Furniture mover Bryan Terrell longs for the day when he doesn't have to wrestle a giant antique armoire several blocks down King Street because a Mazda Miata is camped out in the loading zone.

He and other delivery drivers could get some relief if the Charleston County Legislative Delegation finds a way to curb abuse of loading zones by drivers who don't have a legitimate business need to use them.

So-called P tags are intended for trucks and other commercial vehicles that use loading zones to make deliveries, but drivers of most vehicles can obtain the special license plate because the state Department of Motor Vehicles does not verify that applicants have a commercial reason for requesting the parking perk.

State Rep. Chip Limehouse, the delegation's chairman, said he wants his group's road and bridge subcommittee to explore ways to cut down on drivers acquiring the tags simply to broaden their parking options. He said the abuse of the license plates, which read "TRUCK," hampers business deliveries and creates a public safety issue when delivery vehicles are forced to park illegally because the loading zones are occupied.

Limehouse voiced his concern in response to an article in Wednesday's Post and Courier that highlighted misuse of the license plates. Dozens of irate readers called and e-mailed the newspaper to voice their own frustrations with the P tag problem and other parking scams.

Charleston parking enforcement officials estimate they issue 20 tickets on any given day to drivers with P tags who leave their cars in loading zones well beyond the 30-minute limit, blocking access to florists, movers and others. The problem is old enough and serious enough that at least two separate city committees have studied it since the late 1990s. City officials did not know if any of the committees' recommendations were ever implemented.

Terrell, whose moving company delivers antiques, said the practice has become so widespread that he and other movers make a game of seeing who can spot the most ridiculous "delivery" vehicle. His favorites are immaculate luxury cars sporting P tags. "You know there is not any reason for them to be parked right up next to the front door."

DMV spokeswoman Beth Parks said the state is responsible only for issuing the P tags and that it's up to local municipalities to determine what parking rights the tags afford and how to enforce those rights. DMV only requires that drivers requesting the special tags pay a higher registration fee and pledge that they intend to carry property.

"The law doesn't require people to tell us what they are going to haul," Parks said. Still, Parks said the agency is open to meeting with the delegation.

Limehouse said he would prefer to avoid introducing any new legislation to address the problem and instead find an administrative solution to better screen P tag applicants to ensure they have a legitimate need to park in loading zones.

How the tag works

P tags are intended for commercial vehicles making deliveries, but applicants only are required to pledge that they intend to carry property. In Charleston, vehicles with P tags can park in loading zones for 30 minutes during the day.

Reach Ron Menchaca at rmenchaca@postandcourier.com or 937-5724.