The Ford Barn

expavr · 01-14-2016, 07:01 PM

I have a set of 1940 CA commercial plates that I tried to get cleared by the CA DMV from the 40 Tonner which has been registered in WA since 2011. I was informed by the local DMV office manager who conferred with Sacramento that the only way those plates could be cleared was to turn them in to the DMV which I'm not about to do. Have any of you had recent experience getting YOM plates cleared from a vehicle and if so what's the trick? The local DMV office manager said that if I could give her a name and phone # she would process the application. Thanks.
Les Williams

JSeery · 01-14-2016, 07:07 PM

I know nothing about CA DMV, but several past threads have talked about going through a third party that handled it for them. They seemed pleased with the service they received.

CA Victoria · 01-14-2016, 07:12 PM

If i understand: If the plate number is in use " not cleared" she is asking you to surrender the plates so she can issue you new ones. If not, they do need to inspect them in the office, but do not give them to DMV to keep.
You can call in to DMV to verify if they are clear or not. Registering them is a matter of filling out the YOM license plate application (form available on line). Also you can keep a set of YOM plates and pay the fees and not have them on a vehicle.
Give me a shout if you need help, I can walk them thru for you.

TJ · 01-14-2016, 08:51 PM

I'm guessing that those plates were on the truck when you bought it . When you bought the truck did the prior owner sign a release form turning the plates over to you? technically those plates do not belong to the vehicle. They belong to the registered owner. Only that person can sign the release to pass them on to another party. A nice set of '40 commercial CA. plates can command a nice chunk of change.

Floyd · 01-14-2016, 08:56 PM

Are you talking Washington or California? If you are registering the truck in California you show the Cal DMV the plates so they can check the number and to make sure the plates are both there and are real. One complication occurs with the commercial plates is the prefix "PC" or "SC" ",(pneumatic or solid tire)as the local DMV does not know how to deal with that when they type in the plate number and the computer says invalid number. However the Sacramento main DMV office will sort it out correctly. I have a 40 pickup with commercial plates (pc) so I have been down that exact road. Works fine but you may have to wait for Sacramento to sort it out.
Floyd

Rusk · 01-15-2016, 02:54 PM

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I'm not understanding the issue entirely, but I can tell you a couple things about the YOM program in CA. One of the problems over the years, particularly with 7-digit plates, was that some of the numbers were reissued after they dropped out of the system. So, if those numbers are registered to another vehicle, you're outta luck.

If not, it's just a matter of taking the plates in for inspection, filling out the YOM registration request, and paying the fees. It takes some time before you find out whether the plates are approved for use and the new registration shows up, but in the meantime, the plates stay in your possession.

There are a lot of rumors and myths about the process...people getting plates confiscated, not being allowed to restore plates, etc...and I can tell you first hand, they're false. I registered a pair of repaired and repainted plates to my '51 and a pair of original paint plates to my '36. In the case of the '51 plates, I was even complimented on my restoration work by the YOM specialist at the main DMV in Sacramento.

Bryan

6lucky13 · 01-15-2016, 03:33 PM

I registered my car in CA with YOM 1936 plates. My local DMV was at first confused about what to do, but eventually made a photocopy of the plates to send to Sacramento for approval. Got a letter from DMV Sacramento a few weeks later that I needed to pay an additional fee (<$50) for the registration with these plates. Sent it in and got my registration. In my experience, there is really no need to turn in the original plates!

Kerry

expavr · 01-15-2016, 04:23 PM

To clarify the situation the set of CA YOM plates that I have are no longer on the tonner. Its registered and licensed in WA state. In order to transfer ownership of these plates to someone else for use on their vehicle they have to be cleared by the CA DMV which according to their records shows them being used on the tonner. I have taken plates and documentation showing the WA registration to the local DMV office as directed by Sacramento with no success. At this point I've contacted Sacramento again and have been assured that paperwork and directions to make this happen will be mailed out. If and when this exercise has been successfully completed I'll post how to go about it. Thanks for all your responses. Les Williams

Floyd · 01-15-2016, 05:41 PM

Now the story is more clear. In order to make the plates "clear" again, all you need to do is fill out the proper form (don't know what it is) releasing the plate number from the active vehicle registration. Only you, the listed owner can do that and sign the form. The local DMV offices are not well trained in details of YOM questions or issues. All they know how to do is inspect plates and any questions have to be sent to Sacramento. The good news is you are working with Sacramento and they have the specialist that deal with all matters YOM. Just wait for the info from them. They are very good at this and will get it done for you.
The plates will be available for use again. As mentioned, commercial plates are hard to find.
Are your plates PC or SC ?
Floyd- YOM 40 commercial ; 32 passenger

expavr · 01-15-2016, 11:24 PM

Are your plates PC or SC ?
Floyd- YOM 40 commercial ; 32 passenger

BE over PC. Those are the markings to the left of the plate number.

