M101 trailer VIN's

[rfischba1]

Anybody know if the military ever had the VIN numbers stamped anywhere else other than the data plate on the? Maybe frame or body?

 

[Chief_919]

Just the data plate as far as I know.

 

[Wolf.Dose]

Did not find one in my trailer frame, only o the plate. Sanded my frame down by hand, so I should have seen something.
Wolf

 

[CARNAC]

I've checked into this before and the only place, according to multiple "high placed govt sources" (I always wanted to say that--like the stupid news media), just the dataplate.

 

[rfischba1]

Well I like that answer, make one up if data plates missing or worn away.
Thanks

 

[URBNFLX]

The two I have had no vin numbers... one was issued a number by the DMV, the other used the serial number off the data plate.

 

[mrfishaholic]

Just the data plate, mine has a 4 digit vin, have problems every now and again with DMV (trailer reported stolen) takes a few minutes to get them straightened out. Pain n my butttt

 

[Ratch]

I seem to have found a standardized 17 digit vin just before submitting an EUC request... They're out there now and then.

 

[rboltz]

Just the data plate, mine has a 4 digit vin, have problems every now and again with DMV (trailer reported stolen) takes a few minutes to get them straightened out. Pain n my butttt

When I licensed mine with a 4 digit VIN I had similar problems. They said it MUST be 14 digits. Long story but we got it fixed.

 

[mrfishaholic]

Yeah, mine is reg with 4 digit vin, but still a PITA when re-registering sometimes. Computer doesnt like those short vin's.

 

[Ratch]

When I licensed mine with a 4 digit VIN I had similar problems. They said it MUST be 14 digits. Long story but we got it fixed.

I've done about 6 of these trailers with short vins (6-10 characters) in PA. None have ever been a problem, but they take about 2 months for Penndot to issue a title. No tag place ever had an issue with the vin length, so I'm surprised you got an insistence on a 14-digit vin. Maybe they meant 14-digit to be processed online instead of messenger?
A standard vin is 17 characters, too, so a 14 digit vin is still not up to post-'87 standardization.



For anyone curious, here's a good idea on how a properly formatted vin should look:
VIN Vehicle Identification Number History How To Read A VIN



A likely cause for the insistence by a DOT/DMV agent on the standard vin is when the trailer is model year '87 or newer and doesn't have a serial number that matches that standard.

You could always scour the trailer top to bottom to see if there are any more "serial" numbers on it that maybe the GL guy missed before submitting your SF97 request... I've found serial's that were missed by GL staff and have title's en route currently.
I just picked up a 1990 trailer that was inventoried as serial number "101", but there are at least two places on it with several more digits in the serial numbers...101 is just the beginning of it. When/if I get an SF97 for it, I will not be using the vin GL thinks they gave me, but the one that's actually on the trailer when I submit the form. I think GL understands the issue, they make a point of telling you to check the actual trailer and not your documents for the vin before submitting the form.