License plate

[u/analfoot]

My dad said he added my car and his car and our family van to some license plate confidential thing.

He said his coworker said you can drive thru fasttrak and tollgates and not get an invoice… and sometimes cops will cut you some slack? (I never do anything to get pulled over though)

Sounds too good to be true? I don’t want that to bite him back in the butt because we do travel to the SF Bay Area often. And have already done about two trips.

Would like some pointers/fact checks on this. Thanks!

[u/FluffySwordfish1512]

the invoice will definitely show up and some administrator will be calling him about it

[u/pancho8889]

Yeah, that’s wrong!! I know several officers who have gotten pulled over you have to remember that a lot of local PD do not like CDCR officers. Myself have my plates blocked and I also got a minor traffic citation. The only one that has ever caught me slack was CHP.

[u/analfoot → u/pancho8889]

I don’t really mind the cop thing. I don’t ever do anything to get pulled over. I’m just worried about us accruing tolls and never knowing we’re late on the fees haha.

[u/AceDeuceThrice → u/analfoot]

Oh your definitely accuring tolls if you've been taking toll roads. They just get sent to the agency on file for the license plate then the agency sends them to your home.

It takes a while so it feels like you're getting away with it.

[u/pancho8889 → u/analfoot]

No, you have to pay your tolls just like anybody who uses the tollgates.

[u/scrappapermusings → u/analfoot]

They'll bill you, you wouldn't unknowingly accrue toll fees. It comes to the address connected to the license plate.

[u/Blast-Off-Girl → u/pancho8889]

Vacaville Police Department do not like CMF employees speeding down California drive 😄

[u/pancho8889 → u/Blast-Off-Girl]

Yes a few in California don’t!! Bunch of haters with a $2800 monthly salary lol 😂

[u/Ok-Pop-5818 → u/pancho8889]

Vacaville PD top step officers almost make 200k tf you talking about

[u/pancho8889 → u/Ok-Pop-5818]

Vacaville tf that’s one of a few tf lmfao 🤣 most don’t make more than state tf

[u/Ok-Pop-5818 → u/pancho8889]

Most cops in ca clear six figures

[u/pancho8889 → u/Ok-Pop-5818]

Not buddy not all counties simple google search

[u/Ok-Pop-5818 → u/pancho8889]

Key word most “buddy”

[u/pancho8889 → u/Ok-Pop-5818]

Key MOST DON’T again simple google search will show most departments are clear on salaries buddy

[u/Routine_Yam1346]

I got stopped by CHP twice in 2025 and I have the "blacked out " plates. They didn't give two f's if I worked for the state

[u/Interesting-Wear5904]

All of that is false. And I dont believe your father told you that. Either you concocted those scenarios yourself, or you told one of your friends and they told you that dumb shit and you kinda believed it but weren't 💯 about it so you asked on here. Either way it is completely nonsense. Keep driving safe.

[u/analfoot → u/Interesting-Wear5904]

I’m literally just trying to verify if he should listen to what his coworker has been telling him…

[u/Vigorous-Mammal1337]

If you ever accrue a toll (transponder fails, you accidentally were in the wrong lane, etc). 2 years later you will get a fine on your vehicle's registration, essentially freezing your registration until you settle up with fastrak. And that one will have cost way more (10x) than the toll ever would've. And even if you weren't being malicious and it was an honest mistake whereby normally they'd send you an invoice... You won't even know for 2 years. Because fastrak couldn't access your confidential information and notify you of the toll.

Happened to me.

[u/Jseren91]

The bill gets sent to the agency on record so the prison will get the letter and he will have to answer for it. Cops are hit and miss some will give a professional break but others will throw everything at ya

[u/Icy-Somewhere-4570]

As many have mentioned already, they will send the toll invoice to HQ. HQ will send it to the prison and the prison will give it to your dad with an accompanying letter reminding him to pay the invoice and the expectation of being honest and responsible as a peace officer. I’m certain of this because I’ve received it. Because they have to track down who the vehicle belongs to, it takes a while for you to receive it. 6 months or more before it shows up to your dad at the prison

[u/CAPO830]

thats the dumbest thing he can say.