TJ · 01-16-2016, 10:27 AM

Did you move to Washington from California and bring the tonner with you? or did you buy the tonner from a California resident with the California plates on it? If you moved and brought the tonner with you it should be easy. The Ca. plates were registered to you and all you need is the Ca. form that releases your interest in the plates. You can download that form from the Ca. DMV website. You can then sell the plates with the release form and the new owner can make a new application.
If you bought the tonner from a Ca. resident and that owner did not release the plates to you at the time of purchase then you have a different problem. You need to have the original owner of the plates sign the release of interest form in order for the plates to be used by someone else.

expavr · 01-16-2016, 12:52 PM

TJ
I put the plates on the tonner when I registered it in CA in 2005. I took the "release of interest" paperwork that you describe and a copy of the current WA registration to the local DMV office as directed by Sacramento. The local DMV office being unfamiliar with this procedure deferred to someone in Sacramento and were instructed to collect the plates which sounds like the person whom they spoke to in Sacramento was also clueless. I called Sacramento again and made contact with a licensing representative who said she would forward paperwork with instructions to make it right. This remains to be seen. So far this has been an example of bureaucratic "ring around the rosie." Regarding your thought about selling the plates to someone with the "Release of Interest" document, I'm told that no prospective buyer will touch these plates without them first being cleared which in view of the exercise so far makes complete sense to me. Stay tuned for the next installment of this ongoing saga....

deuce lover · 01-16-2016, 01:06 PM

I went through this a few years ago. I had CA YOM 1935 plates that were on a 35 roadster I sold.The buyer from out of state did not want the plates.I then moved from CA.I sold the plates on the HAMB to a guy in Pasadena.He sent me the form from DMV for the release.I filled out the form and sent it along with the plates.He took care of the rest.Never had a problem.Just my experience.

TJ · 01-16-2016, 01:29 PM

expavr, I recently put Ca. '41 plates on my 41 pickup. I got the plates from my neighbor (he had them on a '41 coupe) who signed the release of interest form and gave me the plates and form. From there I went to DMV and registered them to my 41 pickup. I now have 41 passenger car plates on a 41 pickup. DMV charges me the extra weight fee on my annual renewal plus the YOM fee. You definitely have been caught in a bureaucratic problem that should have been so simple. Common sense does not reign supreme in these agencies.
Here's what I would do to bypass the system; If you have Washington plates on the tonner you are good to go as far as Washington state is concerned. You still own the California plates as they can be transferred from car to car or person to person. If they are still clear in the DMV system all you need to do to sell them is show the potential buyer they are clear and give the buyer the form that releases your interest. The buyer should be able to go to DMV with plates and form and put them on their vehicle.

Floyd · 01-16-2016, 02:06 PM

Looks like in 1941 they changed the prefix for commercial plates. The added BE stands for "Board of Equalization" (state tax department), The PC still stands for Pneumatic (tire) -Commercial. The other choice was SC which stands for Solid (tire) Commercial.
I should have mentioned in my earlier post that not just anyone in the DMV in Sacramento can give helpful advice on YOM issues. You need to get from them the other phone number to call which will get you to the YOM experts. From there it is smooth sailing.
Just an opinion
Floyd

4dy · 01-19-2016, 03:59 PM

I don't think there is a way to "clear" plates that have been used in the California YOM program. If the plates were last in use in your name then you can sign a release for the next owner of the plates to take to the DMV with him. Even if you could "clear" the plates you would be putting those numbers back in the available pool for someone else to grab.

01-14-2016, 07:01 PM	#1
expavr Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Hansville, WA Posts: 776	Release of Interest - CA YOM License Plates? I have a set of 1940 CA commercial plates that I tried to get cleared by the CA DMV from the 40 Tonner which has been registered in WA since 2011. I was informed by the local DMV office manager who conferred with Sacramento that the only way those plates could be cleared was to turn them in to the DMV which I'm not about to do. Have any of you had recent experience getting YOM plates cleared from a vehicle and if so what's the trick? The local DMV office manager said that if I could give her a name and phone # she would process the application. Thanks. Les Williams

01-14-2016, 07:07 PM	#2
JSeery Member Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 16,132	Re: Release of Interest - CA YOM License Plates? I know nothing about CA DMV, but several past threads have talked about going through a third party that handled it for them. They seemed pleased with the service they received.

