The Montana LLC Crackdown Has Started. Are RVers Next?

RV podcast News Edition for Monday August 24, 2026

RV PODCAST NEWS EDITION

Monday, August 24, 2026

Publishes 6 a.m. ET

OPEN

Hello, everyone. I am Mike Wendland, and this is the Monday RV Podcast News Edition.

This is one of two RV Podcast episodes we do every week.

This one publishes at 6 a.m. every Monday with the biggest news stories affecting the RV lifestyle.

Then, on Wednesday, Jennifer joins me for our Stories from the Road edition, where we have interviews, share RV lifestyle tips and travel ideas, and answer your questions.

Now, a word about how I put this show together, because I think it matters.

I am a journalist by training. I spent more than 40 years working for big city newspapers, television stations and networks. In that business you learn very quickly that you do not report anything you cannot source. You verify it, you attribute it, and you show your work.

Jennifer and I came up in the news business, and old habits die hard. We source our stories, we check the numbers, and we try to separate what actually happened from what the press releases want you to believe happened.

So you will find links to every story we report at the very end of the transcript for this episode at RVPodcast.com. Every one of them. Go check my work, and read the original reporting for yourself.

Before we get started, let me invite you to sign up for our free RV Lifestyle newsletter.

We publish it every day, and it is filled with RV news, travel inspiration, campground information, practical tips and the stories that matter to people who love this lifestyle.

It is free, and you can sign up at RVLifestyle.com/Newsletter.

Again, that is RVLifestyle.com/Newsletter.

Now, here is the RV news of the week.

STORY 1: CALIFORNIA CHARGES 14 IN THE MONTANA PLATE SCHEME. ARE RVERS NEXT?

We start this week with a story about a tax strategy a lot of you have been pitched, and some of you have probably used.

California prosecutors have charged 14 people in what investigators describe as a scheme to dodge sales tax by registering vehicles through Montana LLCs.

The vehicles involved were not travel trailers. We are talking about Ferraris, McLarens and Lamborghinis, the kind of machinery that costs more than most houses.

But stay with me, because the mechanism they are describing is the exact same one being sold to RVers every single day.

Here is how it works.

Montana charges no sales tax on vehicles. So you pay a Montana firm to set up an LLC for you. The LLC buys the motorhome. The motorhome gets Montana plates. And on a coach costing two or three hundred thousand dollars, you have just avoided a tax bill that runs well into five figures.

There is an entire cottage industry built around this. Montana law firms advertise directly to RVers. Some of them work the RV shows. The pitch is always some version of the same thing: this is perfectly legal, everybody does it, why would you hand that money away?

And under Montana law, they are right. The LLC is real. The registration is valid.

The problem is that Montana law is not the law where you live.

Nearly every state charges what is called a use tax on vehicles bought elsewhere and brought home. Your state does not particularly care where the paperwork says the motorhome lives. It cares where the motorhome actually lives. And when you sign a form saying a coach parked in your driveway is garaged in Montana, that signature is where tax avoidance starts turning into something with a harsher name.

California says this is costing it about $10 million a year. The charges filed there include conspiracy, perjury and money laundering. And California can assess a penalty of up to half the purchase price.

That is one state. Indiana and Missouri have moved legislation. Georgia and Utah are enforcing laws already on their books. Bloomberg Tax counted more than 600,000 vehicles registered in Montana and operated somewhere else.

Now, about that rumor you have heard, the one about investigators walking RV storage lots looking for Montana plates.

It is not a rumor.

The California Highway Patrol runs a website where anybody can report a vehicle wearing out-of-state plates. And enforcement in several states includes inspectors checking RV repair shops and storage facilities for exactly those Montana tags.

Your neighbor can turn you in from their phone.

There is one more piece that nobody selling you the LLC brings up, and it may be the one that hurts worst. Insurance companies have refused claims after discovering an RV was titled in Montana while the owner lived and stored it somewhere else. You can win the tax argument and still end up standing in front of a burned-out coach holding a denied claim.

Now let me be fair about something, because it matters.

Full-time RVers with no fixed address are genuinely a different case. If you have no home state, choosing a domicile is a real decision with real rules, and there are honest ways to do it. That is not what we are talking about here.

We are talking about people with a house, a driveway and a home state, who put Montana plates on a rig that has never seen Montana.

And I will tell you where I come down on it.

I am not going to do it. Jennifer and I have run the numbers on our own rigs, and the savings are real. I understand the temptation completely. But I cannot look at this honestly and call it anything other than getting out of a tax my neighbors pay. I would rather sleep well.

Your conscience is your own. I am not here to preach at you.

So what does all this mean for the average RVer?

