In the Summer of 2000, two of us had made a stop at the Badlands and Black Hills that was one of the best three–day vacations we had ever had. But it had been rushed, and we wanted to see more. So when we found out that South Dakota was an excellent place for full–time RVers to make their home base, we had just the excuse we wanted to go back.
Full–timing has some challenges in a culture that would prefer you have a permanent address. In order to own and operate a vehicle, you generally have to have a driver's license, a license plate and vehicle insurance. Such considerations are usually a matter of state and county jurisdictions. This is the crux of why we chose South Dakota. To claim South Dakota residency, one need only set up a mailing address and spend a single night in the state. For eight dollars one can get a non–commercial driver's license that doesn't expire for five years. For less than $100, one can get a vehicle registered, provided one paid sales tax on the vehicle in a state recognized by South Dakota (which apparently is almost all of them). To make things even better, insurance rates are pretty low as well.
The only complication to this whole process was the fact that the previous driver's licenses, plates and insurance in question were from Canada. Two of us have lived and worked in Canada for the previous three years. This meant we had two extra burdens that transferring title and license from another state didn't have.
Canada, it turns out, doesn't track liens against vehicle titles. This meant that we had to demonstrate a clear title on our vehicle. At first, this sounded like an expensive Catch–22. However, after clarifying things twice with the county title office, we were able to go online and have the title researched for the province where the vehicle was registered for less than fifteen Canadian dollars (about US$12).
The more complicated problem was establishing that the vehicle was American. The vehicle had been manufactured and purchased in the United States before we left for Canada. However, it had been imported to Canada and thus it had to be re–imported into the US. Unsurprisingly, this meant a lot of paperwork. We needed to fill out forms from the US Department of Transportation, the US Environmental Protection Agency and, of course, US Customs. The first two agencies have downloadable forms that simply required completion. But the US Customs forms had to be obtained from and signed by a US Customs Officer.
In case you are geographically challenged, South Dakota doesn't border on a foreign country. Fortunately for us, the only two customs officers in South Dakota were at the Sioux Falls airport, near enough where we were staying that it was possible to get things done. We got to meet them both. They were extremely helpful and very hospitable.
Our first encounter was during a heavy rain and hail shower. We called and asked where the office was located. Then we drove out to the airport to explain the situation in person. The agent met us at the door to make sure we got into the building as quickly as possible to avoid getting wet and pelted. He went over our paperwork, but he felt that we should talk to "the boss man" because vehicles were not his area of expertise and "I know you know how they stay on your butt if you do it wrong."
The boss man would be in the next day at 8am. Since the storm was raging on outside, we stayed almost 20 minutes after the official work was settled, just chatting. We learned that the officer was a retired pilot whose wife and daughter were also military. We learned that he knew aircraft extremely well and as such was the aircraft expert of the two officers. He showed us pictures to accent his stories, including an incredible one of him doing a mid–air refueling over Mount Rushmore. He even showed us his deck of "Iraqi Most Wanted" playing cards, which he has left unopened. Saddam Hussein's Ace was the only one showing. In short, we left feeling like we had enjoyed a "visit" rather than encountered a government agency. It was human. It was refreshing.
The next day, on the phone, the "boss man" went over the necessary requirements to make our vehicle official. In addition to filling out the required forms, we had to have a letter from the manufacturer stating that our vehicle met all DOT and EPA requirements. This entailed going to the only dealership for our manufacturer in the greater Sioux Falls area and asking them for a letter. When the manager was clueless regarding our request, the aforementioned customs "boss man" actually was willing to discuss the matter directly with the manager. While he could not act as "go–between" in any sense of advocacy, the customs agent was willing to outline the law for us and the dealership manager. After about 30 minutes, the manager figured out whom we had to contact and what we had to do to get the letter.
This turned out to be the most painful part of the process. The manufacturer doesn't really like being made to research vehicle numbers on behalf of the federal government so we got caught in the middle and had to pay a fee to get the letter. It took a full day's work to find the right place to call, call the place, get them to rush the paperwork, pay them for the letter and get the letter and paperwork to customs in time to get the clearance so we could get to the courthouse and actually register the car.
