PORTLAND – The Oregon Department of Transportation Division, along with many law enforcement agencies statewide, wrapped up a weeklong truck license plate enforcement sweep in early October.

“This effort involved 25 of our officers in 23 different law enforcement jurisdictions,” said Ed Scrivner, motor carrier enforcement section manager. “And it succeeded beyond all of our expectations in terms of quantifying the problem.”

ODOT motor carrier enforcement officers rode along with police on 355 stops for improper license plates. They issued citations for 246 violations.

“They rode along and cited drivers who had vehicles over 8,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, or those that towed a trailer over 8,000 pounds, that were carrying passenger vehicle license plates,” Scrivner said. “A truck plate is needed for those vehicles.”

Knowingly providing false information to DMV when registering a vehicle is a Class A misdemeanor. It carries a fine of up to $5,000 and a sentence of up to one year in prison. Failure to pay appropriate registration fees is a Class D traffic violation that carries a $77 fine.

“We will be doing more of this kind of enforcement event in the future,” Scrivner said. “Hopefully, this effort and others like it will prompt people to do the right thing and get the proper plates on their vehicles – before they get caught and cited.”