If somebody offers you this at an RV show this fall, understand exactly what you are being sold. It is legal in Montana, and it may not be legal where you park.

If you already have a Montana LLC, this is a good week to sit down with a tax attorney in your own state, not the firm in Montana that set it up for you. Those two have very different interests.

And check your insurance policy. Find out what your carrier actually knows about where that rig sits.

The states have stopped treating this as a clever piece of paperwork.

They are starting to treat it as theft.

STORY 2: ROADTREK'S NEW OWNERS MAKE THEIR FIRST MOVE

Last month, right here on this podcast, we broke the news that Roadtrek had been sold again.

Groupe Rapido of France sold the iconic Class B builder to Conestogo Partners, a U.S. group that describes itself as permanent capital, meaning they buy companies to keep them rather than to flip them in a few years.

Beyond that, we still do not know much. Private investment groups tend to like it that way.

But this week we got the first real signal of what they intend to do with Roadtrek, and it is more ambitious than I expected.

Roadtrek is building two new Class B models on the Ford Transit chassis.

One is aimed at adventure travel. Off-road capability, extended-season use, the kind of van you take where the pavement ends. The other is a rear bath layout, which happens to be the best selling Class B floor plan in the United States.

The adventure model gets its first public look at the Elkhart RV Dealer Open House in late September. The rear bath version follows in early 2027. Production is slated for 2027, with final specifications still to come.

Roadtrek also added Lazydays RV of Tampa to its dealer network. That matters more than a dealer signing usually would, and here is why.

If you owned a Roadtrek during the insolvency back in 2019, you remember what that was like. Warranty claims went nowhere. Parts were impossible to get. A lot of people with expensive vans learned the hard way that a brand is only as good as the service network standing behind it.

The Tampa store Roadtrek just signed has more than 240 service bays and over a hundred technicians.

Head of sales Len McDougall said the company is being, in his words, "very intentional about how we bring new products to market."

Now let me be fair, and also honest.

Roadtrek has had five owners since Jim Hendrick sold the company he founded. A Chicago investment group. Then Erwin Hymer. Then insolvency. Then Rapido. Now Conestogo. That is a lot of churn for a brand people buy expecting to keep for 15 years.

So I am glad the first news out of the new ownership is product and service capacity, and not a press release full of adjectives. That is the right order of operations, and they deserve credit for it.

What does this mean for the average RVer?

If you have been waiting to see whether Roadtrek was going to survive as a real brand, this is the most encouraging week they have had in a long time.

If you are shopping Class B this fall, the Elkhart open house in late September is where the first one shows up.

And if you own an older Roadtrek, an owner with money and a growing dealer network is good news for your parts situation.

But there is one thing about Roadtrek that has nothing to do with who owns it.

Roadtrek is built in Cambridge, Ontario.

Which brings us to a much bigger story.

STORY 3: THE TARIFF MESS AND WHAT IT IS DOING TO CANADIAN RV BUILDERS

Some of the best small motorhomes sold in America are not built in America.

Roadtrek builds in Ontario. Leisure Travel Vans builds in Manitoba. Pleasure-Way builds in Saskatchewan. Northern Lite builds truck campers in British Columbia. Every one of them sells heavily into the United States.

And every one of them has spent the past year and a half trying to run a business inside a trade fight that changes direction every few weeks.

Here is where things stand as of this weekend, and I am going to be careful with this, because it is genuinely confusing.

A new round of tariffs on certain Canadian goods took effect at one minute past midnight Saturday morning. Fifty percent, under an obscure provision called Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930.

Those tariffs were supposed to start last Wednesday. Then they were suspended for three days while negotiations continued. Then they took effect anyway.

That right there is the whole problem, and we will come back to it.

Now, the good news for RV buyers, and I want to be precise about this. Passenger vehicles and auto parts are carved out of that particular action, because they are already covered under a different tariff.

So a Canadian built camper van did not suddenly get 50 percent more expensive this weekend.

But I am not going to sit here and tell you the tariff picture is fine, because it is not.

Steel and aluminum coming from Canada carry duties of up to 50 percent, and that raises the cost of components for everybody. There is a separate 10 percent tariff that took effect in July on Canadian goods not otherwise excepted. And there are auto tariffs on top of that.

Exactly how a finished Canadian motorhome is treated under those auto tariffs is murkier than I would like.

I spent a good while on this one, and I could not get a clean answer. Trade attorneys are publishing conflicting readings of the same rules. So if somebody tells you they know precisely what a Leisure Travel Van is going to cost six months from now, they are guessing.

And that uncertainty is the actual damage here.

