So here we are again, talking about surplus Army trucks. And are we tired of talking about it? Absolutely not. Why should we be? They’re awesome!
The thing about them is that they are not sold from government consignment auction houses with a roadworthy title. Actually, they don’t have any titles at all! But that’s alright; getting vehicles street-legal is kind of our thing.
Let’s find out what an LMTV is and how you can get yours street legal today!
What Exactly Is an LMTV?
Image by Cianna Woods from Pixabay
Well, to answer this question, we kind of need to step back in time and look over the history of trucks in the Army.
It has been said that logistics are the backbone of any army. Since all armies are now mechanized, wheeled vehicles are a downright necessity. In reality, heavy-wheeled vehicles are the backbone of the Army.
The LMTV is the next vehicle in the evolution of all-terrain medium-duty utility trucks. They are a 2 ½ ton truck, having the same load-carrying capacity as the infamous M35 family of trucks.
M35s have been affectionately known to grunts everywhere as the “deuce-and-a-half” for better than half a century.
The very first deuce and a half was the GMC CCKW, a 2 ½ ton truck designed at the onset of World War II and used extensively throughout the war and into Korea. GMC and other licensees produced nearly six hundred thousand of the “Jimmys.” But moreover, the Army purchased almost two and a half million trucks during World War II; of those, over eight hundred thousand were 2 ½ ton varieties.
The 2 ½ ton truck has repeatedly proven that it is Amy the perfect size of a utility truck for anything and everything heading to the front line. Since they're 6x6 turning ten gnarly mud grip tires, they were none too easy to stop either.
Image by Amber Clay from Pixabay
And as it turned out, these trucks remained the most popular and common size of the truck, spawning the M35, which was produced in three iterations (A1, A2, and A3) from 1950 all the way up until production ended in 1999.
And now we come to the M1078 LMTV. Or almost, anyway. All the way through the M35A3, deuce and a half had always been triple axle trucks. Most were 6x6, although roughly one-sixth were 6x4. Up until the A3, the traditional ten-tire configuration was standard, but then they shifted to a larger, single tire to replace the duals.
What is the Stewart & Stevenson M1078?
The LMTV is a unique design that looks nothing like the previous deuces. Using a cab-over design, the M1078 LMTV rides on only two axles with four large tires, making it look much more like a light truck than it is. But looks can be deceiving.
The LMTV is the smaller brethren of the Family of Military Tactical Vehicles (FMTV). Much like the Jimmys and M35s of yesteryear, the LMTV is a robust truck adapted to all kinds of battlefield jobs and support roles. So why transition away from the tried and true 6x6 configuration? Mostly just logistics. Fewer tires, less maintenance, etc. Also, consider the approach angle of a truck with only four axles instead of six. It makes sense when you think about the places the Army takes its trucks.
Is The LMTV A Commercial Truck?
In the traditional sense of the word, no, the LMTV is not a commercial truck. It is a military surplus truck designed and tailor-made to army specifications for hauling equipment, supplies, food, fuel, ammunition, and soldiers around.
Just needs a little TLC. Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
With that said, many surplus army trucks have been bought at auction and pressed into service for commercial use. They are especially well suited for hauling heavy cargo and equipment into backcountry locations. For instance, a local electrical contractor has a fleet of M1070 Heavy Equipment Transport System, among other surplus army trucks.
Since army tactical trucks are built for the worst terrain on the planet, it makes a lot of sense to use them for jobs that require going into harsh places and environments. Oh, and usually surplus army trucks come at a price point much lower than a comparable 6x6 (or even 8x8) truck. That is if you can even find them. Especially if you or your company need to move a standard-type trailer (flatbed, box, low-boy, etc.), there aren’t many options for readily-available trucks that can hook up to a standard 48’ flatbed trailer and tow it on rough roads or into the backcountry. But an M939 5-ton truck or an FMTV with a standard hitch can handle that just fine.
Related Article: What You Need to Know Before You Buy a Surplus Army Truck
Of course, if you are out there and need a load hauled over rough terrain, the HEMTT will fit the bill perfectly.
What Is The MTV?
MTV 5-tons on the move. Image by Military_Material from Pixabay
So, the LMTV is just a branch off of the Family of Military Tactical Vehicle program.
The Army wanted a family of similar vehicles to use. They needed to be modular and have a shared supply chain. Enter the MTV, the 6x6 iteration of the FMTV. While it looks a lot like an LMTV, an MTV is much beefier. The MTV comes in 5-ton, 9-ton, and even 10-ton configurations.
If you need something that will really shake the ground, the MTV will do it. However, you will lose some of the agility of the smaller LMTV, and truthfully, for the average owner and NOT an electrical contractor or fire department, the LMTV is more truck than we’ll ever use.
Where Can I Find Military Vehicles For Sale?
The auction houses are the best places to look for a surplus army truck. The DoD does not sell directly to the general public or civilian markets; they use auctions. Iron Planet is getting most of the action through its subsidiary Gov Planet.
When you go and buy a surplus truck, you are getting a vehicle that can be made street-legal but is not actually a street-legal vehicle right out of the box. See, the DoD operates by a special set of agreements with the DOT to operate their fleets of tactical vehicles on public roadways, but those trucks are not street-legal machines the same way a regular car would be.
