What Is A Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) & How To Read VIN Number?
Learn everything you need to know about vehicle identification numbers, techniques to quickly read a VIN, and ways to eFile 2290 VIN Corrections.
Trucking companies are all too familiar with VINs. And if you’ve been in the trucking industry long enough, you just know how important a VIN is in the HVUT 2290 reporting regime.
Without a VIN, it’s impossible to report and file your HVUT 2290 tax forms
In this discussion, let’s take a look at some of the most on-demand questions about VIN as follows.
Table of Contents
- What Is A VIN?
- How To Read A Vehicle Identification Number?
- How To Correct An Incorrect VIN Reported On Form 2290?
What Is A VIN?
VIN = Vehicle Identification Number. It’s a unique combination of numbers and letters assigned to each vehicle for identification.
When you enter a VIN in a VIN search tool, you will be able to view the vehicle’s entire history right from the date of manufacturing.
Any accidents, criminal records, traffic tickets, and other reports about the vehicle’s physical state and legal status can be viewed with a simple VIN lookup.
How To Read A Vehicle Identification Number?
A vehicle identification number is a combination of numbers and letters for a reason.
The codes are distinct, and each set of characters represents a unique aspect of the vehicle information.
Let’s look at a random vehicle identification number.
VIN: 1FTFX1E57JKE37092
The first 3 characters of the VIN: ‘1FT’ are the world manufacturer’s identifiers or WMIs. The WMIs are assigned to global manufacturers by The Society of Automotive Engineers.
The next 5 digits (digit 4 to digit 8) ‘FX1E5’ represent the vehicle information, such as model type, body type, engine, transmission, and restraint type.
The 9th digit of the VIN is known as the check digit, which allows you to verify the authenticity of the VIN. This allows you to check if the whole VIN is valid and authentic.
The remainder of the VIN digits, i.e, digits 10 through 17 are a combination of letters and numbers. These digits are known as vehicle identifiers.
Understanding Vehicle Identifiers In VIN
The letters in the vehicle identifier series represent the vehicle’s model year.
So, if the VIN contains any of the following letters, it means that the letter represents a specific year of the vehicle model.
Note that letters I, O, U, Z, and Q and the number ‘0’ are not used in VINs.
This is because the letters used in a VIN are often capitalized and can be confused with other similar-looking letters. Capitalized ‘I’ looks like 1 in certain fonts. Similarly, Q and O can be confused with 0. This format was standardized during the early 1980s and is in practice to this day.
Follow the chart below to validate the vehicle model year.
Source: https://www.alldata.com/us/en/support/repair-collision/article/vin-to-year-chart
The 11th digit represents the manufacturer’s plant code.
Starting from digit 12 to digit 17, the set represents the production line number of the vehicle.
How To Correct An Incorrect VIN Reported On Form 2290?
If you’ve previously reported an incorrect VIN on your 2290 returns, you can easily correct it with the 2290 VIN Correction form.
But before you get to that, verify the VINs online using free VIN Check tools.
Follow the steps below to correct your VINs and eFile Form 2290 VIN Correction securely.
- Select VIN Correction from the EZ2290 user dashboard
- Select ‘VIN Correction’ on the 2290 form
- Enter a verified vehicle identification number.
- Review the 2290 returns and validate the information
- eFile 2290 VIN Correction securely with EZ2290
Get Started For Free & eFile 2290 VIN Correction
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About The Author
ez2290
EZ2290, Powered by Zenwork, Inc., is an IRS-Approved eFile provider for Form 2290 filings. This blog provides informative articles on Form 2290 compliance, expert tips, insights, engaging stories related to truck drivers and trucking regulations.
