Statewide Iowa — A change in Department of Transportation rules for specialty plates pushed by ham radio enthusiasts is moving forward.
The director of the DOT Motor Vehicle Division, Melissa Gillett, says they will now allow the number zero to be used on the plates.
(As above) “We had some interest, specifically, in individuals who wanted to put their call letters on a blackout plate. That kind of prompted the discussion to happen, because they needed to have the ability to use that zero.”
Police historically have not wanted the use of zero for one reason.
(As above) “Simply the confusion between the letter ‘O’ and zero. But now we have consulted with law enforcement and because there’s a slash through the number zero, they felt that it really isn’t an issue any longer to be able to distinguish between the two.”
The blackout plates continue to be the top seller of specialty plates in the state and ham radio operators can now personalize them in their own way.
