License Plate Ticket

Company needs to come through on this for you...they should be helping you...no excuses. Had this happen to me.

 

Had this happen many years ago. 07-09 time frame.

Picked up a loaded trailer from a customer in Laredo and was headed to California. The trailer crossed and apparently had no plate. Just a piece of cardboard written in sharpie.

So I didn't think it was that sound, called my carrier compliance, they had it reported already and a new plate would be sent to CA. Once empty, I was to take the trailer to the yard there and it would be parked until the new plate arrived.

Given the flimsy nature of the cardboard, I taped it to the metal flap and figured that would help with weather and also wrote "lost tag" in the dirt on the trailer door.

Get to Alpine on us90 and going through town a state police officer pulled me over just after leaving town.

The reason? He couldn't read my cardboard tag. But he verified the registration I explained it was brought in from Mexico without a plate, the company had reported it and a new plate was being sent to LA and the trailer would be parked after delivery until the plate arrived. Didn't even get a warning. Just my permit book back and advice to just remove the cardboard as not having a plate was OK compared to not being able to read the plate because it appeared obscured.

No one else cared on my trip to LA. Delivered and took the trailer to the yard and dropped it off.

Just my time having a missing plate. Ymmv

 

Texas captured me east of Dallas and demanded what is that pointing to empty holes where plate was.

Oh it';s gone. I get new one at company yard. Check papers see registration and also see DVIR that no defects implying the plate was there that morning like it has been for the last 8 months.

They waved me off and let me loose. Company slapped another plate on there asap.

Now the real story of how that plate vanished? HA.. that one I save for me.

 

Oh. I did have my tractor plate actually fall off while driving in West Virginia. Not sure where precisely but it was there that morning and gone when I stopped for lunch and fuel. The bracket that held it to the bumper was gone, too. So I know it wasn't theft. Nobody would remove the entire bracket and not just the two bolts holding it to the plastic bumper.

No police officers for that one. Truck is registered in Ohio and I was heading to Ohio. Called irp office (when those were still a thing in Ohio) and stopped and got my new plate later that day. IRP just told me if I got pulled over and questioned just tell them and maybe show I already called to report it lost. Said I actually have 10 days or so from date of loss to get the new one (forget what exactly, but they do deal with this situation happening and there are procedures)