British Columbia Commercial Truck License Plates

A special thanks to Neale Hankins, Bill Hobbis, Tom Lindner, Dallas Doyle and Ron Garay for providing many of the plates pictured.

The second license plate prefix to be issued in British Columbia was the short-lived "T" for Trucks, which was used only for the 1924 registration year (the first prefix being the "D" for Dealer plates in 1911).  It is not clear what fate befell these early "T" plates, but they form an interesting precursor to the eventual classification of Commercial Trucks in subsequent decades.
1924: "T" Prefix
Issuing Statistics
1924:
T1 to T8500

The Truck pictured above is displaying Registration No. T2211
Image Credit: Saanich Archives
Caption: "Saanich Poundkeeper and Ford truck in front of Glanford Avenue pound 1924"
Archives Number: 1980-005-032
Thanks to Pierre Delacote, we are able to provide an example of the registration form issued to a Truck sporting a "T" plate. Simply click on the image below to read more:

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In 1936, the province would again create a separate registration for Commercial Trucks through the introduction of the "C" prefix, which would appear continuously through to 1971.

Of interest, although the province had used issued six-digit passenger plates between 1930 and 1935 as way to extend that series beyond the 99,999 mark, the decision was made to retain the five-digit format for the Commercial series and use additional letters to extend the "C" prefix beyond the 9,999 mark.  As a result, in the very first year of issue approximately thirteen (13) different letter combinations appear on the "C" plates - a number which would only increase as the number of trucks continued to grow throughout the coming decade.

1936 - 1948: Multiple Letter Prefixes
Issuing Statistics
1936:
C1 to CP-800
1937:
C1 to CS-255
1938:
unknown
1939:
unknown
1940:
C1 to CY-878
1941:
C1 to CX-999
1942:
C1 to C900A
1943:
C1 to C999A
1944:
C1 to C515B
1945:
C1 to C685E
1946:
C1 to C999N
1947:
C1 to C185Z
1948:
C1 to C1Y99
To see how the various prefixes were issued in each year, simply click on the plates shown above to access the Gallery.

The plate shown at left is thought to be a manufacturers sample due to the use of the three zeros and the fact that it as never painted.


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In an attempt to simplify the registration system, the province did away with the use of excessive letter prefixes on both the passenger commercial plate series in 1949.  Consequently, the only letter prefix that would now appear on Commerical vehicles would be "C", however, to meet demand, the province resorted to the use of two different sized plates (i.e. a short version for five-digit serials and a long version for six-digit serials).
1949 - 1951
 
Issuing Statistics
1949:
C1 to C55-250
1950:
C1 to C59-400
1951:
C1 to C65-000


1949 Commercial License Plate - Short Version

1949 Commercial License Plate - Long Version

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The ill-fated Totem base! A striking plate in terms of its auluminum design, but totally ill-suited to British Columbia's rugged climate and was ultimately done in by its poorly conceived renewal tab system.  Originally intended to last for a period of five years, the plate was abandoned within 18 months and while the passenger series would be renewed by tab in 1954, the Commercial series was issued a whole new plate (or different material) in 1954.
1952 - 1954: "Totem" Base
 
Issuing Statistics
1952:
C1 to C90-000
1953:
400001 to 485000*
1954:
C1 to C90-000


* Renewal Tabs were issued in 1953 instead of license plates.
To see a Gallery displaying how the various prefixes were issued in each year, simply Click Here.

What sets the Commercial version of the Totem base apart from the Passenger is the absence of the maple leaf encompassing the thunderbird totem - principally due to space constraints.
A minor design variation is visible in later issues where the "52" date stamp has been removed. It is thought that the transition occured after the 90,000 mark and reflects plates issued in 1953 (and which would have been validated through the use of the tab):

1952 Base - Dated Version

1952 Base - Undated Version

The series is known to have progressed beyond the 99,999 mark and was extended through the use of a "CA" prefix (above). Due to space contraints, the Commercial base was also required to use a separate renewal tab in 1953 (at right). The obvious differences are the absence of the maple leaf and the spacing of the date, with the less obvious difference being the placement of the registration number (which is vertical on the Commercial tab and horizontal on the Passenger tab).


1953 Commercial Tab

1953 Passenger Tab

This plate was rejected due to a defect under the five in "52".

