Can I own one here
Owning one in Calvert County.
On your own land, yes
Owning a kei truck and working it on a ranch, a farm, a mine or private property does not depend on a road title. Some states still ask for a title or an off road registration.
A 25 year truck on the road
Open to road use, to confirm. Maryland law does not name kei trucks. The MVA titles a vehicle from overseas on an HS-7 with box 1 checked, the 25 year declaration. Its own manual says that box verifies the vehicle meets U.S. specifications. The truck still has to pass a Maryland safety inspection and be titled at the MVA within 60 days of entry.
A newer governed truck
Private land only. Not as an off-highway recreational vehicle. The MVA titles ATVs and side by side UTVs with an ORV decal, and a governed kei truck falls outside that definition.
Getting one here
From Japan to Calvert County.
The nearest ports with a sailing from Japan on record
- The Port of Savannah, Georgia Ports Authority, about 600 road miles.
- The JAXPORT, Jacksonville Port Authority, about 800 road miles.
- The Port of Los Angeles, about 2,800 road miles.
How to import a mini truck, step by step.
A newer off road truck never lands in California. It comes in through Tacoma or by way of Houston.
Trucks travel in containers, one to a 20 foot box with room for parts or three to a 40 foot box.
Road miles are an estimate, the straight line times 1.2.
The ground
Calvert County, counted.
62 percent of Calvert County's people live outside urban areas. Calvert County averages 15 inches of snow a year. Calvert County has 285 farms and 65 cattle operations, by the 2022 Census of Agriculture.
Importing a kei truck
The essentials, in short.
A truck under 25 can come in only as governed off road equipment, and only if its engine family held an EPA nonroad certificate for that model year. No kei engine family was certified for mini trucks before model year 2010, so a truck built after 31 October 2001 and before model year 2010 has no federal door until its 25th birthday.
Two lanes
A road truck must be 25 years old by its own build date. A newer truck comes in only as governed off road equipment with a certified engine.
The 25 percent duty
Every kei truck pays the 25 percent truck duty at the port, whatever its age.
The paperwork
The customs entry and the two federal declarations, DOT Form HS-7 and EPA Form 3520-1, travel with the truck to your title office.
The title
Keep every stamped paper with the truck. Your state title office asks to see them.
Contact
A question about the law in Calvert County?
Ask about a truck, a state or the papers, and we answer with what applies to you.
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