Aluminum Shortage Halts North Carolina License Plate Program

A program designed to replace older license plates in North Carolina was suspended indefinitely due to a global shortage of aluminum, WXII reports.

The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles' program, passed into law by the General Assembly, replaces license plates that are more than six years old. The replacement program was set to begin July 1, 2020, but the pandemic caused it to be pushed back until 2021. Now it's facing a new challenge: a shortage of the aluminum needed to created the plates.

According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the DMV usually produces between 400 and 500 first-time license plates each day. The plate replacement program would increase production by around 10 times that number. The aluminum shortage greatly impacts production, so by halting the program, the department is ensuring there is enough of the lightweight metal to produce first-time plates.

In the first four months of 2021, more than 640,000 plates were made to replace the older plates around the state, DOT officials said. Over a million more were expected to be produced throughout the rest of the year. Corrections Enterprises, which handles production, only has enough of the material to make around 160,000 plates, however they expect another shipment sometime this month.

According to WXII, replacement plates were sent automatically, at no charge, to registered drivers with qualifying plates whenever they renewed their registration online or by mail. Those who renewed in person received their plates at the time of their visit.

Though production is halted indefinitely, it is expected the program will resume later this year or in 2022.

Photo: Getty Images


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