What a Truck Title Transfer Requires

“There’s no transfer packet to fill out — the title is the paperwork. You sign it over to us and it goes with the truck.” — FAQ. “We do not need the plates and they do not transfer with the title.”

Several states put a separate duty on the seller to notify the state that the vehicle is gone, on a clock, whether or not anything else is filed. That is a state-by-state fact and it is covered on the state pages rather than assumed here.

Federal law requires the transferor to disclose the mileage in writing. The disclosure has to carry the reading, the date, both parties’ printed names and addresses, the identity of the vehicle, and one of three certifications: that the reading is the actual mileage, that it exceeds the odometer’s mechanical limits, or that it is not the actual mileage and should not be relied on.

The exemption is about the paperwork, not about honesty: tampering with an odometer is prohibited at any weight, and a buyer defrauded on mileage has a private right of action. 49 U.S.C. 32703–32711 →

49 CFR 580.5 · 49 CFR 580.17 · 49 CFR 571.3 · 49 U.S.C. 32705.

“A lien doesn’t automatically prevent a sale but it must be resolved. The most common solutions are: paying off the lien before closing so you hold a clear title at pickup, or a simultaneous payoff where a portion of our purchase payment goes directly to the lender to satisfy the lien at closing.” — FAQ

An old lien that was satisfied but never released is a different problem, and in some states it also blocks a replacement title. See who is allowed to apply →

• Form 8300A business receiving more than $10,000 in cash in one transaction or in related transactions files it within 15 days. The duty is the recipient’s, and the regulation’s own example treats a truck differently from a car. 26 U.S.C. 6050I →
• The VIN and the weight labelThe certification label is what settles the GVWR question, and it has to be permanently affixed where the regulation says. 49 CFR 567 and 565 →

Back to the title hub →