Sec. 3. (a) Upon payment of the annual registration fee under IC 9-18.1-5 and any applicable commercial vehicle excise tax under IC 6-6-5.5, the department of state revenue may issue a license plate for each commercial vehicle registered to the owner of at least twenty-five (25) commercial vehicles. The license plate issued under this section for a commercial vehicle is permanently valid.

(b) The application of registration for the commercial vehicles must be on an aggregate basis by electronic means. If the application is approved, the department of state revenue shall issue a certificate of registration that shall be carried at all times in the vehicle for which it is issued.

(c) The registration for a commercial vehicle is void when the registered owner:

(1) sells (and does not replace);

(2) disposes of; or

(3) does not renew the registration of;

the commercial vehicle or the commercial vehicle is destroyed.

(d) This section does not relieve the owner of a vehicle from payment of any applicable commercial vehicle excise tax under IC 6-6-5.5 on a yearly basis.

(e) A registered license plate issued under subsection (a) may be transferred to another vehicle in a fleet of the same weight and plate type, with a new certificate of registration issued under subsection (b), upon application to the department of state revenue. A commercial vehicle excise tax credit may be applied to any plate transfer of the same vehicle type and same weight category.

(f) The following apply to rules adopted by the bureau before January 1, 2014, under IC 9-18-2-4.5(f) (before its expiration):

(1) The rules are transferred to the department of state revenue and are considered rules of the department of state revenue.

(2) The rules are treated as if they had been adopted by the department of state revenue.

(g) Upon qualification under this section, a vehicle subject to the commercial vehicle excise tax under IC 6-6-5.5, including trailers and semitrailers, must be registered with the department of state revenue and issued a permanent license plate.

(h) A registered owner may continue to register commercial vehicles under this section even after a reduction in the registered owner's fleet to fewer than twenty-five (25) commercial vehicles.

As added by P.L.198-2016, SEC.326. Amended by P.L.257-2017, SEC.28.