Little Metal USPS Tags?

I don't know why you'd think these vehicles would have ever had MA license plates. Even back in the day of plates on USPS vehicles, they usually carried US Government plates. As for the ID Tag for the vehicle, it's probably the ID number of the vehicle. If you look at most any postal delivery vehicle today there is an ID number in place of a license plate usually printed near the roofline. I suspect the numbers on the tag coincide with that, as per this example (at least the number of digits match):



One further note: I just read on an unofficial website that the USPS was exempted from having to display license plates (choosing the painted number at the roofline instead) per Federal regulations put in place that date back to 1973.

WTI - I was pretty darn sure, about 98%, they didn't have plates. You will also notice that USPS contracted highway trailers also don't have plates. That I was 100% sure of. Smaller vehicles, I had a little "wait, am I right or wrong?" thing going on in my head.

;-)

every USPS vehicle has an assigned identification #. If you look at the leading edge of the roof on small vehicles (cars painted in USPS color scheme, small vans, jeeps, LLV's) there is a number which is an inventory number. These are instead of state license plates. There is a code which denotes year of purchase & put in service, possibly region to which issued, and a number sequence ID'ing the vehicle. (This #id not a mfg VIN#, although for maintenance & recall issues it probably crosschecks/references to a mfg VIN#)

(sorry for the repeat wt1: didn't see the couple of post prior to my comment.. need to learn to read thru string before posting duplicate info) [:|]

While I don't doubt that USPS numbers their vehicles (obviously) why not use the unique VIN number? Why would they also add a metal tag with yet another number?
Don

They want them to be sequential as they add vehicles to the fleet perhaps.