01-14-2016, 07:12 PM	#3
CA Victoria Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 2,113	Re: Release of Interest - CA YOM License Plates? If i understand: If the plate number is in use " not cleared" she is asking you to surrender the plates so she can issue you new ones. If not, they do need to inspect them in the office, but do not give them to DMV to keep. You can call in to DMV to verify if they are clear or not. Registering them is a matter of filling out the YOM license plate application (form available on line). Also you can keep a set of YOM plates and pay the fees and not have them on a vehicle. Give me a shout if you need help, I can walk them thru for you. __________________ Tim Downtown, Ca

01-14-2016, 08:51 PM	#4
TJ Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Napa,California Posts: 6,037	Re: Release of Interest - CA YOM License Plates? I'm guessing that those plates were on the truck when you bought it . When you bought the truck did the prior owner sign a release form turning the plates over to you? technically those plates do not belong to the vehicle. They belong to the registered owner. Only that person can sign the release to pass them on to another party. A nice set of '40 commercial CA. plates can command a nice chunk of change.

01-14-2016, 08:56 PM	#5
Floyd Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 468	Re: Release of Interest - CA YOM License Plates? Are you talking Washington or California? If you are registering the truck in California you show the Cal DMV the plates so they can check the number and to make sure the plates are both there and are real. One complication occurs with the commercial plates is the prefix "PC" or "SC" ",(pneumatic or solid tire)as the local DMV does not know how to deal with that when they type in the plate number and the computer says invalid number. However the Sacramento main DMV office will sort it out correctly. I have a 40 pickup with commercial plates (pc) so I have been down that exact road. Works fine but you may have to wait for Sacramento to sort it out. Floyd

01-15-2016, 02:54 PM	#6
Rusk Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Roseville, CA Posts: 172	Re: Release of Interest - CA YOM License Plates? Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) I'm not understanding the issue entirely, but I can tell you a couple things about the YOM program in CA. One of the problems over the years, particularly with 7-digit plates, was that some of the numbers were reissued after they dropped out of the system. So, if those numbers are registered to another vehicle, you're outta luck. If not, it's just a matter of taking the plates in for inspection, filling out the YOM registration request, and paying the fees. It takes some time before you find out whether the plates are approved for use and the new registration shows up, but in the meantime, the plates stay in your possession. There are a lot of rumors and myths about the process...people getting plates confiscated, not being allowed to restore plates, etc...and I can tell you first hand, they're false. I registered a pair of repaired and repainted plates to my '51 and a pair of original paint plates to my '36. In the case of the '51 plates, I was even complimented on my restoration work by the YOM specialist at the main DMV in Sacramento. Bryan

01-15-2016, 03:33 PM	#7
6lucky13 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Poway, CA (San Diego County) Posts: 120	Re: Release of Interest - CA YOM License Plates? I registered my car in CA with YOM 1936 plates. My local DMV was at first confused about what to do, but eventually made a photocopy of the plates to send to Sacramento for approval. Got a letter from DMV Sacramento a few weeks later that I needed to pay an additional fee (<$50) for the registration with these plates. Sent it in and got my registration. In my experience, there is really no need to turn in the original plates! Kerry

01-15-2016, 04:23 PM	#8
expavr Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Hansville, WA Posts: 776	Re: Release of Interest - CA YOM License Plates? To clarify the situation the set of CA YOM plates that I have are no longer on the tonner. Its registered and licensed in WA state. In order to transfer ownership of these plates to someone else for use on their vehicle they have to be cleared by the CA DMV which according to their records shows them being used on the tonner. I have taken plates and documentation showing the WA registration to the local DMV office as directed by Sacramento with no success. At this point I've contacted Sacramento again and have been assured that paperwork and directions to make this happen will be mailed out. If and when this exercise has been successfully completed I'll post how to go about it. Thanks for all your responses. Les Williams

01-15-2016, 05:41 PM	#9
Floyd Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 468	Re: Release of Interest - CA YOM License Plates? Now the story is more clear. In order to make the plates "clear" again, all you need to do is fill out the proper form (don't know what it is) releasing the plate number from the active vehicle registration. Only you, the listed owner can do that and sign the form. The local DMV offices are not well trained in details of YOM questions or issues. All they know how to do is inspect plates and any questions have to be sent to Sacramento. The good news is you are working with Sacramento and they have the specialist that deal with all matters YOM. Just wait for the info from them. They are very good at this and will get it done for you. The plates will be available for use again. As mentioned, commercial plates are hard to find. Are your plates PC or SC ? Floyd- YOM 40 commercial ; 32 passenger

01-15-2016, 11:24 PM	#10
expavr Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Hansville, WA Posts: 776	Re: Release of Interest - CA YOM License Plates? Are your plates PC or SC ? Floyd- YOM 40 commercial ; 32 passenger BE over PC. Those are the markings to the left of the plate number.