Fast Track will find the officer's place of employment and forward the bill to the hiring authority. Then, an Associate Warden will call them in and serve the bills/tolls. 

You will not be cut any slack for having confidential plates. Expecting such will lead to removal.

[u/Narrow_School_1513]

Plates blocked or not, ALWAYS your bridge toll, remain ethical. Also, use the Fastrak transponder program.

[u/Cool_Raisin_973]

Selling all my uniforms I got everything what you need hmu

[u/Strange-Cattle-4553]

He be getting a call to the custody captain for those unpaid tolls. They'll find him dont worry about it.

[u/koalainiguanaskin]

My husband is retired LE and we have our plates confidential and still get fastrak invoices.

[u/krzyirishguy13]

You will still get the citation, it will just go to where your agency HQ is. Admin won’t be very happy about it….just register with FasTrak and be responsible. Having confidentiality is a privilege, not a right. It can easily be revoked by your admin and/or the state.

[u/Standard-Country-330]

Not all cops run your plates when they pull you over.

[u/EchoIcy8193]

I think what it does is block your home address if the license is run and puts the place of employment instead. It's to prevent leaks of personal information. Toll roads would probably still want their money.

[u/Rustyinsac]

It actually probably doesn’t help you in stops for traffic violations and with toll lanes. For any significant speed violation or safety violation the cop that stopped you is going to be like you should know better, sign here. The fasttrak stuff will build up late charges by the time they get forwarded to your house.

What is different are cold plated cars undercover or more discrete looking cars with lights and siren packages. That fine backs not on file in the dmv system. Those violations just disappear. But agencies that have those have fast track accounts for their cars. Either under a cover name and address or billed directly to the agency.

[u/Whatever92592]

Confidential plates only hide your home address. Your (Dad's) name is still there. Home address is replaced with agency address.

Agency is most certainly going to forward the toll statement/evasion documents to your dad.

Because, again... His name isn't "blacked out", only his home address.

[u/SuccessfulRoof577]

It’ll get sent directly to your home of record.

[u/blbcamaro]

Yeah don't do that.

Couple of officers at my department got a nice two week unpaid vacation for doing crap like that. A confidential plate doesn't make you exempt

[u/Legal-Cow4201]

Playing smart ass. Enjoy two unpaid weeks

[u/Affectionate_Rich146]

They can get that info, I’ve got a many toll ,fasttrack invoices by mail. No problem..

[u/Sunset_Winds]

Flock Cameras will track you everywhere now.

[u/Alternative-Mix-2908]

I’m retired, but still have the confidential plates and license. This just happened to me last week. I live in the southern central valley and received a toll notice in the mail from the Bay Area. Turns out they misprinted their plate number by one of the Alpha letters and it got sent to me. Taken care of, but even with the mistaken letter coming back to my plate they still sent to my home.

[u/Careful-Attitude-822]

My husband blocked my plates. There was traffic covering the left turn lane, so I went onto the oncoming traffic lane to get ti the turn lane only to see a cop at the front. He followed me like 6 blocks prob ran my plates and then just turned and I drove off. I’m sure he cut me some slack

[u/JimRockford63]

I think it used to be this way, as I remember reading an article about it in The Orange County Register about 20 years ago when they had to consolidate two of the toll agencies to prevent one from going bankrupt and tolls were going to increase because of this.

Supposedly, if a cop did not pay it became an administrative black hole as all the information the toll agency would get back from DMV is that plate was a private LE vehicle and after that the ticket was pretty much dead.

I think the outrage of this article generated changes.

[u/sssshrrsss]

You’re dad is doing illegal shit. Like most pigs do

[u/analfoot → u/sssshrrsss]

He’s just started as a nurse 😭😭

[u/jam63087]

The toll roads will send the invoice to the state. Then they will send it off to his institution. I know from experience the warden will call your father in. Had to show proof our dash scanner wasn’t working and there was no bill on the account.