Once all was gathered and completed, the customs "boss man" processed our paperwork in less that 10 minutes. He, too, was friendly and hospitable. We ended up chatting with him for awhile as well and left again feeling like we'd been visiting with friends rather than dealing with bureaucrats. We made it to the courthouse with half an hour to spare where registering the vehicle was anti–climatic.
It took two full days to get everything in order, but at the end of the second day, for less that $200 (covering three months rental on the PMB, two driver's licenses, vehicle title clearance, vehicle manufacturer's letter and vehicle tags and title), we had established a Sioux Falls address, got driver's licenses, re–imported the vehicle and registered it with the county. We were officially back in the United States and residents of South Dakota.
Getting insured was far less painful. It involved some phone calls to an agent in Sioux Falls that specializes in helping full–time RVers get insurance. BTW, don't bother to call Geico. They will not work with you without a "real" address, whatever they imagine that word to mean in this context.. Through the agent we found Progressive to be the best deal, and they have made billing and paperwork easy through online and faxing. This cuts down on the amount of physical mail that has to be exchanged.
Speaking of mail, an obvious question for full–time RVers is how to receive mail. Most full–timers use a mail–forwarding service. This allows them to have a consistent single address and to receive mail wherever they happen to be at a given time. Receiving mail on the road is often done via general delivery. Not every post office branch is willing to take hold general delivery mail, but usually the main post office in a town or city will.
Our problem is that we rarely sit still for long periods of time and we rarely know where we will be next. So having very understanding friends and relatives who intercede for us helps. Right now, a friend in Canada, an aunt in Arkansas and a mom in Florida are collecting mail for us from various services. It is our intention to streamline this process a bit as we establish ourselves. E–mail, cyber–statements and online bill paying keep the need for mail low. One of the greatest advantages of this system is that we haven't seen junk mail in awhile.
At this point, we should share our philosophy regarding dealing with bureaucracies. Put simply, the first twenty "no's" do not count. All gatekeepers of bureaucratic organizations are taught to say "no" before they even listen to the situation. We ignore these "no's" as purely ritualistic. Usually, after our being told that something is impossible two or three times, a way is found to accomplish what is needed.
Of course, picking the battles is also important. We preferred not to pay for a letter from the manufacturer, and we tried to get out of having to have the letter. But we decided it wasn't worth going for the 20th "no," especially since we understood that the government would say it wasn't their business to dictate the terms of getting the letter (it was "between us and the manufacturer") and the manufacturer felt that it wasn't their job to churn out paperwork to satisfy the federal government's laws, especially since the paperwork in question was being generated in a foreign country (Canada). We were between the proverbial rock and hard place, and while our chances of winning might have been better than many would estimate, it would probably also have involved arguing with officials in Washington, DC, and at the manufacturer's headquarters. The time and the money spent getting a "yes" seemed not to be worth the pay off. We decided that the quickest and least costly route was to accept their terms.
The battle we did fight and win was over the title search. The first offer from the county was that we would have to clear the title for the entire country of Canada. Once we found out how expensive that proposition was, we returned to the county and stated that we felt it was not a fair requirement. Title liens are listed and monitored by states in the US. Couldn't we just get a clearance from the province? "No, well wait a minute, I'll ask." Then the answer was yes. As it turned out, it was even in writing. This saved us over $100 and cost us only three "no's."
It isn't a perfect philosophy. We'd love to find a way never to deal with bureaucrats. But looking back, the experience in Sioux Falls turned out to be livable, even pleasant in spots. And the good news is that now that it is done, it will be a minimal amount of effort in the future.
By the way, you may be wondering why we have not mentioned registration or insuring the RV itself. South Dakota is a great place for establishing the RV's licensures as well, however, our RV was purchased and registered in Florida by the third member of our team. Florida is also on the short list of places to establish a home base, so we saw no reason to change the existing paperwork at this time. Also, our driver has a commercial license in Florida. This is not required for driving an RV, but he wants to maintain his commercial status. Obtaining such a license in South Dakota would have meant establishing a physical address there and would have cost a lot more than eight dollars. On the other hand, our Canadian credentials needed changing and driving from Missouri to South Dakota was a lot easier than driving from Missouri to Florida. So we decided to become a team with two home bases.
Life in the Unit has been an adjustment. Going to South Dakota made it less so. We know that other challenges lie ahead, like how to obtain health care and how to live away from colder weather during the winter. Stay tuned and we will let you know how the adventure goes.