What about truck plates? Can you get a plate anywhere or does it have to be from the state/province where you live?

 

Most states require that you buy plates in the state where you live or base your business. In fact, when you apply for your base plate most states will require proof of residency such as a telephone bill, property tax receipt, etc., before they will allow you to buy your plates. Some carriers use other states, such as Illinois or Oklahoma. They can do that because they have an agent or office in that state. I don't know how it works in Canada, but I would expect that it is similar to the U.S. Until a few years ago many carriers and owner operators would purchase plates in Oklahoma since they were much less than in most other states. At the time I believe you could buy plates in Oklahoma for about $1,000-1,100. Most other states were around $1,400-2,200. It was quite a business for Oklahoma. After the lawsuit, most states began requiring proof of residency. Landstar and a few other carriers purchase plates in Illinois, but have offices or agents that who will allow them to use an address in the state.

Most carriers will allow you to purchase your own base plates rather than use theirs. You need to fill out a form and have a copy of your lease agreement with the carrier. The main difference is that some carriers will finance your base plates. When you buy them yourself you need to lay out all the money at one time.

 

I like running under US plates since I do most of my trucking south of the border. You don't stick out as much... I can probably get an agent in a cheap state too, when I'm ready to file for authority. Rank, do you have Ontario plates on your trucks?