Number plates

[dazlad]

hi mate im selling motorbike plates in all sizes and all i do is to tell the customer that the plates are for off road use only…………. so far so good

regards Daz :lol1:

[Bill Dewison]

Its a bit of a grey area Mort. The various organisations involved can’t decide how to define a show plate, yet they insist that number plates sold by anyone must be logged, including the name, address, reg number, proof of ID, proof of vehicle and method of payment. I had a discussion with Dazzel (from AutoMarque) about this, and it seems to be a difficult one to solve.

The general rule I go by, if the plate is road legal, ie using the Charles Wright font (or a derivative) and conforms to what the DVLA consider to be a standard number plate, I ask for documents. If the plate isn’t road legal, ie it has a different font, multiple colours, ghosted background image, or in the case of motorbike plates, is below the legal size, I stick a sticker on the back saying “NOT FOR ROAD USE, SHOW PLATE ONLY”. Up to now I haven’t had any serious problems, and most ppl seem to be happy to bring documentation in when they collect thier number plates.

Registration is only £40 though, really simple to do (just download the form from the DVLA website) and you get your Registration Number in a matter of days (mine took 3-4 days if I remember correctly).

I’m far from being an expert on the subject though Mort, but I’d reccommend you speak to Dazzel, plus he supplies everything you need to make a variety of different number plates 😀 Not to mention being a top bloke 😉

Cheers, Dewi

[Mike Rogers]

At my last place we did number plates for off road or the bedroom wall.

It is just a matter of time though before they have a crackdown and put a stop to it all. They will say it is against the spirit of the law i.e. recording owner of plate is essential is to prevent criminial acts i.e. ram raiding, robberies car ringing irrespective of whether they say on or off road. They are usuing suppliers as unofficial verifiers of car details and owners.

That using a font other than charles makes it difficult for cameras or officers to record number on plate.

Once they start issuing £30 on spot fines for number plate irregularities well we know what happened with speed cameras – more money for the policemens ball

May hay while the sun shines

[Bill Dewison]

I have no doubt you are right and they will start to crack down on the motorists as is their usual trick, but I think there will always be a market for show plates. The arguement against show plates is obviously that they could be used for criminal activities, as can a samurai sword, but they are still sold in the shops 😕

The grey area arises because a show plate is just a sign that looks like a number plate. Even without a ready supply of number plate materials, assembling the bare components is still possible without any registration schemes or anything else, so for the authorities to stop the production of show plates is virtually impossible in my opinion. They may well fine sign makers who make show plates, but thats not going to be a deterrent to the criminal world. Carrying a firearm without a license is illegal, yet we all know that there are ppl running around the streets, armed to the teeth and taking pot shots at each other 🙁

Humble opinion, but any further legislation brought in with regards to number plates is nothing more than gathering information and stealthily taxing us all, as you say, for the policeman’s ball! It isn’t going to stop car crime, but stricter legislations would ensure the police get a nice clear view of your number plate so they can send you a speeding ticket for going 32mph in a 30 limit! £60, 3 points on your driving license and if you’re really lucky, you get a snickering policeman who is only too happy to be fining you as they know if they get stopped, a quick flash of their warrant card and they’re off before you can say mirror, signal, maneuver!! 👿

Cheers, Dewi

[Dave Springate]

Can anyone tell me what the stuff is called that you make the bendy number plates from for off road bikes? oh and where do you get the yellow reflective material from? been asked to make a couple up and aint got a clue what its called. Hope someone can help.

Best rgds

Dave

[Robert Lambie]

i recently used pet-g (sure thats the name) it is amazing.. you can take a strip of it and tie it in a knot.. i mean that!
i used clear pet-g acrylic but may come in colours. sure it does 🙄

anyway.. if this is the stuff its the dogs b******

[Dave Springate]

Hi Rob where can i get it from? And is the yellow reflective available on a roll or in sheet format and where is this available from?

Best Rgds
Dave

[Paul Goodwin]

Thanks Guys

[signdevil]

As has been mentioned in this thread, the whole regiester thingy is all about plate makers performing an unpaid service for the authorities. We gather information on anybody buying reg plates so that if a vehicle is used in crime then there is the possibility that because the plate makers details are shown on the plate (or they should be) then plod can approach the plate maker and demand to know the particulars of the person who ordered that particular registration from you. This whole process is designed to restrict the flow of registration plates into the hands of criminals. Does it work? No! All a criminal needs is a screwdriver and he can go and nick a set off any other car on the street. If anything it is easier for the criminal now because he doesn’t even buy the dodgy plate any longer, he just nicks em’ instead!

Nobody has mentioned this one though and I’m quite surprised. Have you all forgotten that the government make millions each year in the sale of registration marks. As we all know, there are two reasons why people buy registration marks, the first is to hide the age of the shed you might be driving (this is in the minority). The second is because people think it is ace to have a reg that has some form of significance to them and on many occasions the only way this significance can be achieved is through the illegal spacing of the digits. Now on the one hand we have a government making a mint on the selling of private registration marks, many of which will be re-spaced to read a name or initials. On the other hand we have a government which is reputed to be taking steps to stamp out the small business’ which provide ‘show plates’ which we all know are plates which are illegal and they will be used on the road. Does it add up? I don’t think so.

With regards the making of registration plates, legal or otherwise, I think unless all the small guys stand together and act as one then none of us will be making plates full stop, including Auomarque! The reason for this is that one or two of the big boys (hills & jepsons) are pushing for the UK to have a system similar to that of parts of Europe and the US where there is only one government appointed company who has BOUGHT the right to make reg plates and they will make every single plate in the country !!!

This whole thing has been rolling along for a good few years now and as long as there are not too many fly-by-nights who set themselves up with a plotter, a pc, call themselves a ‘sign company’ and start turning out dodgy reg plates then the authorities may not be too urgently encouraged to act on the issue. Anybody making reg plates should be as professional as they possibly can be. They should be registered, they should collect as much information as possible from the person buying plates and they should always let their customers know when they are buying illegal plates (although they know anyway and don’t care as they’ve just done 250 quid down the dvla on a plate that looks like their name!)

[Bill Dewison]

quote signdevil:

as long as there are not too many fly-by-nights who set themselves up with a plotter, a pc, call themselves a ‘sign company’ and start turning out dodgy reg plates then the authorities may not be too urgently encouraged to act on the issue.

On the most, I agree. Signmakers should have a reasonably professional approach to the making of number plates, but as you say, the government are earning a fortune selling personalised registration marks, yet are actively taking steps to discourage the trend for ‘playing’ with these registration marks (?) Whether every muppet and his uncle starts making number plates with a Stika on the kitchen table, or its professional well-equiped signmakers striving to make a quality product, the government will go with whatever makes them the most money!

Humble opinion, but the government are doing what they always do, which ever party sits in the big chair. They’re setting the rules in opposition to one another. Give out hand out in the form of tax credits, then claw it back on council tax. Charge more for fuel/road tax under the guise of improving Britain’s roads, but then start introducing tolls on those very roads. This is no different, sell the personalised plate but discourage its use on the roads 😕

If Hills & Jepson get the legislation you’ve described it would be ironic that the government had collected over 25,000 lifetime registrations from signmakers at £40 a pop! Maybe I’m just cynical, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there was a plan to introduce the legislation you describe over the next couple of years and in the meanwhile, the government make a killing 👿

I tending to agree with Mike, making hay while the sun shines. You can be sure whatever legislation comes into play, it’ll cause a bit of rain 🙁

Cheers, Dewi