Swapping plates, what's da law say?

[ExtraSlow]

Hey, so my new truck showed up early and I haven't sold my old truck. Can I do this:
Take plate A off old truck and put on new truck.
Put plate B from old car (still active) and slap on old truck.
Sell old truck within 14 days.

What's the law, what's the risk, and whatcha say?

[dj_rice]

Hey, so my new truck showed up early and I haven't sold my old truck. Can I do this:
Take plate A off old truck and put on new truck.
Put plate B from old car (still active) and slap on old truck.
Sell old truck within 14 days.

What's the law, what's the risk, and whatcha say?


Yes. Just don't drive like a tard and you won't get on cop radar

[killramos]

Why don’t you just go get a new plate for new truck today?

You live like 3 steps from a registry. Would have been near quicker than the post.

I imagine your potential exposure is very high, but COS of bad outcome very low. You do your risk matrix marth.

[D'z Nutz]

Sounds like ExtraSlow wants to keep his 6 character plate. I don't blame him. I'm waiting to sell my old car so I can swap that plate onto my new car too haha

[ExtraSlow]

Sounds like ExtraSlow wants to keep his 6 character plate. I don't blame him. I'm waiting to sell my old car so I can swap that plate onto my new car too haha
Exactly.
6 digits for lyfe yo.

[taemo]

This was back in 2009 but I got pulled over driving home from the dealership with my then new WRX and old license plate, had insurance but didn't go to the registry yet.
Drove carefully and slow on my way home as was still engine breaking anyway but cop pulls me over 100 meter from our house and gave me a ticket.

Went to the courthouse and they just chucked the ticket away.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Are you going to lowball yourself again to get the old truck sold in 14 days?

[rage2]

Exactly.
6 digits for lyfe yo.
You can get a 6 digit plate by supporting the troops.

[ExtraSlow]

I have the plate I want. I don't like different plates.

[dirtsniffer]

you have 14 days to transfer your plate to your new truck, so you can cruise around with plate A on your new truck with no issue.

Taking plate b off the car and putting it on the old truck isn't allowed, probably opens you up to an expired registration or unregistered ticket. $310

[ExtraSlow]

So what I should do it use plate B on new truck, but don't register it, then sell old truck and then put plate A on new truck and transfer registration. Simple enough.

[speedog]

Exactly.
6 digits for lyfe yo.

The current 6 digit plate on my wife's SUV has had 37 year's worth of annual stickers on it, got the plate in 1984 on the original run - on it's fifth vehicle now.

[mr2mike]

i have the plate i want. I don't like different plates.

xtraslo

[ExtraSlow]

xtraslo

now that's a plate I would like.

[mr2mike]

Gofundyourself for it.

[dirtsniffer]

So what I should do it use plate B on new truck, but don't register it, then sell old truck and then put plate A on new truck and transfer registration. Simple enough.

Nailed it.

[ExtraSlow]

Sosimpo

[Thaco]

AFAIK as long as you have a bill of sale for the new truck from within 14 days you can use any currently registered plate only for the purpose of transporting it from the place of purchase to a place to park it until you get it reg'd

[beyond_ban]

AFAIK as long as you have a bill of sale for the new truck from within 14 days you can use any currently registered plate only for the purpose of transporting it from the place of purchase to a place to park it until you get it reg'd

If you still own the vehicle the plate is registered to, it is illegal. It is stupid, but the 14 day rule applies to your registration on a sold vehicle only. In the past i have "sold" my car to my brother and just signed off on the bill of sale and kept it with me in case i got pulled over. If you run into a cop having a bad day he can tow you if the car is not properly registered or you are not exploiting the loophole correctly, as it happened to me when i slapped my dads plate on my car years ago to transport it home and the cop gave me a solid roadside lecture and made me tow the car to my house.

[16hypen3sp]

If you still own the vehicle the plate is registered to, it is illegal. It is stupid, but the 14 day rule applies to your registration on a sold vehicle only

Thought this was only for insurance purposes. SPF 1 under 'newly acquired vehicle'...

Registration I thought you have 14 days regardless. You just have to keep the BOS with you.

[never]

https://www.alberta.ca/transfer-vehicle-registration.aspx

Doesn't seem to have previous vehicle sale conditions...just BOS/insurance for the current and 14 days to swap registration.

[beyond_ban]

Hmm, maybe it has changed as this was many moons ago but obviously it stuck with me as it ended up costing me a few hundred dollars as a broke high school kid. That wording from the website is quite vague though as it is referring to a plate swap to a new vehicle. So that could be interpreted as the other vehicle must be gone and you then have 14 days to make the swap to your new vehicle.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Don't do it or the CPA will come after you.

