Q: Steve Ward of Colton donated his car to a nonprofit. “Upon surrendering my car, I was asked to remove the license plates from the car, put the car in the street with the keys in the glove compartment and it would be towed in a day or two. Everything went as planned, but what do I do with the license plates?” he asked.
A: When a vehicle is sold or donated, the seller/donor needs to complete a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability, or NRL, form within five days of releasing ownership of the vehicle, which lets the Department of Motor Vehicles know that they are no longer responsible for parking or traffic violations, or civil or criminal actions associated with the vehicle after it’s sold or donated. If applicable, the seller/donor should also contact any toll road and bridge entities if the vehicle was enrolled to let them know about the ownership transfer, said DMV spokesperson Ronald Ongtoaboc.
The NRL form can be submitted on the DMV’s website or printed and mailed to the address on the form. Fine that form online at: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/uploads/2020/06/reg138.pdf.
To ensure the ownership transfer went through, the seller/donor may call DMV customer service at 1-800-777-0133 and provide the vehicle’s information. However, submitting an NRL to the DMV does not constitute a transfer of ownership, Ongtoaboc said. The vehicle record is not permanently transferred out of the seller’s/donor’s name until the DMV receives a completed application for transfer of ownership and the new owner pays the appropriate fees.
The vehicle’s license plates must stay with the vehicle unless it is a vanity/personal plate when donated, he said. If an owner has old standard license plates or vanity/personal plates they no longer need, they should mail them to the DMV at: Vehicle Registration Operations, Department of Motor Vehicles, PO Box 942869, Sacramento, CA 94269-0001. Donors can also return the plates to a DMV office or a AAA office, if a AAA member.
Q: Patrick Rutten of Corona asked what happens to all the plywood and lumber that goes into building a freeway overpass, after construction.
A: Caltrans no longer builds the overpasses. “These are now handled by either the San Bernardino County Transit Authority or Riverside County Transportation Commission, depending on what county it is. Caltrans disposes of our materials with local recycling companies. I would assume the falsework this reader refers to would be either recycled or utilized in future projects,” Caltrans District 8 spokesperson Eric Dionne said.
Indeed, this is what happens, said Ariel Alcon Tapia, a spokesperson for Riverside County Transportation Commission. “Whenever contractors build an interchange, overpass, or new structures for transportation projects, crews first need to construct temporary support structures, also known as falsework, that supports the new bridge or interchange until the work is completed,” Alcon Tapia said.
On the 71-91 freeway interchange and the 15/91 Express Lanes Connector projects in Corona, Alcon Tapia said, crews built temporary falsework structures for the new interchanges. “All the materials for the temporary support structures such as steel beams, platforms and other wood materials will get reused on another project as long as they are in good condition. We take our environmental responsibilities seriously, and typically, the contractor will break down the materials onsite, and anything that can be reused for another project will be transferred.” Treated wood waste and other hazardous materials are transferred to an authorized disposal facility, he said.
Do you commute to work in the Inland Empire? Spend a lot of time in your vehicle? Have questions about driving, freeways, toll roads or parking? If so, write or call On the Road and we’ll try to answer your questions. Please include your question or issue, name, city of residence, phone number and email address. Write [email protected] or call us at our new phone number, 951-368-9995.