01-16-2016, 10:27 AM	#11
TJ Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Napa,California Posts: 6,037	Re: Release of Interest - CA YOM License Plates? Did you move to Washington from California and bring the tonner with you? or did you buy the tonner from a California resident with the California plates on it? If you moved and brought the tonner with you it should be easy. The Ca. plates were registered to you and all you need is the Ca. form that releases your interest in the plates. You can download that form from the Ca. DMV website. You can then sell the plates with the release form and the new owner can make a new application. If you bought the tonner from a Ca. resident and that owner did not release the plates to you at the time of purchase then you have a different problem. You need to have the original owner of the plates sign the release of interest form in order for the plates to be used by someone else.

01-16-2016, 12:52 PM	#12
expavr Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Hansville, WA Posts: 776	Re: Release of Interest - CA YOM License Plates? TJ I put the plates on the tonner when I registered it in CA in 2005. I took the "release of interest" paperwork that you describe and a copy of the current WA registration to the local DMV office as directed by Sacramento. The local DMV office being unfamiliar with this procedure deferred to someone in Sacramento and were instructed to collect the plates which sounds like the person whom they spoke to in Sacramento was also clueless. I called Sacramento again and made contact with a licensing representative who said she would forward paperwork with instructions to make it right. This remains to be seen. So far this has been an example of bureaucratic "ring around the rosie." Regarding your thought about selling the plates to someone with the "Release of Interest" document, I'm told that no prospective buyer will touch these plates without them first being cleared which in view of the exercise so far makes complete sense to me. Stay tuned for the next installment of this ongoing saga....

01-16-2016, 01:06 PM	#13
deuce lover Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Southern France Posts: 5,306	Re: Release of Interest - CA YOM License Plates? I went through this a few years ago. I had CA YOM 1935 plates that were on a 35 roadster I sold.The buyer from out of state did not want the plates.I then moved from CA.I sold the plates on the HAMB to a guy in Pasadena.He sent me the form from DMV for the release.I filled out the form and sent it along with the plates.He took care of the rest.Never had a problem.Just my experience.

01-16-2016, 01:29 PM	#14
TJ Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Napa,California Posts: 6,037	Re: Release of Interest - CA YOM License Plates? expavr, I recently put Ca. '41 plates on my 41 pickup. I got the plates from my neighbor (he had them on a '41 coupe) who signed the release of interest form and gave me the plates and form. From there I went to DMV and registered them to my 41 pickup. I now have 41 passenger car plates on a 41 pickup. DMV charges me the extra weight fee on my annual renewal plus the YOM fee. You definitely have been caught in a bureaucratic problem that should have been so simple. Common sense does not reign supreme in these agencies. Here's what I would do to bypass the system; If you have Washington plates on the tonner you are good to go as far as Washington state is concerned. You still own the California plates as they can be transferred from car to car or person to person. If they are still clear in the DMV system all you need to do to sell them is show the potential buyer they are clear and give the buyer the form that releases your interest. The buyer should be able to go to DMV with plates and form and put them on their vehicle.

01-16-2016, 02:06 PM	#15
Floyd Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 468	Re: Release of Interest - CA YOM License Plates? Looks like in 1941 they changed the prefix for commercial plates. The added BE stands for "Board of Equalization" (state tax department), The PC still stands for Pneumatic (tire) -Commercial. The other choice was SC which stands for Solid (tire) Commercial. I should have mentioned in my earlier post that not just anyone in the DMV in Sacramento can give helpful advice on YOM issues. You need to get from them the other phone number to call which will get you to the YOM experts. From there it is smooth sailing. Just an opinion Floyd

01-19-2016, 03:59 PM	#16
4dy Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 50	Re: Release of Interest - CA YOM License Plates? I don't think there is a way to "clear" plates that have been used in the California YOM program. If the plates were last in use in your name then you can sign a release for the next owner of the plates to take to the DMV with him. Even if you could "clear" the plates you would be putting those numbers back in the available pool for someone else to grab.