x
Breaking News
More () »

NC DMV suspends replacement of older license plates due to aluminum shortage

More than 640,000 replacement plates were produced in the first four months of this year, with about another 1.4 million projected to be needed to complete the rest.
Credit: NCDMV Stock Photo
New law requires NC drivers to get a new license plate every 7 years.

NORTH CAROLINA, USA — A huge worldwide shortage of aluminum is forcing the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles to indefinitely suspend its program to replace license plates that are more than six years old. 

The effort is being taken to help ensure there is enough material to produce first-time plates. 

Regular first-time plate production is 400-500 a day. But the older plate replacement program, passed into law by the General Assembly, meant that figure this year has been about 10 times that number. 

According to a release, more than 640,000 replacement plates were produced in the first four months of this year, with about another 1.4 million projected to be needed to complete the rest of 2021. 

Corrections Enterprises handles the plate production and has enough aluminum on hand to make about 160,000 plates, and another shipment of the metal is expected in the middle of this month.

Replacement plates were automatically sent to customers when they renewed their registration of the older plates online or by mail, while customers who renewed at a local License Plate Agency office received their plates at that visit. There is no customer charge for getting the new plate.

As of now, there is no timetable for when the issuance of the replacement plates will resume, however, if the suspension continues until late this year, it is likely the rest of phase one of the replacement program will be taken care of in 2022, with phase two moving back a year to 2023. The replacement of the plates was initially supposed to begin July 1, 2020, but was pushed back to this year because of COVID impacts.

Phase one of the replacement program covers normal vehicle and motorcycle license plates. The second year is for older specialty plates, including personalized plates, commercial, permanent, municipal, and state-owned, for-hire, dealers, trailers, and farm vehicles.

RELATED: NCDMV resumes regular road tests for teen drivers

 

Before You Leave, Check This Out