You can occasionally find LMTVs on Marketplace, Craigslist, and so on where someone has already done some work on them. Your best bet to find one will be government auction sites, but that also means starting from square one with making your LMTV street legal. Lucky for you, making military vehicles street-legal is a large part of what we do here at Dirt Legal.
Here’s one thing you need to know if you live in Colorado or California (note: it may apply to more than these states, but these are the ones we have found): you can’t register a surplus army truck there.
So, if you happen to live in any of the vast, wide-open, and sparsely populated areas of these two beautiful states and happen to want to tool around in a surplus Humvee or LMTV, you’re going to have to register it out of state. And that’s cool with us; it’s what we do! And we’re more than happy to do it for you.
What Is An SF-97?
If or when you purchase a surplus army vehicle from an auction house, you will get two pieces of paperwork (most of the time):
A bill of sale
The SF-97 is a U.S.-government-issued certificate. It is what you need to title your vehicle, so states will no longer issue a street-legal title for these trucks. You will get stuck with an off-road-only title in Colorado or California. This might work out if you own a 10,000-acre ranch, but for the rest of us, it defeats the purpose.
If you’ve bought yourself a surplus army truck like an LMTV, chances are you want to use it for something beyond a mega-UTV.
How Can I Tag a Military Surplus LMTV?
The first step to tagging your surplus military vehicle is getting a fresh, clean title. Since they are not sold with a traditional civilian title, you have some legwork to do, which at a minimum means barking up your local DMV and could involve passing a series of invasive inspections or unpassable smog tests…that is, unless you choose the Dirt Legal Advantage.
We take the guesswork out of the process so you can focus on what’s really important. Like, putting a full display of PIAA LEDs on your LMTV. You know you want to.
How it Works
A couple of variables are involved in the Dirt Legal process depending on how your paperwork was issued. At every turn, we’ve done everything in our power to make it far simpler than going through the local DMV. These are the states we currently work with.
Utah
Sample Utah plate.
If you only have an SF-97, or you happen to have an existing title that isn’t branded Off-Road, you’ll get a Utah plate/title for your LMTV.
Sales tax for Utah will be 7%, which will be calculated using the vehicle purchase price or Average Retail Value, whichever is higher.
Once we receive the documents back from you, it will take between three to five weeks to get your license plates and registration, and we expect another one to three weeks for your title. We will invoice you for taxes if you owe any.
Montana
Sample Montana plate.
If you have an Off-Road title or just a bill of sale, you’ll get a Montana plate/title for your LMTV, which comes with a Montana LLC. You can also choose to do Montana instead of Utah if you have an SF-97.
Sales tax for Montana is 0%, which means if you haven’t paid sales tax on the vehicle yet, you will not have to.
If you have a bill of sale only, a VIN inspection will be required, and you will receive a bonded title.
Once we get your documents, expect to receive your plates, registration, and title assigned to your new Montana LLC in about two to three weeks.
Insurance
Trying to insure any of the oddball OHVs that we help make street legal can be a little difficult. We suggest trying these:
Parts Your LMTV Needs to Be Street Legal
Surplus army trucks generally come with all of the standard DOT-required items, but just in case yours doesn’t, here’s a quick checklist. Because no inspection is needed, you do not need these parts installed for Dirt Legal to register and tag your vehicle – though you should have them installed before taking to the streets.
White headlights with low and high beam
Red tail lights with brighter or separate brake light
Yellow reflectors front and rear
White license plate light
Front and rear turn signals
DOT tires
Mirrors
Horn
Quiet exhaust with muffler
Seat belts
Handbrake
Windshield and wipers
Registration Renewal
Once you have a street-legal military surplus LMTV, you may wonder about registration renewals. Some people opt to transfer the registration to their home state once they are legally tagged, and we respect that. However, if you are in a state that will not register it or want to keep the Montana or Utah tags, you probably don’t want to drive to those states annually to renew your tags.
Thankfully, we have the solution.
For Montana registrations of vehicles less than 11 years old, and for all Utah registrations, you need to renew your registration each year, but we’ve made it super easy so you don't have to deal with the hassle of contacting the DMV and sitting on hold for hours. All you need to do is sign up for our auto-renewal program. Once you’re enrolled, we’ll automatically process your renewal when it’s time for you to renew.
That means whether you’re busy or have more important things to worry about, your registration renewal will automatically show up at your doorstep right when you need it! Simple.
Parting Thoughts
LMTVs are awesome. They are capable, big, loud, and go anywhere. They can also be bought at bargain-basement prices if you are savvy and have cash. Legalizing this mammoth isn’t always as easy as the purchase. But that’s cool; at Dirt Legal, we handle this sort of thing daily.
We are your best bet to get your army surplus truck titled, tagged, and registered if you live in Colorado, California, or anywhere else. Also, if you are a power sports enthusiast with a shed full of toys, check out our full line of street-legal services for off-road vehicles of all shapes and sizes!
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Don't let your surplus Army truck be a garage queen.
Tag it today!
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➡️ Don't let your surplus Army truck be a garage queen. Tag it today! ⬅️
John McCoy is a lifelong car and truck enthusiast and has a strong mechanical background off the road. He spent over 13 years in the U.S. Air Force as a crew chief, assigned to the B-1B Lancer, affectionately known as the Bone to those in the community, and the KC-135R Stratotanker. He resides on a small farm in Eastern Kansas where he (sometimes) enjoys fixing ancient farm equipment.