A. On receipt of an application, the Commissioner shall issue appropriately designed license plates to persons engaged in the business of delivering unladen motor vehicles under their own power from points of assembly or distribution.
B. Every applicant for license plates to be issued under this section shall, before he begins delivery of any of these vehicles, apply to the Commissioner for a registration card and license plates. On the payment of a fee of $75, a registration card and license plates shall be issued to the applicant in a form prescribed by the Commissioner. The Commissioner shall issue to the applicant two license plates. For each additional license plate, a fee of $20 per plate shall be paid by the applicant.
C. It shall be unlawful for any person to use these license plates other than on unladen motor vehicles, trailers, and semitrailers which are being delivered from points of assembly or distribution in the usual course of his delivery business or which are used as provided in subsection D. The operators of such vehicles being delivered, bearing license plates issued under this section, shall at all times during their operation have in their possession a proper bill of lading showing the point of origin and destination of the vehicle being delivered and describing it. It shall be unlawful for any person to use these license plates unless either the origin or the destination of the vehicle being delivered is within the Commonwealth.
D. License plates issued under this section may be used by any financial institutions specifically excluded from the definition of “motor vehicle dealer” in subdivision 5 of § 46.2-1500 for the purpose of using them in the normal course of business in taking, repossessing, or otherwise transporting vehicles for the purpose of preservation, sale, allowing a prospective buyer to test-drive the vehicle if the prospective buyer is accompanied by an employee of the financial institution or has the written permission of the financial institution on a form provided by the Department, or otherwise in connection with repossession or foreclosure of the vehicle on which there is a security interest securing a loan to a financial institution.
E. License plates issued under this section may be issued to any business engaged in automobile auctions or the mounting, installing, servicing, or repairing of equipment on or in a vehicle. The use of license plates issued under this section shall be limited to (i) the pick up and delivery of a vehicle or (ii) driving on the highway in order to test the installation, service, or repairs at a distance of not more than 10 miles from the place of business and shall not be used on vehicles employed for general transportation.