About Those TPx Series Plates
2004 dated sheeting with 2010 expiration
|
2017-dated sheeting with 2019 expiration
|
|
Most license plate collectors know of the sequence of letter prefixes that North Carolina issues. Since the First in Flight series began way back at ZSA-101, there have been some periods where changes have had collectors scratching their heads. Starting November 2017, there was another period where collectors were dumbfounded. In November 2017, NC had began issuing plates in the Fxx series and were somewhere in the FCx series when reports of plates in the TPx series began. Curtis Barwick of Clinton was the first to notice the first of these plates with prefixes TPB through TPZ. TPA was actually issued around 2005-06 using 2004 3M watermark sheeting. After TPA, the state decided to skip to TRA where the series continued on to ZZZ, the AAA through the Fxx series before going through TPB through TPZ which were made using 2017 dated security 3M sheeting.
If you ask NCDMV why this happened, they will give you a lesson about sequencing with algorithms that really does not make any sense at all. Luckily I know a guy in the NCDMV who explained how it happened. And it all goes back in part to the transporter plates going from blue on white to black on green. Take note that transporter plates have a 7-digit number with a TP prefix which in the DMV system the last number in the TP series would be TP99999. Now remember, the transporter plates are no longer replaced annually. So since 2006, there have been over 60,000 plates issued and with that kind of number, 99999 would be reached in about 4-5 years. So the plan was to use letters for the 3rd digit making it where after TP99999 would be issued, TPA1001 would begin the new sequence. Since the change to the black on green plates, NCDMV has cracked down on the abuse of transporter plates which in turn has reduced the number of plates being issued. This being the case and since TPA is already on the road, NCDMV decided to use the skipped TPB-TPZ prefixes and have since returned to the Fxx series where they had left off.
So what is to follow TP99999 once it is reached is anyone's guess. What made them to make the decision to issue the TP series now instead of after the Fxx series is part of the unknown as well. And one has to wonder if the NCDMV is aware that HXP through HXZ series numbers were not issued way back around 1995-96.
If you ask NCDMV why this happened, they will give you a lesson about sequencing with algorithms that really does not make any sense at all. Luckily I know a guy in the NCDMV who explained how it happened. And it all goes back in part to the transporter plates going from blue on white to black on green. Take note that transporter plates have a 7-digit number with a TP prefix which in the DMV system the last number in the TP series would be TP99999. Now remember, the transporter plates are no longer replaced annually. So since 2006, there have been over 60,000 plates issued and with that kind of number, 99999 would be reached in about 4-5 years. So the plan was to use letters for the 3rd digit making it where after TP99999 would be issued, TPA1001 would begin the new sequence. Since the change to the black on green plates, NCDMV has cracked down on the abuse of transporter plates which in turn has reduced the number of plates being issued. This being the case and since TPA is already on the road, NCDMV decided to use the skipped TPB-TPZ prefixes and have since returned to the Fxx series where they had left off.
So what is to follow TP99999 once it is reached is anyone's guess. What made them to make the decision to issue the TP series now instead of after the Fxx series is part of the unknown as well. And one has to wonder if the NCDMV is aware that HXP through HXZ series numbers were not issued way back around 1995-96.
