DIY License plates

[Dave1982]

I saw this a while ago....not sure what made me think of it now, but here goes....

I was at a long red light behind a delivery truck for a well-known brand of beer, and something looked....off. I couldn't place it at first, but then I realized what it was.

It had no license plate.

What is had insteasd was a homemade plate. I'm guessing the real plate was stolen, so they took a piece of what looked like white plastic card, applied a large P-touch style label to the top that said "MASSACHUSETTS" then used mailbox numbers and letters to spell out the plate number, and attached that to the truck.

um yeah.....

I have no doubt that the truck was properly registered, seeing as it was from a major well-known company, but that just wouldn't fly. Massachusetts is pretty strict about license plates, so I can't imagine that that would go over well should that truck pass by an observant member of the constabulary. I do give them credit for their effort, but all you need to do to be legit is go to the RMV, explain that your plate was stolen/lost, pay $10, and they'll give you new plates.

Plus, by going it the legit way, the old plate number can be marked as a stolen plate, which will aid the police should they find a vehicle using it.

[Javarod]

Wonder why they resorted to that if they were local. I know a number of companies register semi-trailers in Indiana (keep your eye on UPS and Penske), must be some kind of price break, and i imagine losing one of those plates would be complicated to replace. Something local? Just send a clerk down to pick it up.

[Shalom]

Back in high school (1982), in a cabinet in the dorm that was full of unclaimed old and weird books, I found a copy of the Vehicle & Traffic Law for the State of New York, dated 1916. God knows where that came from or who left it in the dorm.

(ETA: The school was in Rhode Island, which makes it all that much weirder,)

There was a whole section on how to make your license plate: what size piece of wood or metal, how high the letters/numbers had to be, and so forth. Apparently the DMV (or whatever there was back then) didn't issue plates in 1916, they just issued you a number and you had to do your own plates. Somehow I don't think that law's still on the books, though...

(Oh, the state speed limit was defined as follows: (quoting from memory) "Automobiles shall proceed at a reasonable and prudent speed, not to exceed a rate of one quarter of a mile in one minute." That translates to 15 mph, but given the condition of the rural roads then, it probably made sense.)

[Aria]

Maybe... hopefully?... They were going to the RMV as you spotted them.

Although I doubt it.

[Zellie Crescent]

That reminds me of what I saw about a month ago. A beat up dark green something with not only no plate (not even a fake), but 2 busted tail lights. The back end looked kinda screwed up in general, and the whole time I'm stuck behind this person there are no cops around anywhere.

[PepperElf]

I saw something similar last month on the road but... I think it was more of a *legal* homemade plate.

I say legal because... it looked professionally made and bore the name of a car dealership. i can only hope the dealer paid a special price to get plates like that. (cos i'd like to think he wasn't stupid)

[SongsOfDragons]

I've seen plenty of numberplates on here written on cardboard...but they're always tied onto the back of caravans. AFAIK, I've not heard anything of towed caravans even being in the States, and I think our equivalent of license plate tax is our car tax? Our local Halfords will make white and yellow plates - and sometimes even the black ones.

[PepperElf]

Irony - just a few hours after I posted above about the dealer car with its own special plates my bf & I were headed to the local dog park and guess who I ended up right behind?...

Yep, same car I mentioned above. I got a good look at the plates and saw the city and state stamped at the bottom. I don't know what it cost the dealer to get plates like THAT but ... it's pretty cool really.