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MA MV inspection now checks condition of license plates

Started by SidS1045, October 07, 2017, 01:30:30 PM

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NJRoadfan

How timely, I saw a MA greenie plate on the road here in NJ this evening. It was readable, in better shape then some much newer plates. Here in NJ, any plate issued from 1959 to the present is still valid as long as the person kept renewing their registration. There are still some 40+ year old plates on the road here and they are still readable. NJ didn't switch over to reflective plates until the current circa 1992 base.


roadman

Quote from: kefkafloyd on October 18, 2017, 11:33:37 AM
Quote from: roadman on October 18, 2017, 10:18:44 AM
The RMV stopped issuing dual stickers for dual Spirit plates when they began issuing Spirit plates for passenger vehicles.  They also simplified the design of the sticker at that time, removing the month notation.  Note that most Spirit plates do not have the month on them (JAN, FEB, etc.).  Rather, special plates are to be renewed by a certain month (my Spirit ham radio plates need to renewed by the end of November), and the renewal month for other plates is supposed to be based on the registration number (as an example, my original 'greenie' plate I got in September of 1987 was 349-MSD.  The '9' indicated the renewal date of September.

I see, and that general issue of Spirit plates for passenger use was around 1993-1994, if I remember correctly. So that would line up with dual stickers going away around then.

From what I've seen most Spirit plates do have months on them, at least for normal PAN, PAR, and at some point commercial plates got the month stamped/printed too, even though all commercial plates renew in December. Some plate types like Hams, vanity, antiques, trailers (usually the ones that renew in November) don't have months, but I'd wager those are the minority. I'm not sure why they don't stamp or print NOV on those plates. I'm at least OK with it since it makes my vanity plates look cleaner.
You are correct about the month appearing on general issue PAN Spirit plates.  It's in the upper left hand corner, funny how I never paid attention to that before.  However, the last digit in the numeral still corresponds to the month the plate was issued - for example, 3479 CV would be issued in September, and have the SEP notation in the upper left corner next to 'Massachusetts'.
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

SidS1045


Saw a real rarity a few days ago:  a reserved-number plate in a color scheme last used in 1983.  When MA went to the green-on-white scheme, they didn't get a chance to replace all the reserved-number plates and owners were permitted to keep using them and renewing them.  The plate I saw had a current sticker on it.






NOTE:  This is not the plate I saw.  Reserved numbers are five digits or less.
"A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves." - Edward R. Murrow

SectorZ

Quote from: SidS1045 on July 26, 2018, 01:56:01 PM

Saw a real rarity a few days ago:  a reserved-number plate in a color scheme last used in 1983.  When MA went to the green-on-white scheme, they didn't get a chance to replace all the reserved-number plates and owners were permitted to keep using them and renewing them.  The plate I saw had a current sticker on it.






NOTE:  This is not the plate I saw.  Reserved numbers are five digits or less.

I've got one of those red ones in my garage that was on my father's car an eternity ago.

roadman

My parent's 1971 Catalina station wagon had plates of that style.  5K 7059.  That was the era when you were given two registration stickers, one for each plate.  Now, they only give you a sticker for the rear plate - the stated reason being to prevent people from taking the front plate and using it on another car.
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

PHLBOS

Quote from: SidS1045 on July 26, 2018, 01:56:01 PM

Saw a real rarity a few days ago:  a reserved-number plate in a color scheme last used in 1983.  When MA went to the green-on-white scheme, they didn't get a chance to replace all the reserved-number plates and owners were permitted to keep using them and renewing them.  The plate I saw had a current sticker on it.


Actually when the green-on-white design first rolled out circa 1977, the RMV still had a surplus of the old-red-on-white plates on hand; only new registrations received the new design whereas existing registrations got new red-on-white plates.  As a result, the replacement plate (D95-306) for my mother's '71 LTD was the same red-on-white/front/back design as its predecessor (E25-984) while my father's new company vehicle (a '77 Monte Carlo) got the then-new green-on-white rear plate (404-AHN).
GPS does NOT equal GOD

storm2k

Quote from: NJRoadfan on October 18, 2017, 10:36:03 PM
How timely, I saw a MA greenie plate on the road here in NJ this evening. It was readable, in better shape then some much newer plates. Here in NJ, any plate issued from 1959 to the present is still valid as long as the person kept renewing their registration. There are still some 40+ year old plates on the road here and they are still readable. NJ didn't switch over to reflective plates until the current circa 1992 base.

And the splattered egg plates are not holding up at all. Most of the ones that are older than 10 years still out there are nearly impossible to read. Occasionally you'll see one of the early models (LL-NNNL) still out there, and a lot of them are worn down to metal. They're disappearing quickly it seems, though, as the state tries to move everyone to the digital plates.

NJRoadfan

Most of the NJ plates that have delineated sheeting were from the brief period NJ used Avery sheeting. The 3M stuff has held up much better. The blue plates and the old buff plates will likely last forever though since they don't have reflective sheeting at all. Keep in mind that the LL-NNNL plates are all 20+ years old now! It still remains to be seen how long those flimsy digital plates will last. They seem to get all bent to crap very quickly.

SteveG1988

Quote from: NJRoadfan on August 04, 2018, 01:27:16 PM
Most of the NJ plates that have delineated sheeting were from the brief period NJ used Avery sheeting. The 3M stuff has held up much better. The blue plates and the old buff plates will likely last forever though since they don't have reflective sheeting at all. Keep in mind that the LL-NNNL plates are all 20+ years old now! It still remains to be seen how long those flimsy digital plates will last. They seem to get all bent to crap very quickly.

I had a first batch digital plate, it lasted quite nicely but when i switched cars i asked quite nicely at the MVC "hey...do you have any of the GS series plates, with the agriculture stuff on it that are embossed" and out from the back comes a 2014 production plate, in 2018. It's holding up a bit better to car washes, just need to get a better front plate bracket.
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I55,I82,I84(E&W)I88(W),I87(N),I81,I64,I74(W),I72,I57,I24,I65,I59,I12,I71,I77,I76(E&W),I70,I79,I85,I86(W),I27,I16,I97,I96,I43,I41,



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