House committee advances bill allowing larger exempt plates and online trip permits for nonresident trucks

A House committee advanced House Bill 21, which would give some exempt vehicles the option of using larger license plates and allow nonresident drivers to purchase trip permits before entering the state, Representative Clay Handy said during the committee meeting.

Handy, R.-District 27, told the committee the bill has two parts: it would let vehicles for which small plates are currently required—specifically he cited utility trailers and motorcycles—opt for larger plates so owners need not retrofit mounting locations, and it would permit nonresident truck drivers to buy trip permits in advance, including online, so they can legally operate in the state without stopping at a port of entry.

Handy said trip-permit purchases have declined in recent years and that making permits easier to buy and enforcing the requirement should increase compliance. "If the word gets out that you can buy them online like most states do and that we're enforcing it, I think that hopefully those numbers will prove to be correct," he said, adding that the change could return as much as $800,000 to the Transportation Fund.

Handy told the committee that trip-permit sales had fallen in recent years; he cited a sequence of figures in the hearing, and said the decline appears to be continuing. He also said electronic checks could be used to verify whether a permit was purchased.

There was no public testimony on the bill. Representative Shepherd moved that the committee send House Bill 21 to the floor with a "do pass" recommendation; the motion passed on a voice vote with no opposition recorded.

The bill will next appear on the House floor for further consideration.