Is the 1968 C10 Chevy panel wagon dressed with a custom graphic advertising Peder Blohm’s Internet business a commercial vehicle or a personal use one?

At a Dearborn Traffic Commission meeting on Tuesday at 7 p.m., Blohm will find out.

Is Peter Blohm's 1968 C10 Chevy panel wagon, pictured in the driveway of his Dearborn home, a commercial vehicle that is a nuisance to his neighbors or a personal use one?

Blohm’s “Beast”, the name he has affectionately given his ’68 Chevy, was recently found in violation of the city’s ordinance regulating commercial vehicles parked in residential neighborhoods.  According to Blohm, he received two violation notices at his Dearborn home that were signed by a Residential Services employee (formerly Building and Safety) telling him he had until Oct. 2 to move the vehicle.

Blohm says he contacted Dearborn’s Residential Services and tried to explain that the vehicle was not a commercial vehicle, and that it was registered as a wagon, driven for personal and not commercial use, and displayed at local car cruises and car shows. Still, he says, the inspector insisted it was a commercial vehicle.

We’ve written on these pages a couple of weeks ago how Dearborn was stepping up its enforcement of its ordinance regulating commercial vehicles parked in residential neighborhoods (see earlier story, HERE).

In a way, you can’t blame the enforcement officers. They are being told by their leaders to write up every commercial vehicle they see following a slew of complaints from residents on this very topic. In a recent four day sweep of the city more than 160 citations were issued.

Blohm admits that his vehicle has colorful graphics for a member-based Web site, mynewmarketplace.com that he is part owner of, and which helps to connect buyers and sellers nationwide.

He says when he asked the inspector if he were to purchase a $300,000 Bentley, put graphics on the doors, and keep it parked in his driveway, would it be considered a commercial vehicle. The inspector quickly replied “yes.” Blohm said he was told that if he continued to park his vehicle in his driveway the city would fine him and he’d be taken to court.

Which is why he is headed to the city’s Traffic Commission meeting Tuesday night with a petition signed by all of his neighbors (all want the city to approve it) seeking an exception to the ordinance.

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