MEMPHIS, Tenn.– As the new Tennessee license plate design rolls out, a state investigation has been sparked along with a backlog for those waiting.
You will find this blue Tennessee license plate on roadways statewide and by the day the demand has increased overwhelming the Shelby County Clerk’s office.
“We’re the largest county in the entire state. So our delay is probably going to be slightly longer than the other counties. But then because of our customer base,” said Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert.
For the first time since 2006, all Tennessee residents will have to get the plate, unless you have a specialty license plate. With the roll out coming during the pandemic, Halbert said that is adding to challenges they are already facing.
“It’s just been a host of little hiccups that the state has been focusing on and we have we seen a host of emails alerting and some of the changes and some of the concerns that have been expressed,” she said.
Along with shipping delays, state officials were made aware the blue paint on the plates are hard to see on surveillance cameras used by law enforcement and other state agencies. In a statement, the Tennessee department of Revenue told WREG:
“We are aware of this issue, and we are engaging in conversations with our partners at the Tennessee Department of Safety to more fully understand it. It would be premature to discuss any further actions we may take until we fully vet the concerns raised.“
Customers like Bobby Robinson at the DMV say they are not worried too much about the impact this could have.
“It really don’t bother me as long as it a plate as long as I can put it on my car and I can drive legally. It don’t matter,” he said.
The Department of Revenue did not provide a deadline as to when their investigation would be completed but say that around 5.5 million plates could be sent out by the end of the year.