The five
- 49 CFR Part 580 — odometer disclosureWhat a transferor has to write and sign, and the exemption for a vehicle rated above 16,000 lb GVWR. Read it →
- 49 U.S.C. 32703–32711 — odometer tampering and fraudThe prohibitions, the civil and criminal penalties, and the buyer’s private action for treble damages. Read it →
- 28 CFR Part 25 — NMVTISThe national title, brand and salvage database: who reports into it, how often, and the weight definition that decides what it covers. Read it →
- 49 CFR 567 and 565 — the GVWR label and the VINWhere the weight rating is required to be stated, and what a 17-character VIN has to be. Read it →
- 26 U.S.C. 6050I — Form 8300 cash reportingThe $10,000 threshold, what counts as cash, and the worked example that turns on whether the vehicle is a consumer durable. Read it →
Two of them stop at a weight, and that is the useful part
Most general advice about vehicle titles is written for cars, and two federal rules say so in their own text. Both draw a line that a commercial truck is on the far side of.
| Odometer disclosure stops above 16,000 lb | 49 CFR 580.17(a)(1) exempts “a vehicle having a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, as defined in § 571.3 of this title, of more than 16,000 pounds”. GVWR is the manufacturer’s rating on the certification label, not what the truck weighs today. |
| NMVTIS is built around a 10,000 lb definition | Every reporting duty in 28 CFR Part 25 subpart B is written about an “automobile”, which § 25.52 defines by 49 U.S.C. 32901(a)(3) — “rated at less than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight”. |
| What does not stop | Odometer tampering is prohibited at any weight under 49 U.S.C. 32703, and a buyer defrauded on mileage has a private action under § 32710 whatever the vehicle is rated at. |
Titling itself is a state function throughout. Nothing federal issues a title, replaces a lost one, or sets a salvage threshold — those are the state pages.
49 CFR 580.17; 49 CFR 571.3; 28 CFR 25.52; 49 U.S.C. 32901(a)(3), 32703, 32710.
The rest of the federal layer
These five are the title-facing rules. The operating side of federal trucking law — hours of service, driver qualification, inspection and maintenance, CDL standards, financial responsibility — is a separate reference section: Federal Trucking Laws →
Current as of 14 September 2026. This page describes rules, not your situation, and it is information rather than legal advice. Rules change; the linked official source is always the current one.