SPRINGFIELD - Secretary of State Jesse White announced his office is launching a cost-efficient B-Truck license plate replacement program beginning this month to replace the oldest B-Truck license plates.

These newly-designed plates will be no additional cost to Illinois taxpayers. The replacement program for passenger plates began in January 2017 and thus far, 2 million passenger plates have been replaced.

The purpose of the program is to ensure – now and in the future – that older passenger and B-Truck license plates on Illinois roads are replaced. License plates’ reflectivity diminishes with age, which impacts the ability of law enforcement to quickly and accurately identify license plate numbers.

“This is a forward-thinking, long-term solution that does not require a complete replating overhaul for passenger and B-Truck plates, which would cost around $60 million,” said White. “This plan removes older plates and replaces them with newly-designed plates within our current budget. This will ensure that no license plate on the road will be more than 10 years old.”

Under the program, the oldest license plates will be replaced first. In 2020, B-Truck plates that were manufactured from 2002 through 2007 will be replaced. In 2021, B-Truck plates that were manufactured from 2008 through 2009 will be replaced. Each year, the office will continue to replace older license plates with newly issued plates. The process will be continuous, and plates will be replaced on a 10-year cycle with a new plate design created every 10 years.

“There are approximately 1.3 million B-truck vehicle owners and 8 million passenger vehicle owners in Illinois,” said White.

Vehicle owners will be notified by mail if they qualify for the new license plates. When they renew their vehicle registration, they will be provided with a sticker with a “T” on it to affix to the rear license plate of their vehicle. Within 60 days they will receive their newly-designed license plates in the mail with a new registration sticker already affixed to the rear license plate.

Owners are encouraged to recycle their old plates by taking them to a Secretary of State facility and disposing them in the tamper-proof bins.

Motorists who do not yet qualify for replacement plates may still request a new license plate at www.cyberdriveillinois.com for a replacement fee of $29. In addition, vehicle owners with license plates that are showing signs of wear and are difficult to read may visit the website to apply for a newly-designed plate at no charge and they may also renew their vehicle registration online or by visiting a Secretary of State facility, by mail, or by calling (800) 252-8980.