1955 - 1956
   
Issuing Statistics
1955:
C1 to C95-000
1956:
unknown
To see a Gallery displaying how the various prefixes were issued in each year, simply Click Here.

1957 - 1963
Issuing Statistics
1957:
unknown
1958:
unknown
1959:
unknown
1960:
unknown
1961:
unknown
1962:
unknown
1963:
unknown
To see a Gallery displaying how the various prefixes were issued in each year, simply Click Here.

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1964 would mark the introduction of the "Beautiful" slogan, but also the last year that two letter prefixes would be used as a new single letter prefix, "J" would start be used following the exhaustion of the "C" prefix in 1965.
As Commercial vehicle registrations surpassed the 200,000 mark in 1971, the letter "K" prefix was introduced to help prolong the series.
1964: "Beautiful" Slogan
Issuing Statistics
1964:
C1 to C99-775
 
CE1 to CE9-999
 
CH1 to CH9-999
 
CJ1 to CJ6-775
       

1965 - 1971: Additional Single Letter Prefixes
Issuing Statistics
1965:
C1 to C90-000
 
J1 to J43-900
1966:
C1 to C96-000
 
J1 to J48-000
1967:
C1 to C99-999
 
J1 to J49-500
1968:
C1 to C99-999
 
J1 to J62-000
1969:
C1 to C99-999
 
J1 to J81-800
1970:
C1 to C96-000
 
J1 to J99-500
1971:
C1 to C99-999
 
J1 to J86-000
 
K1 to K37-000

CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE

1965: Decal Box Variation
The majority of the 90,000 Commercial license plates produced in 1965 with the "C" prefix are like the one shown at left, however, it is also possible to find a small bloc of plates issued early in the series with a sticker decal box in the bottom centre of the plate and a different type used on the date in the top right-hand corner.
It is thought that these plates are related to work that was being undertaken by the Plate Shop at Oakalla in anticipation of the introduction of a multi-year plate that was to be renewed through the use of a plastic registration decal. It is now know, through separate correspondance between Oakalla and the Yukon Registrar of Motor Vehicles that the Plate Shop had "purchased material that has proven to be satisfactory for periods of up to four years" and could be used with a renewal decal - "as is being employed in many of the provinces and states today". The cost of these decals was estimated at $0.07 (which included packaging in a small cellophane envelope).

1967: Overrun
Despite the introduction of the "J" prefix, Commercial plates continually ran over the allotted combinations by the late 1960s. As with the passenger plates, when the 1967 "J" plates exceeded the 49,500 combinations initially produced, the province began using the 1968 base for over-run. We know this because of the appearance of "19" in the top left-hand corner of the plates.

1972
   
Issuing Statistics
1972:
730-001 to 979-000

It is thought that the 1973 Truck series commenced at number 500,000. As such, the plate shown above at far left would have been an early issue in 1973, and was used through 1975 (as evident by the decals). By 1974, the series had progressed through the 800,000 mark, and by 1975 the series surpassed the 999,999 mark. After plate 999,999 was issued an over-run series was produced and it is believed that these commenced at either 30,000 or 35,000.
1973 - 1975
Issuing Statistics
1973:
500-001 to 764-000
1974: unknown
1975:
 unknown to 999-998
????
 over-run

1976 - 1978
Issuing Statistics
1976:
00-01-AA to 00-00-EC
To see how the series progressed, simply click on the letters shown above.

1979 - 1986
Issuing Statistics
1979:
00-01-FA to 99-99-LY
To see how the series progressed, simply click on the letters shown above.
       
Alternate Base Materials
The two plates pictured above show how the province experimented with both a Reflectorized base plate for commercial vehicles (at left) in the early 1980s, and the more traditional painted white base plate (at right).  It is not clear who the manufacturer of each plate was, but it is assumed to be different companies due to the dies used on each plate.

Error Plate
It is not often you find a British Columbia error plate, but the example shown above-left is just such a rare bird. As can be see, the plate displays a two letter prefix, whereas the series otherwise uses a two letter suffix - such as is shown on the plate at right.

