User:40bus/License plates

Maine
Font: FE-Schrift

Current format
With the exception of Cumberland County plates, and taxis, vehicle dealers and diplomats, all Maine number plates for private and commercial type motor vehicles with the exceptions of those used by taxis, vehicle dealers and diplomats follow a Cxx #### algorithm.


 * C - The county prefix. (e.g. : C = Cumberland County)
 * x - The alphabetical sequences. (e.g. : A, B, C ... Y, Z. All letters are used.)
 * # - The number sequence. (e.g. : 1, 2, 3 ... 9998, 9999)

The exceptions in the algorithm are as follows:
 * There can be no leading zeroes in the number sequence.

The algorithm starts with a county prefix and a number sequence which ranged from 1 to 9999. For example, C 1 will be the first registration plate of Cumberland County. Once C 9999 will be achieved, an serial letter will be added to the right of the state prefix; CA 1 will be the result. After CZ 9999 will be achieved, a second serial letter will be added to the right of the first alphabetical sequence; CAA 1 being the outcome.

Extended Cumberland County series
As the most registered number plate series in the state, the C series' traditional 7-character format became the first in Maine to be exhausted when CZZ 9999 was reached. To allow further C plates, the algorithm will be altered to feature an alphabetical suffix behind the number sequence, resetting at C 1 A. When C 9999 Z will be achieved, the second alphabetical sequence emerges between the state prefix and number sequence, leading to CA 1 A. When CZ 9999 Z is reached, a third new alphabetical sequence will be spliced into the algorithm, between the second alphabetical sequence and number sequence, resulting in CAA 1 A. The series will end when CZZ 9999 Z is reached. The new format would theoretically allow a vastly larger number of registered plates, better addressing the risk of exhaustion of numbers. Less than three years into the implementation of the extended C series, the Transport Ministry, on the request of the Road Transport Department, announced the tentative retirement of the C series in place of a new B series that would revert to the regular Cxx #### format. The decision was made in response to massive declines in bidding for extended C series plates as the public was gauged to favour a Cxx #### format over Cumberland County's Cxx #### x format. The B series has launched on 1 October 2016 after completion of CD 9999 F and the extended C series was decommissioned.

Current format
All motorcycle plates of Maine follow a MCx #### x algorithm.
 * M - The constant prefix for all motorcycle plates.
 * C - The county prefix. (e.g. : C = Cumberland County)
 * x - The alphabetical sequences. (e.g. : A, B, C ... Y and Z)
 * # - The number sequence. (e.g. : 1, 2, 3 ... 9998, 9999)

All letters between A and Z are used and there are no leading zeroes, as in the case of car plates. The current algorithm for the majority of counties start with the constant M prefix, followed by the county prefix and the number sequence. An example would be MC 1 of Cumberland County. Once MC 9999 will be reached, a serial letter will be added to the right of the county prefix; MCA 1 will be the result. When MCZ 9999 will be achieved, a second serial letter will incorporated and served as the suffix; the result will be MC 1 A. When MC 9999 Z is reached, a third serial letter will be added, giving MCA 1 A. This continues until MCZ 9999 Z will be reached.

The government of Sarawak equip their vehicles with the unique QSG prefix.

Current format


All trailers plates in Maine with the exceptions of those used by taxis, vehicle dealers and diplomats follow a TCx #### x algorithm.
 * T - The constant prefix for all trailer plates.
 * C - The county prefix. (e.g. : A = West Coast, T = Tawau)
 * x - The alphabetical sequences. (e.g. : A, B, C ... Y, Z)
 * # - The number sequence. (e.g. : 1, 2, 3 ... 9998, 9999)

All letters are used and there are no leading zeroes, as in the case of car and motorcycle plates.

The current algorithm for the majority of counties start with the constant T prefix, followed by the County prefix and the number sequence. An example would be CA 1 of Cumberland County. Once TC 9999 will be reached, an alphabetical sequence will be added and served as the suffix; TC 1 A was the result. When TC 9999 Z will be reached, a second alphabetical sequence will be placed to the right of the county prefix and the first alphabetical sequence was reset; the result was TCA 1 A.When TCZ 9999 Z was met, this will end.

Post-2022
Following the intoruction of the system in 2022, new plates issued in Maine beared a  Cx #### format, which was sufficient for use through the 2020s and 2030s. By the 2040s and 2050s, the Cx #### format began to reach its limit in counties with higher numbers of new vehicle registrations, leading to an inclusion of a third identifying letter, creating a new Cxx #### format. Cumberland County (C) became the first county in Maine to adopt the new format in 2045, followed by York County (Y) in 2054, Penobscot County (P) in 2057, Kennebec County (K) in 2059, Androscoggin County (A) in 2061, Aroostook County (R) in 2064, Oxford County (O) also in 2064, Hancock County (H) in 2065, Somerset County (E) in 2066, Knox County (N) in 2068, Waldo County (W) in 2069, Sagadahoc County (S) in 2071, Lincoln County (L) in 2074, Washington County (G) in 2075, Franklin County (F) in 2077 and finally Piscataquis County (I) in 2090.