[Kloubek]

The law is indeed 14 days. I went through.this when my first XF got totalled 9 days into ownership.

Insurance company might try to give you flak, but in my case (and I believe all cases) they have to honor it in case of an accident. Masked Bandit would have the best answer.

[killramos]

It takes 15 minutes to insure a car, registration isn’t really a relevant aspect.

Just insure the car once you have it (or before is my typical MO). While I get the keeping the plate thing, I have no idea why you would dick around with insurance.

[ExtraSlow]

What does the insurance company have to do with anything? They don't insure the plate.

Yes, this vehicle will be insured days before I pick it up.

[ThePenIsMightier]

The plate you put on any vehicle that you have not registered yet must be from a vehicle you have completely sold.

I'm pretty certain that's the fact and stated reasonably clear. The thing is, fewer people know the fact than have CoVid, including law enforcement... So... Risk/Reward.

That's the only thing that leaves the plate "in limbo" where you can strap it to your newly bought vehiculoid to transportationings it homestead, within half a fortnight...


Note that this subject has a "what oil is best" level of opinions.

[16hypen3sp]

The plate you put on any vehicle that you have not registered yet must be from a vehicle you have completely sold.

Is there another source for this?

From never's link above:

You can use your existing licence plate and vehicle registration on another vehicle for up to 14 days. You must also carry your proof of ownership document and insurance until you transfer the registration and licence plate.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Yes, this vehicle will be insured days before I pick it up.

Days? Why u like to throw away money?

[ThePenIsMightier]

Is there another source for this?

From never's link above:

You can use your existing licence plate and vehicle registration on another vehicle for up to 14 days. You must also carry your proof of ownership document and insurance until you transfer the registration and licence plate.

I'm fine if I'm wrong and I was too lazy to click his link.
If I can start having one plate and simply swap it to any of my four cars within two week increments eternally, I'm all ears.

[speedog]

The plate you put on any vehicle that you have not registered yet must be from a vehicle you have completely sold.

I'm pretty certain that's the fact and stated reasonably clear. The thing is, fewer people know the fact than have CoVid, including law enforcement... So... Risk/Reward.

That's the only thing that leaves the plate "in limbo" where you can strap it to your newly bought vehiculoid to transportationings it homestead, within half a fortnight...


Note that this subject has a "what oil is best" level of opinions.

I'll call BS on the bolded section, our 37 year old plate was moved from the original vehicle it was issued for to another vehicle without the original vehicle being sold - the original vehicle was put into storage with just fire/theft/vandalism insurance on it. This was done at an AMA registry office and they were the ones who said it could be done that way.

[Thaco]

yeah there's nothing that says you have to have sold the vehicle, and honestly any cop that pulls you over would have no way of knowing you sold the previous vehicle anyway, especially if the new owner hasn't registered it themselves... there's no record of the transaction until the buyer registers it, and if he doesnt intend to register it at all, then the only proof you have of the sale is your copy of the bill of sale, which you should keep because i have heard of some people buying beaters and driving them around and the RO/previous owner gets the RO tickets and has to fight them using that bill of sale.

[ercchry]

Wtf... you’re buying a new truck. Tell them to toss a new plate on it (you don’t even have to do anything yourself!) when old truck sells cancel NEW plate and swap old plate to new truck as you’d go to registry anyways to cancel old plate... no loss of time and refund on new plate for the xx days you needed it with zero clock on sale of old truck

[Thaco]

Wtf... you’re buying a new truck. Tell them to toss a new plate on it (you don’t even have to do anything yourself!) when old truck sells cancel NEW plate and swap old plate to new truck as you’d go to registry anyways to cancel old plate... no loss of time and refund on new plate for the xx days you needed it with zero clock on sale of old truck

to be fair, he never said it was new, or the source of the truck, he just said "my" new truck, that could mean anything. could be an old beater being shipped from some crackhead in Edmonton, it's new to me, so it's "my" new truck

[ercchry]

to be fair, he never said it was new, or the source of the truck, he just said "my" new truck, that could mean anything. could be an old beater being shipped from some crackhead in Edmonton, it's new to me, so it's "my" new truck

Well... if there wasn’t 14 threads about it, you could have a point :rofl:

[ExtraSlow]

Yeah, Eric is right. My life is an open book. It's a brand new truck, and your idea is the best one.

- - - Updated - - -

As long as I haven't reached 89coupe European vacation level I hope......

[The_Rural_Juror]

It's going to be a new SAVAGE garden truck.

[ExtraSlow]

Drinking chickacherry cola.