LTO, DOTr to clear DL and vehicle plate backlog next month

The Land Transporation Office (LTO) and the Department of Transportation Office (DOTr) report that the current stock of plastic driver’s license cards and motor vehicle license plates is sufficient.

LTO Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor Mendoza

The said agencies have revealed this through a briefing with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. As per LTO Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor Mendoza, the agency currently has a supply of plastic driver’s license cards that will last until the end of 2024. 

If one remembers, the LTO has been experiencing a lack of plastic cards since the end of 2023. It has even come to a point where the agency has been issuing printed paper licenses as a stop-gap measure. 

Fast forward to the present and it appears that the LTO has since been able to fix the plastic driver’s license supply shortage. As per the agency, it has already delivered around 2 million plastic cards, and it is currently expecting 1 million more cards from its current supplier. 

With regards to vehicle license plates, both aforementioned agencies likewise informed the President that supplies are now “more than enough.” 

“We also reported to the President that the DOTr has already initiated the bidding of the engraver machines to avoid breakdowns and continue the production of license plates,” said Mendoza. 

With all that said, the LTO and the DOTr have declared that the driver’s license and vehicle license plate backlog will be addressed in full by July 2024. 

Pres. Marcos has ordered the LTO to implement its policies against dealerships that take too long to release vehicle plates

For his part, President Marcos has ordered the LTO to strictly implement its policies against erring dealerships. Specifically, it has directed the agency to watch out for dealerships that are not able to release motor vehicle plates in a timely manner. 

For those unaware, vehicle license plates for brand-new vehicles are supposed to be released within 11 days from the date of purchase. 

Currently, the LTO still has to deal with a license plate backlog (four-wheel vehicles) numbering 245,975 pairs. Mendoza however, shared that the LTO has already released 130 show-cause orders to these erring dealers. 

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