stolen license plate...again!

[lisalewis]

A few months ago our plate turned up missing. After realizing it was gone (and a nice ticket later) we blamed it on a bad wind storm we went through a few days earlier. But, its gone again! My husband put on a new bracket etc after the first incident so thats not to blame. We know for a fact it was there this morning because the shipper went around back to write it down. We can tell that it was ripped off because parts of the plate are still there around the bolts. So, we just wanted to give everyone a heads up to watch their license plate!

[x06col]

Those incidents sound like some really good PTI work to me. "Several DAYS before"????

[FAMILYEXPDT]

Yes actually they do a GREAT PTI Col.......an excellent team that catches things BEFORE they become a problem.


-Charlotte

[cheri1122]

I've lost 2 fuel tank caps in 3 weeks. The first one, I assumed I hadn't tightened down properly, as it went missing just after I'd got fuel, but the second one - I KNOW I put it on right, and it disappeared while I was inside, getting a receipt. The 2 new ones won't be so easy to snag in a hurry!
So heads up, drivers - there are those who will steal whatever they can get, and they're everywhere you go, anymore.

[greg334]

Cheri,
I seem to remember filling up one night and then waking up with drained tanks. I think that stealing fuel should be a crime I can shoot someone over - seeing that it cost me $325 to fill the things up.

[x06col]

I dunno Charlotte, seems maybe they catch SOME things, before they become a problem (ticket?).

And yes, y'all continue to enjoy those atays at the truck stops.

[SHARP327]

I'm not saying that someone is not stealing your plates because there's no way of confirming that.

But what I can add is that not too long after I bought this truck from AB a driver yelled at me on the CB and told me I was about to lose my plate and that it was just bearly hanging on, I pulled over to find the plate just hanging there by about a 1/4 of an inch of the plates metal.

I fixed the plate back on the plates bracket with new screws with poly-loc nuts and large washers thinking that was the last of that problem!....kinda thinking like you that someone was trying to steal my plate because the plates metal was still around the bolt.

About a month later I stopped by AB to have my trucks annual DOT inspection taken care of when the mechanic said he couldn't pass me because my plate was missing, I made up a cardboard sign with my plate # on it and saying Lic.plate stolen I then called MVD in KY. and they sent me a new one.

Another couple of months went by and I noticed the plate was slightly bent upwards and starting to crack around the bolts and this made it obvious the wind was working the plate back and forth.

this plate brkt. was the type that is attached just below the drivers side tail light.

I bought an alum. plate and made it fit the tail light mounting brkt. (3 bolts) with enough of the plate below the light to drill 4 holes matching the lic. plate holes, It ended up being in the shape of a home plate (base).

that solved the problem completely and this is the end to a long drawn out problem solving story!! (hopefully)

[lisalewis]

To clarify: We did notice the plate missing each time RIGHT AWAY. The first time around we didn't assume that it was stolen...we just blamed it on a wind storm we traveled through(I meant a few days earlier from the time of the ticket). About the ticket, we had to travel without the plate for a few days...it does take a little time to get proof of a temporary one. We just got a police report done about this missing plate. But, we will still have to travel a few days without one(it is the weekend). The officer explained that we could show the police report if we get pulled over to hopefully avoid another possible ticket.

And my husband and I do a PTI everyday...I don't care how great of a PTI you do...if someone wants to steal something they will! You could be in the truck stop, in the rest area or shopping at Wal-Mart. I'm sorry we didn't notice the plate missing the second it happened (if we did then we would of caught the person who was taking it). I just wanted to give everyone a friendly heads-up to what happened to us...twice.

[easyrider2697]

>Yes actually they do a GREAT PTI Col.......an excellent team
>that catches things BEFORE they become a problem.
>
>
>-Charlotte


**we blamed it on a bad wind storm we went through a few days earlier.**

Think this is what he was talking about.

[easyrider2697]

I agree but the only problem with that is the shooter would be the one in jail for carrying a firearm in a CMV, not the poor dead sucker for stealing the fuel, pretty bad when the criminals have more rights than the victim.

[lisalewis]

Thanks SHARP327...Thats what we thought happened to our first plate so thats why we switched to a bracket like the one your describing. The officer said he is almost certain that this one was taken because the bolts and bracket are almost brand new and apparently someone removed the nuts and bolts, took the plate, and then replaced the nuts and bolts (and even was nice enough to tightened them back up?!) What I thought was part of the missing plate around the bolts was residue from my husband using Lock Tight (thread lock) around each bolt. Someone also gave us the advice of using a longer bolt (filing down some of the thread) so you can thread it in...but not out? I guess its worth a try?

[javarod]

Hmmm, do you have access to the back of the bolts? When I delivered pizza here in PHX, one of the guys had problems with his plate being stolen at his apartment complex. My suggestion was to pop the plastic nuts out of the trunk, run a set of carriage bolts through the plate, and use nylon locking nuts on the backside. Yes, they could steal it ifn they want to, but they're going to have to work for it.

[Turtle]

There are a couple of ways to deal with this. Well, three if you're good with an arc welder.

One is a special screw that is an Allen screw with a pin in the middle. It requires a special wrench to remove the screw.
Lemme look... looking... looking.... ah, here ya go

Cheapest - Screws only:
http://www.autobarn.net/cru81000series.html

Next Cheapest - Screws, plus a fancy plastic frame and plate cover (plate cover is illegal in some states, YMMV)
http://www.autoattire.com/securityframes.html


The other way is with a lock-n-key frame with recessed locks that have snap-on covers to protect the tumblers. My brother has these on his tractor and his trailer. Looks good and he hasn't lost a plate since.
http://www.lock-um.com/


Slow and steady, even in expediting, wins the race - Aesop

[Dave Johnson]

Hey xcol,

I'm just curious. You always say find a tree, make fun of people who stay in truck stops, all those other cheerful comments.

Just for us dumb normal people.. where do you find all these trees? Most nights, it's hard to find a place to pull over, let alone a nice purty tree to park under. I guess I could pull into a residential neighborhood with this 53' and tell them you said it was better than a truck stop.

Here's a thought. Why don't you try not being so negative everytime somebody posts something? It's real easy to be an armchair trucker, and tell all your drivers, and all us dummies on here how we do it wrong. Maybe if you drove more than every now and then, you'd know there's precious few spots to park out here, and we grab them where we can find them.

So simple. Find a tree. 95 degrees out, but hey, I got a tree! 10 below zero.. I got a tree, and I'm not idling in a truck stop trying to keep warm (or cool) like those poor idiots. Man I wish I was as cool as you. I'm a tinkin, we fin' dat magic tree, we be puttin dat dang ol truck stops out o' bidnes! Wat you tink o' dat? Everbody done be sittin under dem majic trees, dat dang ol truck stop, she be empty. Dat's wat I be tinkin.


Dave
Panther E Unit
In a truckstop tonight cuz I couldn't find no dang ol tree. Wat you tink bout dat?

[buckeyewildman]

you gots to remember xcol is so much smarter then the rest of us he has trees that wait for him cause they know he,s coming and he knows so much better then the rest of us so you just take that 53 footer and find yourself a nice tree maybe he has an extra tree in his neighborhood