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Old 03-07-2018, 07:55 AM   #1
BAC
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Texas registration & trailer inspection for 5th wheel

We are staying long term in an RV park in Livingston, Texas. Curious ? Supposedly in Texas you need "a trailer inspection for registration (if expired or due)" before you can get back out on the road, is it normal for folks to let their registration lapse while full timing and then go out and get the inspection and registration when they then get back on the road?
Any advice is most welcome !
 
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Old 03-07-2018, 09:41 AM   #2
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I am under the understanding that your state of vehicle licensing has jurisdiction regarding your vehicle registration and licensing requirements. If you are TX licensed a quick check of the department of motor vehicles website should produce a quick answer for you. Also Excapees site has very good information on this topic as well as they are based in TX. They have an entire section dedicated to setting up domicile and vehicle licensing and registration.

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Old 03-07-2018, 09:41 AM   #3
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If I were in your shoes I would probably wait until I was ready to head to the next destination before getting the inspection done (rather than pack up and make a special trip - then go back to the campground - yuk!). I don't know if the highway patrol guys put a high emphasis on eye-balling the little registration stickers on our RV plates and issuing tickets for expired plates. I have never worried about it for the few times I have traveled with expired plates.

I think the only "down-side" is that your annual registration dates do not change. If it was due in February 2018 - it will always be due in February each year while you own the rig. So (for example) if you pack up and leave your spot to head to another destination on (say) May 25 - you will still pay the same full year's registration fees and your next due date will still be February 2019...they will not change your due date to May 2019. I don't think there is a penalty for getting inspection and registering past your due date - but you don't get those past few months for free. Your new license plate sticker will still say "Feb 2019". Inspection stickers on RVs are no longer required but you can't get your license plate sticker until the inspection station/RV dealer has done the inspection and notified the state data base that you are good to go. Then you complete the registration online. I have pulled my rig from my house to a nearby dealer for the past few couple of years for the inspection. It is painless, cheap and quick - just a pain in the rear to make a special trip for nothing more than the inspection.

Here is an article I found about the "new" to most of us inspection requirements in TX...
https://www.chron.com/sports/article...ns-6115851.php
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Old 03-07-2018, 10:07 AM   #4
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About two years ago the law in Texas was changed. Before that, even though the inspection was required, few of us ever bothered and just as few were bothered by law officers.

But that has changed. The inspection is now TIED to the requirement for registration. In other words, the trailed cannot be registered until the inspection is completed and either in the State Computer System or you have the written certificate from the inspection station.

SO ... the question is: are you planning to register the trailer in Texas? If so, you need the inspection first. Since trailers are not a motorized vehicle, the inspections I have had done the last two years have been mostly to check the brakes, brake lights, and directional signals. The fee is set by the state and is paid to the inspection station.
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Old 03-07-2018, 10:58 AM   #5
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There is inconsistency in the inspections. While some have had their brakes checked. The place I take mine has never checked the brakes. They check the lights, look at the tires, and that is it. Takes them longer to do the paperwork than the inspection.
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Old 03-07-2018, 12:40 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by BB_TX View Post
There is inconsistency in the inspections. While some have had their brakes checked. The place I take mine has never checked the brakes. They check the lights, look at the tires, and that is it. Takes them longer to do the paperwork than the inspection.

+1 on this
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Old 03-07-2018, 01:56 PM   #7
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Virginia requires trailer inspection. I’ve been over most of the US and have never had a trailer inspected and never been checked. If you get checked it’s just a fine not a hanging offense. Forgot about it enjoy yourself.
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Old 03-07-2018, 02:09 PM   #8
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Forgot about it enjoy yourself.
Sorry, that won't work in Texas anymore. You will get a major citation for driving an unregistered vehicle. If your trailer is not inspected you CANNOT register it and driving it on a highway is a major violation in Texas.
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Old 03-07-2018, 02:11 PM   #9
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I forgot to get my tags updated in AZ. I travel during the summer when it is due. I went a whole year driving who knows how far (>7000 mi) with outdated tags and never got stopped! Guess I was lucky.
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