Identifying license plate locations
Originally published in the October 2015 edition of Tech Trends
(e-newsletter and as an article within NTEA News), this article is also
available to you below as an employee of an NTEA member company.
Some NTEA members inquire about allowable license plate locations, but
there is no easy answer as federal regulations do not dictate positioning. While
certain states have individual requirements, members are mainly concerned with
license plates that are not easily visible. They are either blocked by
equipment, or the lamps used to light them at night are poorly positioned.
Items to note
When determining license plate location on the rear of a work truck,
the following may be helpful.
- Specific lighting requirements for a license plate are defined under
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 108. Depending on location, one or two lights
are required for full illumination.
- A specific SAE test helps ensure sufficient light on
the plate.
- Locate the plate at the rearmost part of the vehicle — not too high —
without any equipment blocking its visibility.
- Check specific state requirements for maximum or minimum plate
height.
Are you faced with technical or engineering
challenges?
Contact the Technical and Engineering Hotline at
800-441-6832 for individual attention on varied topics such as Federal Excise
Tax, truck certification and labeling, vehicle compliance and truck spec’ing.
The Hotline is available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (EST). Members can contact
the Association as frequently as needed.