How to find status of HOV green sticker application - and how much time does it take

I just got #524xx today. Car purchased 6/18, Plates received and application sent 7/24. I went the slow method since my PIP was purchased in the limbo between maxing out at 40,000 and the authorization to 55,000.

 

Where do you find your number for the sticker? Also any of you guys have suggestions on getting these stickers straight? I see so many stikcers that are crooked or sideways.

 

The number is on the sticker. You can use a piece of masking tape to make a guide line to get the sticker straight. Adjust the tape to where it looks straight when you stand back to view it.

 

The Sticker has the number on it directly. I would line the sticker along an existing edge.

 

So I just got my sticker last Thurs and my number was 48,4XX. I got the car on 7/1 and about 7/23 for the plates then sent in application for HOV. Then 8/14/14 for the stickers. I don't think the numbers correlate to the order because some people here already had 51,XXX here before me.

 

Here' s my take on the numbers game, copied from my post in yet another thread on the subject of the HOV sticker:

Looks like they took a batch of stickers, maybe starting at 50,000 or thereabouts, and are drawing from those to send out in response to dealer requests. Maybe it is a different person(s) handling the dealers from those doing the processing of applications from individuals. No inside knowledge here, just taking a guess at what might be going on. A system such as I described might explain why Dianne is getting stickers with numbers 5K above yours, Jack. I can picture clerks going to a central point or manager and getting a stack of stickers, all in numerical order, to get them through the day's processing. I would imagine they have to have some sort of controls, so using them in order would help with that.

1. rogerv, Aug 2, 2014EditReport
   #64
   

 

I got my plates and sent in app for sticker on 7/24. As of today my check still doesn't show as cashed, nor have I received my stickers. Starting to worry......

 

If I were you, I would send another application right away through USPS priority mail which also has tracking number. Its worth it in my opinion for those now depleted green stickers!

 

Or call the DMV as others have done and check on the status of your application.

 

I just got a batch of stickers today for in-stock cars. They start with #53,xxx ... whew, close!

 

Thanks for the advice, but they just came today, same day as my bank showed the check cashed. Whew. #525xx

 

We just got two big packages of each of both green and white stickers. The Green ones,which are limited, all start with the number 53,xxx. None of our dealership's checks have been cashed yet. I'm not sure if it's because I'm a dealer, or if they're just being sent out no matter what.

 

The ARB website updated its sticker count and shows 50,769 "green" stickers being issued as of August 19, 2014. It seems the DMV doesn't issue the stickers sequentially if others have stickers in the 53,xxx number range.

 

I think that they are not up to date, in actuality. They are now sending out stickers to us from requests we sent 7/24.
If they are a month behind on green HOV stickers, it's pretty safe to presume they are also not up to date in regards to their website either.

 

Obviously the website data is not in real-time, nor does it reflect the HOV applications that are in the que. But if someone is getting a sticker with a 48,4xx number that applied on 7/23 and you're getting stickers in the 53,xxx number range for an application from 7/24, it's seems clear that the DMV is not issuing the stickers in sequential number order.

 

Are the dealers just registering every car to receive a green sticker?

 

The dealers don't have to register cars to get the decals. They just submit a batch of VINs to the DMV through a dealer process. It is pretty clear that these dealer requests are fulfilled from a different batch of decals than are the requests from owners. I think dealers are tending to just order decals for all eligible cars, but I defer to someone who actually knows, such as Dianne. This would mean that there will be "wasted" decals for owners who would not have got them themselves.

 

My daily commute is 40 miles one-way averaging 1 hour 45 mins to 2 hours each way. I purchased a PiP two weekends ago shortly after learning the 15K additional green decals. I'm estimating that having the decal will shorten my commute by 30 mins. My dealer never told me about them being able to pre-register the cars. Maybe they did not know (or didn't have any), but we talked about the decal several times during the purchase. Frankly, it sucks that some dealers are pre-registering all their inventory for sale to buyers that may never take advantage of the decal. I understand that it's an open market and first come-first served.....and all that. But allowing dealers to pre-register "all" their inventory does not seem to serve the intended purpose of the program.

 

From my experience, some dealers have been aggressive about pre-registering every vehicle in their inventory while others don't bother (or don't know about) pre-registering any vehicles. I agree that this will result in some "wasted" decals as not all purchasers will want or need the stickers. A better system would have been for the DMV to limit the number of stickers a dealership could pre-register for. Hopefully the DMV will end pre-registering when the number of available "green" stickers become low (as it did in March before the state approved the additional 15,000 stickers) to allow consumers an opportunity to apply for them. The DMV ended dealer pre-registration in March when there were less than 3,800 stickers available at the time, so that could be the magic number again this time for the DMV.

 

I would think that very few stickers will be "wasted." The exception might be for counties that don't currently have HOV lanes, like Ventura County where I live. But even people here commute into Los Angeles County, so it would make sense for dealers close to the county line to provide some stickers. But at least in the metro areas where the freeways tend to have the carpool lanes, it would be a rare owner who never drove those freeways. I don't use the HOV lanes daily like regular commuters. Am I "wasting" my sticker? It sure is a time saver when I drive the 405 to Orange County, with 70 miles of HOV available to me.
Maybe Dianne will weigh in and tell us if she has had any buyers who say they don't want the stickers.