1. All commercial motor vehicles and trailers registered pursuant to this section or to be operated under reciprocity agreements shall be registered annually, or in the discretion of the state highways and transportation commission, staggered in such manner as to be registered for a one-year period beginning on the first day of a quarter during such year and in such manner as the commission may determine by regulation. To facilitate the transition from an annual registration to a staggered registration, the commission shall inquire of all registrants and registrations as to which calendar quarter the registrant wishes to use as the beginning date of the registration once the transition to staggered registration is complete. If the registrant does not respond by the date selected by the commission, or if no quarter is selected, the registrant shall remain on a calendar year registration. The commission may issue prorated registrations pursuant to this section for periods of greater than or less than one year during the transition to a nonannual year registration, but no registration shall exceed eighteen months nor be less than six months. The commission may issue a prorated, by quarter, partial year registration at any time for additions to a fleet made after an initial registration of such fleet, or such other reasons as approved by the commission or its designee upon the request of the registrant.

2. An application for renewal registration pursuant to this section shall be made with all required documents on or before the first day of the month that is three calendar months immediately prior to the beginning date of the registration. Renewal applications received after the first day of the third calendar month immediately prior to the registration shall be assessed a penalty of one hundred dollars. The commission’s designee may waive the penalty pursuant to this subsection for good cause.

3. Fees for commercial motor vehicles and trailers renewed pursuant to this section shall be paid no later than the first day of the month that is one calendar month immediately prior to the beginning date of the registration except for payments made on an installment basis as provided in subsection 4 of this section. Renewal application fees not paid by the first day of the month immediately prior to the registration shall be assessed a penalty of fifty dollars per vehicle, but in no case shall such penalty exceed one hundred fifty dollars per application. The commission’s designee may, for good cause, waive or reduce any penalties assessed pursuant to this subsection.

4. Any owner of a commercial motor vehicle or trailer operated pursuant to this section or reciprocity agreements may elect to pay the Missouri portion of the annual registration fee in two equal installments, except that no such installment shall be less than one hundred dollars. The first installment shall be payable on or before the first day of the month immediately prior to the beginning date of the registration, and the second installment shall be payable on or before the first day of the sixth month of that registration one-year period. Every owner electing to pay on an installment basis shall file on or before the first day of the month immediately prior to the beginning date of the registration, a surety bond, certificate of deposit or irrevocable letter of credit as defined in section 400.5-103 to guarantee the payment of the second installment. The bond or certificate or letter of credit shall be in an amount equal to the payment guaranteed. The commission may require such installments to be filed at other times of the year if a nonannual registration is issued pursuant to subsection 1 of this section.

5. Any applicant who fails to timely renew his or her registration with all required documents pursuant to this section or who fails to timely pay any fees and penalties owed pursuant to this section shall not be issued a temporary registration for a motor vehicle or a trailer issued pursuant to this section or under reciprocity agreements. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the issuance of temporary registration credentials for additions to the registrant’s fleet subsequent to renewal.

6. The applicant for registration pursuant to this section shall affix the registration plate issued to the front of the vehicle in accordance with the provisions of section 301.130. Any vehicle required to be registered pursuant to this section shall display the plate issued to that vehicle no later than December thirty-first of each year or the last day of the quarter preceding the quarter in which the registration begins, as applicable. Failure to display the registration plate required by this section shall constitute a class A misdemeanor.

7. The commission may prescribe rules and regulations for the effective administration of this section.

8. Any current registration or plate for which all fees have been paid for a commercial trailer previously issued pursuant to reciprocity agreements shall remain valid even if such agreements no longer require apportionment of such trailers under such agreements, and such trailers may continue to be registered pursuant to this section.

9. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the commission shall have the authority pursuant to this chapter to issue permanent and temporary registrations on commercial trailers whether or not the registration is issued pursuant to reciprocity agreements. The provisions of subsection 1 of section 301.190 shall not apply to registrations issued pursuant to this subsection, provided the carrier or person to whom the registration is issued has at least one tractor as defined in section 301.010 registered with the state of Missouri pursuant to this section.

10. Commercial trailer plates issued pursuant to this section shall in all other respects conform to and have the same requirements as those issued pursuant to subsection 3 of section 301.067. Such plates may contain the legend “COMM TRL” in preference to the words “SHOW-ME STATE”.