with the town you reside in and see if there are any laws regarding parking commercial plated vehicles in your driveway if it were in a residential neighborhood. Most towns will not allow commercial plated vehicles to park in a driveway regardless if you own the property or not.

You must also notify your insurance carrier that you are using the vehicle for commercial purposes or risk the chance if you were to get into an accident of them denying the claim.