(2) Except as otherwise provided under this section, vehicles registered in a fleet under this section are subject to the same taxes, fees, qualifications, provisions, conditions, prohibitions and penalties applicable to similar vehicles otherwise registered under the vehicle code.

(3) The following apply to fleets registered under this section:

(a) The registered owner of the fleet must maintain the number of vehicles registered in the fleet that the Department of Transportation determines by rule to be required for participation in the fleet registration program.

(b) Fleet registration or renewal of fleet registration under this section may be annual or biennial registration as determined by the department by rule.

(c) The registration of individual vehicles in a fleet registered under this section does not expire as long as the fleet registration is valid.

(d) The department shall assign identification to the fleet and, upon payment of appropriate fees, shall issue to the registered owner of the fleet permanent fleet tags, stickers, plates or other identification the department determines appropriate for the vehicles that the owner and the department have agreed to place in the fleet. The department may establish the use of any appropriate form of identification under this paragraph as the department determines convenient for its own operation.

(e) The tags, stickers, plates or other appropriate identification issued under this section shall be displayed on any vehicle to which it has been assigned by the department.

(f) Registration cards issued by the department for vehicles registered under this section are only required to individually describe the vehicles in the fleet to the extent the department determines necessary and to identify the fleet in which the vehicles are registered.

(g) Application for registration under this section shall be in the manner determined by the department by rule.

(h) The fleet owner shall maintain records and provide information to the department as required by the department by rule and shall allow the department to audit the records of the owner and conduct inspections at any reasonable time to determine compliance with requirements for fleet registration.

(i) Vehicles shall be added to the fleet and transferred from the fleet according to procedures established by the department by rule.

(j) The vehicles in the fleet shall be marked in compliance with any requirement for vehicle markings the department determines necessary for identification of fleet vehicles.

(k) The department may adjust fee payments and registration periods for individual vehicles added to a fleet registered under this section as the department determines necessary for administration of the fleet registration.

(L) The fees for a fleet registered under this section are the same as the fees required if the vehicles in the fleet are individually registered under the vehicle code.

(m) The department may charge a service charge for each vehicle entered into a fleet and a fleet vehicle renewal charge for each vehicle in the fleet at the time of renewal. Fees described in this paragraph are established under ORS 803.420.

(n) The department may schedule the time for payment of fleet registration fees in any manner convenient to the department or the fleet owner.

(o) The fleet owner shall comply with any rules the department establishes for the registration of vehicles in fleets under this section.

(p) The department shall cancel any registration under this section if the department determines that the owner of the vehicles registered is not complying with any requirements for fleet registration established under this section or by the department.

(q) A fleet owner may certify compliance with pollution control requirements under ORS 815.310 in the manner provided under ORS 815.310 for vehicles registered under this section.

(r) The department shall establish procedures for the reporting of odometer disclosures for the vehicles in the fleet on a regular basis and for vehicles that are withdrawn from the fleet, if odometer disclosures are otherwise required. The reports shall provide any information the department determines by rule to be necessary. The department may establish any reporting time the department considers convenient, but shall attempt to establish periods with a frequency roughly equivalent to those for renewal of vehicle registration. The department shall retain the odometer information submitted under this section but need not print it on certificates of title or registration cards.

(4) A fleet owner may request that the registration of all vehicles in the fleet expire in the same month. Notwithstanding ORS 803.405 or any other provision of this section, if such a request is made the department shall:

(a) Adjust the registration expiration date of all vehicles in the fleet.

(b) When a vehicle that is already registered in this state is added to the fleet, adjust the registration expiration date of the vehicle to correspond to that of other vehicles in the fleet.

(c) When a vehicle that has never before been registered in this state is added to the fleet, assign a registration expiration date to the vehicle that corresponds to that of other vehicles in the fleet.

(5) When the department adjusts or assigns registration expiration dates in accordance with subsection (4) of this section, the department shall prorate all registration fees to reflect the adjustment or assignment.

(6) The department shall adopt rules necessary for the administration of this section. The rules may include any rules that increase the convenience of administration or the convenience of the registration process under this section. [1983 c.338 §249; 1985 c.16 §95; 1985 c.245 §1; 1985 c.251 §23; 1985 c.668 §8; 1991 c.459 §438i; 1991 c.873 §17]