Think about what these companies have to do. They build a van that takes months to produce. They set a price. They print a brochure. They book a booth at a show that is half a year out. They tell a dealer what to expect.

How do you do any of that when the rules can change on a Wednesday, get suspended on a Thursday and come back on a Saturday?

You cannot. So you build in a cushion. You price high enough to survive the worst outcome. And the buyer pays for the uncertainty whether or not the tariff ever lands.

These are not enormous corporations, either. Pleasure-Way and Leisure Travel Vans are family scale builders turning out a few hundred units a year into a market that is already soft.

What does this mean for the average RVer?

If you have your eye on a Canadian built van, ask the dealer directly what happens to your price if tariffs change between your deposit and your delivery. Get that answer in writing. Some dealers will hold a price and some will not, and that one clause is worth real money.

If you already own one, watch parts pricing more closely than anything else. That is where this shows up first.

And be a little patient with these builders. They are not raising prices to gouge you. They are trying to price a product when nobody will tell them what the rules are.

Nobody in this fight ever asked the RV buyer what we thought.

MIDROLL: RVCOMMUNITY

Let me take a quick break here.

If you have listened to this show for a while, you know we do not have a comments section full of arguing, and we do not sell your attention to whoever bids highest.

That is what RVCommunity.com is for.

It is our membership community, and it is completely ad free. No advertising, no algorithm deciding what you get to see. Just RVers helping RVers with real questions and real answers, from people who have actually done the thing you are asking about.

There are three membership levels. The Roadmaster level includes our full RV Lifestyle Masterclass, eight modules and 30 lessons, along with our books and travel guides.

Come take a look and see whether it is a fit for you. That is RVCommunity.com.

Again, RVCommunity.com.

STORY 4: THE PARK SERVICE TURNS 110 THIS WEEK

Something more cheerful now, and it is happening all week.

National Park Week is running right now, from Saturday, August 22 through Sunday, August 30. The theme this year is "Celebrate America's Story," tied to the nation's 250th anniversary.

The centerpiece is Tuesday, when the National Park Service turns 110 years old. That agency has been looking after these places since 1916, through two world wars, the Depression, and more than a few budget fights. If you have ever pulled into a park campground at dusk and had a ranger walk over to make sure you found your site, you have met the reason it still works.

Tuesday is also a fee free day, so entrance fees are waived at every park that charges one. If you are hearing this Monday morning, that is tomorrow. If you are catching up later in the week, you missed the free day, but you did not miss the week.

And the week is the useful part.

Individual parks add their own programming for all nine days. Ranger walks, talks, demonstrations and events that do not run the rest of the year. Wednesday is Watch Wildlife Wednesday. The week closes Sunday, August 30 with Junior Ranger Day.

What does this mean for the average RVer?

Check the events calendar for the specific park you are visiting, not the national page. The good stuff is local and it is not always well advertised.

If you are traveling with grandchildren and you have been meaning to get them into the Junior Ranger program, next Sunday was built for exactly that. The badge costs nothing and I have watched kids wear them for years.

And if you are within a day's drive of a park that charges admission and you are hearing this Monday, tomorrow is free at the gate.

One hundred and ten years, and they are still holding the door open.

STORY 5: THERE IS A SPIDER THE SIZE OF YOUR HAND IN THE SMOKIES

We end this week in the Great Smoky Mountains. And if you do not care for spiders, I apologize in advance.

The park is asking visitors for help tracking an invasive spider spreading through the park.

It is called the Joro spider. It is an orb weaver, native to East Asia, and it is big. A full grown female can span about three inches with her legs out. That is a spider you notice.

They turned up in this country around 2013, most likely as stowaways in shipping containers, and they have since spread across ten or twelve states. Now they are working their way through the Smokies and pushing north.

If you camp in that part of the country, sooner or later you are going to walk into one of their webs. They build big golden ones, often right across a trail or strung between the trees at the edge of a campsite.

So let me get the important part out of the way first.

They are not dangerous.

Researchers at the University of Georgia have studied these things closely, and the picture that comes back is almost comic. Andy Davis, the research scientist who led that work, put it this way. "Our paper shows that these spiders are really more afraid of you than the reverse."

His team puffed air at various spiders to see how they would react. Most species froze for about 90 seconds and then went back to work. The Joros froze for more than an hour.

They rarely bite. And even when one does, the fangs are generally too small to break human skin.

So the terrifying giant spider of the Great Smoky Mountains is, in practice, a coward with an excellent publicist.

Here is what the park is asking. If you see one, do not knock the web down and do not kill it. Take a picture, note exactly where you are, and report it through the iNaturalist app or by email to the University of Tennessee Joro project. That address is in our show notes.

