A shortage of aluminum caused a temporary halt in license plate production for the Motor Vehicle Division, the Arizona Department of Transportation said.
Itโs the effect of a shortage felt worldwide, ADOT said, which led to scheduled delivery of aluminum not arriving to Arizona Correctional Industries.
Arizona Correctional Industries is the branch of Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry that has long produced license plates for state vehicles, ADOT said.
There was also no aluminum already in stock for production, causing ADOT to reach out to a separate vendor, Intellectual Technology Inc., to provide plates on an interim basis.
โFortunately, we were able to move quickly to get with a vendor,โ said Douglas Pacey, ADOTโs assistant communication director for customer outreach. โLicense plates are being produced now. Intellectual Technology Inc. is working almost around the clock. I think theyโre working double shifts and six days a week to get Arizonaโs license plates caught back up.โ
As of Friday, the backlog had reached 68,000 license plates, Pacey said.
For motorists, it means there is still a delay in receiving new plates.
Most of the specialty plates ordered after May 21 started reaching customers last Monday.
However, standard plates are set to arrive from the ADOT fulfillment center beginning Monday, June 14, the department said.
This has not stopped ADOT from issuing license plate numbers for Arizonans.
Those with temporary plates โ such as one from an auto dealer โ should not worry about the correct information not being displayed.
โIf the dealer still sends that information as they should and the correct information is received by MVD in the (45-day) time period, the information is updated in the system. So, if your plate hasnโt arrived at your home, but itโs been processed at MVD, it will still show up in the system as being current and valid,โ Pacey said.
Pacey added itโs similar to waiting for a registration sticker to show up in the mail.
ADOT has also made sure to reach out to state law enforcement agencies, auto dealers, fleet services, commercial trucking groups and third-party offices that complete MVD services to inform them of the situation, the department said.
When the new plates are received, they will also have a new font, something the department said it has been contemplating for some time but would have interrupted production.
The department did use the halt in production to change the font on the license plates; however, it will not likely be noticeable to motorists, Pacey said.
โThe change was only made to streamline production purposes, but itโs almost indistinguishable as the current font,โ he said.
Down the road
The Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility is seeking community input on two alternative options to improve North First Avenue between Grant and River roads.
Public input received during this project phase on the two alternatives will inform which of the two options the city will move forward to project design and construction, the department said.
Design for this Regional Transportation Authority project is anticipated to begin in late 2021 to early 2022 with construction scheduled to begin in 2024 or 2025.
To learn more and to provide feedback on the project alternatives, visit bit.ly/1stavetucson or text FIRST to 520-210-5707.
The department will also be holding two Virtual Town Hall events Tuesday, June 29, and Thursday, July 15. Visit the project website for times and meeting links.
