New trade plate for car dealers and fleet owners

A new trade plate has been launched by the “Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) for car dealers and fleet owners in order to check the abuses in the use of the old trade license plate in the country.

Speaking at the launching in Accra, the Chief Executive Officer of the DVLA, Mr. Joseph Osei Owusu pointed out that due to the gross abuse in the use of the trade licence plate, the Police have developed a penchant for stopping vehicle drivers with a trade plate to ascertain the genuineness of the trade licence. As a result, travelling from the port of entry to any part of the country with a trade licence plate becomes tedious and expensive that vehicle owners tend to avoid it, he added.

Mr. Owusu explained that many vehicles imported into the country are registered in Accra or Tema before being taken to other regions to be used; thereby putting an enormous pressure on the resources and personnel at the Accra and Tema offices whilst the other regional offices are virtually idle.

He said in order to ease the pressure on the Tema and Accra offices as well as check the abuses, DVLA has introduced a new trade plate which has the registration number of the car, the month and the year to make it possible for fleet owners and car dealers to take their cars to any part of the country after clearing it from the port. Mr. Owusu said that the new trade plate expires in a year after which, must be renewed or offenders will be punished.

He added that the trade plate must be used by fleet owners and car dealers who transfer their imported cars to their various showrooms, sending their new vehicles for testing as well as the broken down vehicles at the workshops.

Mr. Owusu cautioned fleet owners and car dealers not to rent cars with the new trade plate for weddings and funerals ceremonies because such cars would be arrested by the police.

In conclusion, Mr. Owusu urged the police to arrest and deal firmly with anybody found driving unregistered vehicles and not carrying a valid trade licence plate in Ghana.