The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a warning to motor carriers about fake licenses and license plates that have been being used by ‘sovereign citizens’. The agency warns that anyone caught using such licenses or plates will be dealt with harshly.
You might have seen one as you drive around. A white license plate with “US DOT” at the top. Maybe you’ve seen someone with a driver’s license issued by the “Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration”. No, you haven’t missed a new regulation — both the plates and licenses are fake. According to FMCSA and the FBI they are commonly used by so called ‘Sovereign Citizens’ to protest government authority.
These groups use the licenses and plates to display their displeasure at being forced to submit to government regulations. Naturally, in the trucking part of their community, FMCSA is a big target of their ire. Some might think this protest is harmless but, according to the FBI, there have already been violent encounters between Sovereign Citizens and the government. Some of which have even resulted in the death of violators and government officials.
In 2010, two Arkansas police officers stopped sovereign-citizen extremists Jerry Kane and his 16-year-old son Joseph during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 40. Joseph Kane jumped out of the vehicle and opened fire with an AK-47 assault rifle, killing both officers. The FBI now considers the Sovereign Citizens a domestic terror group.
You can learn more about this (and see examples of fake licenses and plates) by clicking the link below: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/ABOUT/News/2012/Fraud_USDOT_Plates_Alert.pdf