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One of the more interesting aspects of this particular plate type is that, since its (re)introduction in 1936, the province has continued, in one form or another, to refer to it as a "Commercial" plate up to the present day.
Yet, anecdotal evidence would seem to suggest that the vast majority of vehicles that display this type of plate are decidely non-commercial in nature and can be characterised as private pick-up trucks used for personal use. The category also encompasses emergency services vehicles such as municipal fire trucks, and public bus services.
Due to these variances, despite the proper title under the current Allocation Code used by ICBC terming these plates as "Commercial Truck", it can also refer to what the Corporation calls "light commercial trucks" (thereby encompassing personal vehicles).

Pick-ups

Heavy Trucks

Buses

Taxis

Fire Trucks
1985 - 2009
Dave Hollins Collection
Issuing Statistics
1985:
0000-MB to 9999-RE
1986:
0000-RF to 9999-SY
1989:
 0000-TA to 9999-TH
1990:
 0000-TJ to 9999-VH
1991:
 0000-VJ to 9999-WC
1992:
 0000-WD to 9999-XM
1993:
 0000-XN to 3999-YG
1994:
 4000-YG to 9999-YG
1994:
 0000-AA to 3999-AC
       
To see how the series progressed, simply click on the letters shown above.
Dave Hollins Collection
2009

Veteran Base:
In 2004, the Commercial Truck plate type was included as one of the plate types that would be made available as part of an initiative by the British Columbia to recognise the service of "Veterans" to their country.

Veteran Commercial Truck license plate
It is thought that ICBC has set aside the "LV", "LW", "LX" and "LY" suffixes for use on the Veteran base - which represents approximately 40,000 plates (as of May 2010 - or six years into the program - only 6,700 Veteran Truck plates have been issued). Interestingly, this bloc represented the last of four suffixes available in the Truck series under the 0000-XX format.
LV
LW
LX
LY

Olympic Base & Allocation:
In 2007, the Commercial Truck plate type was one of the lucky six plate types - along with passenger, farm truck, motorcycle, trailer and utility trailer - to be made available on the optional 2010 Olympic Winter Games base.

Olympic Commercial Truck license plate
Of particular interest was that, at the time of the Olmypic release, the Commercial Truck series was still utilising the "0000-XX" serial format.  It is suspected that "AA-0000" through to "AK-9999" (which represents approximately 100,000 sets) has been reserved for the Olympic base, however, it is unlikely that all of these will be required and the leftover allotment will be reissued under the "Flag" graphic sometime after December 31, 2010.
AF

The Truck series is dead, long live the Truck series!
On February 20, 2008, this writer saw the first of the new AA-0000 series Truck bases (Olympic bases not included).
As expected ICBC has simply reversed the series (a la the passenger series in 2001) and appears to have started it in the AL-0000 range - which indicates that "AA-0000" through to "AK-9999" has likely been reserved for the Olympic base. As with the Olympic & Consular bases, ICBC has also implemented the separated, or dual decal box for the day and month/year decals.

This move breaks the alphabetic trend started way back in 1976 with each iteration of the Truck base starting off where the previous series ended. For instance, the '76 base ceased at "D" (or possibly the "E" range), and the '79 base starting at "F", before ending at "L", whereupon the '85 base started at "M" and finished at "L". Accordingly, the new serial should have commenced at "M" again, however, it looks like ICBC wanted to start with a clean slate. Interestingly, the flag base and "Beautiful" slogan have been retained in favour of the "Best Place on Earth" slogan and logo... hmm... this deserves a query to the good folks at ICBC.
2009 - 2012
2011
2012

Decal Box Variations
It appears that, despite the initial "AL" plates in this series being provided with the separted decal boxes for the day and month/year decals as found on the Olympic and Consular bases, a switch-back of sorts has occurred, whereby it appears that plates in the "AM", "AN", "AP", and "AR" range all employ the single decal box as found on the Truck base before the 0000-AA series ended.

Dual Decal Box Variation
One of our intrepid field spotters has been able to pinpoint this change-over as occurring somewhere within the bloc of plates found beetwen "AL-7324" (separated boxes) and "AL-8433" (single box).
It is likely that only the manufacturer, Waldale, knows the precise reason behind this change, however, we here at BCpl8s.ca suspect that it is simply a matter of using up old stock prepared for either the Agriculture and Industrial Vehicle bases prior to a braoder implementation of the dual decal boxes onto all plate types. Nevertheless, a call has been placed to the good folks at ICBC to see if they can shed some light on this matter. Stay tuned ...

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