Never Lose Track of a Dealer Tag Again: The Innovation Dealers Have Been Waiting For

The $1 Problem Costing Dealerships Thousands

Imagine this: A dealership has 30 dealer plates—but has no idea where they are.

Plates go missing, get stolen, or worse, end up on vehicles being used for fraudulent activities and crimes. ??

This is the exact problem J. Michael Smith, CLTC founder of Dealer Tag Tracker , set out to solve. What started as an idea turned into a game-changing solution that every dealership needs to know about.

At NADA 2025, I had the chance to sit down with Michael to hear how Dealer Tag Tracker is transforming inventory management, preventing theft, and even saving dealerships money on insurance.

The Lightbulb Moment That Led to Dealer Tag Tracker

Michael’s idea sparked when he noticed a Virginia dealer tag on a luxury vehicle in Florida—but the driver wasn’t a dealer.

The car? A service loaner that had been taken on an impromptu road trip. The dealership had zero clue the vehicle was 1,400 miles away.

That’s when Michael realized: Dealerships have NO IDEA where their dealer plates (or the cars they’re attached to) actually are.

And just like that, Dealer Tag Tracker was born.

How It Works: A Simple Yet Powerful Solution

Dealer Tag Tracker is a battery-operated, non-intrusive tracking device that attaches directly to the dealer plate—not the vehicle.

? Tracks dealer plates in real time – Know exactly where every plate (and the car it’s attached to) is at all times.

? Battery-operated, no hardwiring needed – Works without vehicle modifications.

? Instant alerts – Get notified if a car moves after hours or leaves a geofenced area.

? Works for extended test drives & loaners – Never lose track of a vehicle again.

?? Best part? It costs less than $1 per day per tag.

The Use Cases: More Than Just Tracking Plates

Dealerships quickly discovered that Dealer Tag Tracker solves way more problems than expected.

?? Loaner Vehicles – Customers take service loaners on long, unauthorized trips. Now, dealers know exactly where the car is.

?? Courtesy & Shuttle Vehicles – No more guessing where the shuttle driver is. Staff can give customers accurate wait times.

?? Parts Trucks – Keep tabs on parts deliveries and driver locations.

?? Test Drives – Prevent theft and track vehicle movements in real time.

?? Inventory Monitoring – Some dealers are putting trackers on entire used car inventories to monitor test drives & sales activity.

Real-World ROI: Why Dealers Are Jumping Onboard

One dealership manager told Michael:

?? “I don’t care what it costs—I’ll buy it tomorrow. I lose plates all the time.”

Another dealer said:

?? “This will save me money on insurance. If I can track my assets, I should get lower premiums.”

And with rising vehicle theft and DMV audits cracking down on dealer tag misuse, dealerships are realizing this isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a must-have.

Dealer Compliance & Audits: Make Your Bank Happy

Most dealers manually track their dealer plates using outdated spreadsheets (if they track them at all).

If the Bank shows up for an audit, it’s often a paperwork nightmare.

With Dealer Tag Tracker, you can: ? Instantly pull up every tag’s history ? Show when, where, and how each plate was used ? Eliminate fines & compliance headaches

Now, instead of digging through logs, dealers can click a button and generate a full history of every tag.

Final Thoughts: The Future of Dealer Asset Management

Dealer Tag Tracker isn’t just a tracking solution—it’s a business tool that prevents theft, saves money, and simplifies operations.

?? Real-time tracking means never losing a plate or vehicle again. ?? Automated compliance ensures you’re always DMV-ready. ?? Data insights help dealers make smarter decisions.

?? So, here’s the question: Do YOU know where your dealer plates are right now?

If the answer is “I think so,” it’s time to rethink your tracking strategy.

?? Learn more at DealerTagTracker.com

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