The number plates on the truck
Were the number plates from all of his victims. Nice little touch there IMO, but I'm surprised that I only just noticed this after watching this movie quiet a few times over the years
shareWere the number plates from all of his victims. Nice little touch there IMO, but I'm surprised that I only just noticed this after watching this movie quiet a few times over the years
shareNo, multiple plates was due to separate registrations for paying varied road tax in those states.
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Did your parents have any children that lived?
Is it legal to have more than one number plate on your vehicle?
shareWell yes it was, for commercial trucking it was required. I remember seeing tractor trailers even up to the 80's with multiple license plates on the bumpers.
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Did your parents have any children that lived?
So truckers don't need separate registrations anymore? Sorry for asking, I'm just curious and I'm not from the USA so I'm not sure how you guys do things
shareThe plates were actually fuel tax stamps and proof of insurance(not registrations). Most states had reciprocity, ones that didn't required a separate tag for it. Back then it was all done on paper, now computers run it all.
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Did your parents have any children that lived?
Ok, got yah
shareSpielberg said on the documentary the plates all belonged to his previous victims.
shareWell regardless of Spielberg's perception, there is a practical and logical reason for a commercial tractor trailer to have multiple license plates.
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Did your parents have any children that lived?
In the commentary to the film Spielberg refers explicitly to the plates as belonging to the cars that the truck had previously "killed", like a shooter from the west counting his victims by the marks on his Colt.
shareWell there you go, I was right
shareAt first I thought it was souvenirs from his victims but then I learned of the license plates for each state it is registered in. It makes more sense that it is the registration answer otherwise wouldn't the guy get questioned about why he has so many license plates by police etc? And it would draw suspicion if he has license plates of missing or stalked victims. It definitely would be more sinister if it was that reason but I don't think so after thinking about it over the years.
shareTo be fair Spielberg says that he "always imagined that they (the license plates) were like the notches in his '45".
'Imagined' being the key word here, meaning the license plates could be genuine tax/fuel-whatever, but in the imagination of the creator of the movie they are the colt-notches.