A plan to deter theft of tractor-trailer license plates could be a marketing bonanza for companies and for Indiana, which came up with the unique program.

The state is offering interstate fleets a chance to buy plates incorporating the company's logo at no extra cost. State officials hope thieves will think twice before swiping a branded plate for use on an unregistered truck.

"Chances are you're not going to steal it if it has another company's logo on it," said Jim Poe, director of the state's Motor Carrier Services Division.

About 4,800 Indiana truck plates were stolen last year, many of them at truck stops, said Poe, who had the idea to offer the branded plates.

Poe said that each time a truck plate is stolen, it takes two to three weeks to run national background checks and obtain new plates, a new title and other paperwork for the truck. That costs companies money while the truck is out of service.

With the new plates, Poe believes the state will be able to put a truck whose plates have been stolen back on the road within 72 hours. An improved state computer system should help the company complete the paperwork faster.

But for corporations such as UPS, the world's largest deliverer of packages, the attraction is in the marketing.

"We had just gone through rebranding a year ago," said Dan McMackin, a spokesman for the Atlanta corporation. "It made tremendous sense from a branding point of view."

UPS was the first company to receive the Indiana plates, which were unveiled April 20. The company has ordered 6,000 for new trucks it will put on the road this year. It will purchase more as other trucks are replaced in the fleet.

"I think it's a wonderful idea," McMackin said. "Drivers are very excited about it."

Cathy Henniger, taxpayer advocate with the Indiana Department of Revenue, said other companies have expressed interest in getting branded plates, with Penske due to receive 7,000 plates this week while Atlas will receive 1,500.

Indiana ranks third in licensing interstate trucks, behind No. 1 Illinois and Oklahoma. McMackin said Indiana is attractive to UPS because it has a one-stop shop for titles, registration and licensing of truck plates. The fee averages $1,800, and that won't change with the addition of the branded plates, officials said.

Indiana collects about $200 million annually from interstate truck registrations. About 165,000 trucks have Indiana plates. By comparison, Illinois registered 168,291 trucks in fiscal year 2004.

While Indiana's impetus for the program is theft deterrence, officials hope it could have the added benefit of convincing companies that the state is good for business.

"It's good for Indiana in the sense that it's an additional customer service," said Lt. Gov. Kathy Davis. "The idea ... both promotes the company as well as deters theft."

Davis also said she expects other states will adopt similar programs, but David Druker, spokesman for Secretary of State Jesse White's office, said Illinois has not considered plates with brand names.

"We haven't sensed a serious problem in Illinois with plates being stolen," Druker said.

UPS won't have all its trucks plated in one state. But it plans eventually to have half of its fleet with Indiana plates, with the other half carrying Illinois plates. Illinois licenses about 8,000 UPS trucks compared with 6,000 in Indiana, he said.

"We'll do some in Illinois," McMackin said. "We want to keep our options open. It's not cheaper in Indiana. But we like the branding and the ease of use."