California and Arizona have adopted digital plates for heavy trucks and Texas is looking to do the same. These plates are an electric version of the traditional plates providing information for owners and the public. According to Transport Topics, these digital plates can have “real-time location monitoring, track trips and mileage, and send maintenance alerts. To counter theft, owners can put vehicles in a stolen mode and enable GPS tracking”. These plates can display “stolen” or “expired” indicators or even Amber Alerts.
As of June 21, California DMV reported to have 12,500 digital license plates registered. This is a pilot program in the state of California but is still available.
John Esparza, President & CEO of Texas Trucking Association, is a fan and thinks that “it’s innovative. The trucking industry typically sits back and is cautious to put their toe in the water until they know all the rules”. It’s cool to see the trucking industry actively trying new things, especially this early. Texas requires two plates with the digital plate on the rear and traditional version on the front