Until 2090, Piscataquis County was only county that had not yet exhausted Cx #### format but finally exhausted it on 14 June 2090 with issuing IZ 9999 and Cxx #### plate series began issued beginning with IAA 1.

As the most registered number plate series in the state, the Cumberland County's C series' traditional 7-character Cxx #### format became the first in Maine to be exhausted when CZZ 9999 was reached on 27 September 2103. To allow further C plates, the algorithm was altered to feature an alphabetical suffix behind the number sequence, resetting at C 1 A. When C 9999 Z was achieved, the second alphabetical sequence emerged between the state prefix and number sequence, leading to CA 1 A. When CZ 9999 Z is reached, a third new alphabetical sequence will be spliced into the algorithm, between the second alphabetical sequence and number sequence, resulting in CAA 1 A. The series will end when CZZ 9999 Z is reached. The new format would theoretically allow a vastly larger number of registered plates, better addressing the risk of exhaustion of numbers.

However, less than three years into the implementation of the extended C series, on 19 May 2106 the Transport Ministry, on the request of the Road Transport Department, announced the tentative retirement of the C series in place of a new B series that would revert to the regular Cxx #### format. The decision was made in response to massive declines in bidding for extended C series plates as the public was gauged to favour a Cxx #### format over Cumberland County's Cxx #### x format. The B series has launched on 1 October 2106 after completion of CD 9999 F and the extended C series was decommissioned and BAA 1 followed.

York County became second county in Maine to exhaust the Cxx #### format on 2 April 2132 with issuing of YZZ 9999, 28 years and 6 months after Cumberland County, which was already at BOK #### series in B letter at the time of exhaustion, while Piscataquis County was still only at ICV #### series at this time. Unlike Cumberland County, York County remained at Cxx #### format with introducing a new letter D, which had already been in use in motorcycles since 2114. The first plate was DAA 1.

Penobscot County became the third county in Maine to exhaust the Cxx #### format on 15 October 2149 with issuing of PZZ 9999, 15 years and 6 months after York County, which was at DFX #### series in D letter at the time of exhaustion, while Cumberland County was already close to exhaustion of B series at BXB #### series, and Piscataquis County was still only at IDY #### series at this time. Like York County, and unlike Cumberland County, Penobscot County remained at Cxx #### format with introducing a new letter J, which had already been in use in motorcycles since 2114, just like in York County's case. The first plate was JAA 1.

On 25 May 2151, Cumberland County exhausted the B series with issuing BZZ 9999. The new letter for Cumberland County was Q, and the first plate was QAA 1.

Motorcycles
Cumberland County became first county to exhaust the MCx #### format in 2058, when MCZ 9999 was reached and MC 1 A followed on 15 March. MC 9999 Z was reached on 24 May 2060, and MCA 1 A followed. After that, several more counties exhausted their respective MCx #### formats and began using first MC #### x and then MCx #### x formats. In 2067, York County began issuing MY #### x plates after MYZ 9999 was reached. This is followed by Penobscot County, which began using the MP #### x format in 2070, after MPZ 9999 was reached.

In start of  22nd century, Piscataquis County was only county to still use MCx #### format, but finally exhausted it on 27 July 2108 with issuing of MIZ 9999 and changing first to MC #### x format beginning from MI 1 A and then to MCx #### x format on 14 April 2110 with issuing of MI 9999 Z and MIA 1 A. Since on 20 May 2106, Deputy Minister of Transport introduced B for Cumberland County, there is a possibility that current the MCx #### x algorithm number plates may be supplemented by introducing previously unused letters to ensure suffix-less registrations become the norm. This became true in start of year 2114, when Cumberland, York and Penobscot Counties retired the MCx #### x format (Cumberland County stopped at MCQ 5233 P, York County to MYM 3870 G and Penobscot County MPJ 6885 V and introduced new letters with returning to MCx #### format, B for Cumberland County, D for York County and J for Penobscot County, starting at MBA 1, MDA 1 and MJA 1 respectively. All other 13 counties (which all used MCx #### x format at the time) continued using MCx #### x format.

Western Australia
Index digits from 1 to 9 followed by a combination of three or two letters and three digits.

Cars
The group of letters starts with any letter except T (reserved for trailers), followed by a combination of any two other letters.

The group of digits have every three-digit combination possible, including 000 and 666.

There are 16,900,000 combinations (25*26*26*1,000) available for each index digit, and 152,100,000 (9*25*26*26*1,000) at total.

Trailers
The group of letters starts with T, followed by a combination of any two other letters.

The group of digits have every three-digit combination possible, including 000 and 666.

There are 676,000 combinations available for each index digit (1*26*26*1,000), or a total of 6,084,000 plates.

Cars
1910-1966: Weight classes. Lightest: A·0000 Light: B·0000 Medium: C·0000 Heavy: D·0000 Heaviest: E·0000