The most common non-passenger class by far, and also subject to the most interesting circumstances.

Originally (and at the time of the 1976 base's initial issuance), these plates were issued to all trucks not falling into other classes. In 1978, however, light trucks for noncommercial use were brought into the staggered registration system and reissued passenger car plates. This partially accounts for the large number of "B" truck plates with 1978 stickers in collectors' hands, and also for why the serial progression in the current "B" truck series has been much slower: Serials were well into the B/300-000s on the map base by the end of the 1970s, while serials in the 1996 series are still in the B/100-000s twelve years on. "B" plates were also the only non-passenger class to have a manufacturing run by Polyvend, which in a testament to their quality control stamped all the plates with a dash in the wrong place.

(Come to think of it, has anyone seen a Polyvend-die 1976 truck plate with a sticker beyond 1978? Perhaps they reissued plates to everyone!)

The plate at right is a bit of a basket case in itself: It was presumably made with the rest of the B/500-000 series in the late '80s; however, it has only five digits in the serial, and the number would appear to conflict with the original (unstacked) five-digit "B" plate run on this base from the 1970s. (I've seen "R" and "T" plates in this odd format, too.)

Heavy, semi-articulated trailers generally fall into this category. West Virginia's "Permanent Trailer" plate is the modern equivalent of this.

Dealer plates follow a distinctive numbering system, whereby an individual dealer is assigned a single number and allocated multiple plates indicated by smaller digits. On that note, the example above was plate number 3 from dealer number 408. Dealer plates appear to have been issued on the multi-year map base through 1981. Non-graphic, annual plates resumed in 1982 (presumably to curb the potential for abuse) and continue to be issued today.

The "D" class per se is reserved for new-car dealers. Other letters in addition to the "D" indicate other types: "DUC" is used car dealer and "DTR" is trailer dealer, for example.

Although often considered a special-issue type nowadays, disabled veteran plates predate special-issue graphics in West Virginia and often provide special parking privileges. On that note, these plates are arguably the most distinctive of the classes issued on the map base, distinguished by the bright red-painted serial. (Low numbers, however, feature a more conventional blue-painted serial.) The "Disabled Veteran" designation has been applied over the slogan by means of a decal.

The "July 2005" sticker was issued in 1994 as a long-term validation. As far as I know, this is the only type of map plate still officially valid today. Newer plates use a different graphic base similar to that of "regular" Veteran plates, with the numbering picking up where it left off on this issue.

"Exempt" in this case means exemption from the operating jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission of West Virginia.

Not a map base per se, but contemporaneous. Motorcycles continued to be issued plates annually through 1990, at which point this yellow-on-blue multi-year plate was issued for validation with stickers. This non-graphic base remained in use until the expiration of the July 1997 sticker, at which point a graphic series (derivative in design from the current passenger issue) came into use.

Limousines also fell into this category. The "H" presumably stands for "hire." They are rare, in part because in practice most buses received city- or state-owned or even passenger plates.

The "J" presumably stands for "jitney," a somewhat archaic term. Like "H" bus plates, these tend to be very rare.

Plates like these were issued to trucks "for hire;" leased, or used to deliver goods and services. These plates often appeared with "Apportioned" decals following West Virginia's entrance into the International Registration Plan in 1986, and could often be found on the front of big rigs (thus explaining the insect residue on the 1995 plate above). Incidentally, this classification (along with "L" below) was eliminated at the tail end of the '90s; heavy trucks nowadays receive "B" plates whether or not they are "for hire."

Much the same story as above; except for trailers. Following the folding of the "for hire" vehicle classes circa 1999/2000 shortly after the map base was replaced, semi-trailers receive C-prefixed "Permanent Trailer" plates.

Camping and house trailers fall into this category.

One of the more specialized vehicle classes, incorporating privately-owned road graters and other strange machinery; although these plates are more common than one might expect. Incidentally, the current prefix letter on the books for mobile equipment is "M."

Boat and utility trailers fall into this category.

It's a little unclear when handicapped plates were first issued in West Virginia, but it was definitely during the era of the blue-bordered map base (1976-81). Numbers were well into the 20000 range by the early '90s. The above plate shows the uncommon blue "96" sticker, which was used on personalized, handicapped, amateur radio, and special-issue plates only during a year that regular passenger and non-passenger plates experienced a general reissue.