Those sightings are how researchers map the spread.

What does this mean for the average RVer?

Mostly it means do not panic, and do not let a spider talk you out of a trip to the most visited national park in the country.

Walk your campsite before you set up, so you are not clearing a web with your face at six in the morning. Check your awning before you roll it out. And look over your mirrors and storage bays before you pull out, because these things will absolutely hitch a ride, and that is part of how they keep spreading.

If you are traveling with grandkids, this is a genuinely good teaching moment. A three inch spider too timid to bite anybody is a better campfire story than most of what is on their phones.

Take the picture. Send it in. Then leave it alone.

CLOSE

That is our RV news for this week.

Thanks for being with us. I appreciate the time you spend with this show, and I do not take it for granted.

If you have a comment on anything you heard today, or a question you would like me to answer, use the Contact link at RVPodcast.com. It comes straight to me, and I read every one of them.

We will be back with another episode Wednesday, when Jennifer joins me for our Stories from the Road edition, with interviews, RV lifestyle tips, travel ideas and answers to your questions.

If you have not already done so, please sign up for our free RV Lifestyle newsletter. We publish it every day with RV news, travel ideas, campground information, helpful tips and reports from the road. You can sign up for free at RVLifestyle.com/Newsletter.

And if you enjoy this podcast, would you please leave us a rating and a review?

It only takes a moment, but it helps other RVers discover the program. We read those reviews, and we sincerely appreciate every one of them.

And one more reminder about RVCommunity.com, our ad free membership community. Come see what it is about at RVCommunity.com.

I am Mike Wendland.

Thanks for listening, and Happy Trails!

SOURCES

Story 1: California charges 14 in Montana LLC vehicle registration scheme

California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, news release on the Montana loophole enforcement action:

https://cdtfa.ca.gov/news/26-02.htm

The Auto Wire, California charges 14 in Montana supercar registration scheme:

https://theautowire.com/2026/03/16/california-charges-14-in-montana-supercar-registration-scheme/

TaxProf Blog, summarizing Bloomberg Tax on additional states cracking down:

https://taxprofblog.aals.org/2026/02/02/more-states-cracking-down-on-the-montana-vehicle-registration-tax-loophole/

Nolo, legal analysis of Montana LLC vehicle registration and state enforcement methods:

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/can-i-avoid-state-sales-tax-using-montana-llc.html

RV Lifestyle, our earlier reporting on Montana LLC titling for RVs:

https://rvlifestyle.com/montana-llc-titling-rv/

Story 2: Roadtrek's new owners announce two Ford-based Class B models

RVBusiness, Roadtrek adds Lazydays RV to launch Ford-based camper vans:

https://rvbusiness.com/roadtrek-adds-lazydays-rv-to-launch-ford-based-camper-vans/

RV Lifestyle, our reporting on the sale of Roadtrek to Conestogo Partners:

https://rvlifestyle.com/roadtrek-sold-again/

Story 3: Tariffs and Canadian RV manufacturers

Troutman Pepper Locke, three-day suspension of Section 338 additional duties on Canadian imports:

https://www.troutman.com/insights/three-day-suspension-of-section-338-additional-duties-on-canadian-imports/

Wiley, President Trump imposes new 50 percent tariffs on certain Canadian imports:

https://www.wiley.law/alert-President-Trump-Imposes-New-50-Tariffs-on-Certain-Canadian-Imports

Holland & Knight, Canadian imports subject to Section 338 tariffs amid USMCA talks:

https://www.hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2026/07/50-percent-opening-bid-canadian-imports-subject-to-section-338-tariffs

Avalara, current status of US tariffs on Canadian goods:

https://www.avalara.com/blog/en/north-america/2025/03/canada-us-tariffs.html

RV Industry Association, latest tariff developments affecting the RV industry:

https://www.rvia.org/news-insights/latest-tariff-developments

Story 4: National Park Week 2026

National Park Service, National Park Week 2026 dates, theme and daily schedule:

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/national-park-week.htm

National Park Service, 2026 National Park Week announcement:

https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/national-park-week-announcement-march-2026.htm

Story 5: Joro spiders spreading through Great Smoky Mountains National Park

WVLT, invasive spider the size of your hand is spreading through the Great Smoky Mountains:

https://www.wvlt.tv/2026/08/18/an-invasive-spider-size-your-hand-is-spreading-through-great-smoky-mountains-heres-how-you-can-help/

University of Georgia, research finding Joro spiders are shy and not a threat to people:

https://news.uga.edu/joro-spiders-are-shy

University of Tennessee Joro Project, reporting address for sightings:

UTKJoroProject@utk.edu