Texas Vehicle Inspection

[Jack Mayer]

While SD is very RV friendly it is very health care hostile, and always has been. Even before the ACA (affordable care act) I checked SD almost every year for health insurance. In my case it was always higher and more restrictive than what I could get in TX. I realize this is a moot point for many people that still have care provided by previous employers retirement plans, but "most" people no longer have that afforded to them. I have 2 years to Medicare - I've never wanted to age so fast....it will solve many issues - although be no cheaper, really. Well, maybe a little.

 

Like Phil, we have few alternatives for domicile that will work for us. This TX policy will probably force us to a totally different domicile, and may even force me to a commercial drivers license. Actually, at that point I will seriously consider ditching the truck and trailer for a bus.

[Guest Pensauncola]

 

A few hundred? I thought the Escapee mail service alone had thousands, then you have all the companies based in Texas with their trucks out of state and who knows how many others.

 

SD is very business friendly and has an entire industry in providing business and trusts with a friendly home base, they'd be glad to see folks move there from Texas.

 

You may be right. I have no way of knowing how many Escapee mail service customers don't spend time in Texas. I know several who use the service and spend more months in Texas than out. My point was/is that it isn't a significant segment of the population and unless you're involved in the industry you might not even be aware of it. I doubt that 10% of legislators have ever even heard of Escapees.

 

I certainly agree with the "who knows how many others".

[Barbaraok]

If 10,000 people move out ofLivingston it is a big deal to that town and poll County.

[Guest Pensauncola]

If 10,000 people move out ofLivingston it is a big deal to that town and poll County.

Okay, I'll bite. How?

[Barbaraok]

Local and county governments get revenue sharing from state & federal based upon population. If most of mail service is stopped some Escapees employees will be laid off. It all has a ripple effect.

[strawdog]

If 10,000 people move out ofLivingston it is a big deal to that town and poll County.

Possibly, in fact likely..... but for the State of Texas.... No way, there much bigger fish in that pond.

 

Dave

Edited July 6, 2014 by Dave & Renee

[Kirk W]

 

. I doubt that 10% of legislators have ever even heard of Escapees.

.

I believe that you are wrong on that score since Escapees are active in the lobbying area within the state on a pretty frequent basis but it would be difficult to prove either way.

[Striker]

Sorry to have gotten in the conversation late. I am living outside of Texas. The TX stickers on my mh are 02 registration and 04 inspection. The TX stickers on the towed are both 02. How will the law affect me on each vehicle? Will I be excused from the law next year on the mh, since my inspection is due 2 months after my registration?

[Barbaraok]

The inspection month will no longer matter - you will need to have it inspect within 90 days of your registration. So you would need an inspection done in say November - January (assuming you renew in January for the February registration). Same for the car. Since the law is scheduled to take effect on 3-1-15, doing the routine registration renewal in say the middle of January should have you ok until the next winter.

 

Barb

[Striker]

Barbaraok, on 06 Jul 2014 - 1:06 PM, said:

The inspection month will no longer matter - you will need to have it inspect within 90 days of your registration. So you would need an inspection done in say November - January (assuming you renew in January for the February registration). Same for the car. Since the law is scheduled to take effect on 3-1-15, doing the routine registration renewal in say the middle of January should have you ok until the next winter.

 

Barb

 

Thanks Barb...I thought I had read somewhere that vehicles were excluded in 2015 if the inspection expiration occurred after the registration.

[Blues]

Actually a big lobby out there buying votes would be better news than what I think the truth is, that the politicians are so stupid and short sighted that they never saw this coming.

 

Legislators and bureaucrats can't be expected to know everything about everything; sometimes they need to be educated. That's why lobbying and special interest groups exist--to make lawmakers aware of their concerns.

 

I assume legislators themselves have vehicles that are registered and inspected, and they probably just thought about what they know about how the process works and what this change would do, and understandably didn't see a problem.

 

So it's not that they're stupid or even short-sighted, but more likely that fulltime RVers weren't on their radar. And why should they be? They're a tiny segment of the population in general, and I'd bet a lot of the legislators have not even one fulltime RVer "residing" in his district, and those that do don't know it.

[Striker]

Striker, on 06 Jul 2014 - 1:11 PM, said:

 

Thanks Barb...I thought I had read somewhere that vehicles were excluded in 2015 if the inspection expiration occurred after the registration.

 

I found it. Read the next to last paragraph in the story

 

.http://news92fm.com/449408/texas-dumps-state-inspection-sticker-for-single-tag/

[skp51443]

Blues, it doesn't just impact RVers, any business with Texas registered trucks is also impacted and that is probably a lot more money for Texas than the RV community.

[Guest Pensauncola]

Local and county governments get revenue sharing from state & federal based upon population. If most of mail service is stopped some Escapees employees will be laid off. It all has a ripple effect.

 

Not doubting you, but a couple of questions. Are there 10,000 Escapee mail service clients who never go to Texas and who would transfer their residence address based on this issue? Many of the Escapees I know spend months in the State yearly. I agree that a loss of 10,000 customers would probably result in lost jobs.

 

Also, are those with Escapee addresses actual citizens of Livingston? I understood that the Escapee complex was outside city limits.

[Barbaraok]

Pensauncola,

 

I'm trying to figure out what axe it is that you have to grind? This could cause a lot of problems for a lot of people. We're lucky, we're already on Medicare and our secondary policy will cover us no matter where we 'live'. But for others, this is going to be a real problem.

 

Barb

[Kirk W]

 

Also, are those with Escapee addresses actual citizens of Livingston? I understood that the Escapee complex was outside city limits.

Escapees who use the mail service as domicile are residents of Polk County, but not the city of Livingston. However the complex is just a short distance from the city and has a large economic impact upon it.

[Blues]

Blues, it doesn't just impact RVers, any business with Texas registered trucks is also impacted and that is probably a lot more money for Texas than the RV community.

 

When I first heard about this new law, it never occurred to me that the trucking industry would be similarly affected--until someone mentioned it upthread. And I had had the luxury, while doing my mulling, to not be in the throes of a short, every-other-year legislative session. I don't think that makes me stupid, though, and I don't think it makes the people who passed the law stupid, either. I'm just appreciative that the person who posted about the trucking industry made me aware of something I hadn't realized, and I suspect that if the legislators had been aware of the practical effects of the law, it would have undergone further amendment before passage.

 

 

Are there 10,000 Escapee mail service clients who never go to Texas and who would transfer their residence address based on this issue?

 

"Never" is a bit of a ringer. The law will not only require Texas fulltimers to go to Texas every single year, but to do so on a schedule. Not to be obnoxious, but that's not what I signed up for when I went fulltime.

 

I actually consider myself to be a fairly frequent visitor to Texas (I'm a native with ties there), but I haven't been there in the last year and don't have any plans to go there in the foreseeable future. I don't "never go to Texas," but I'm also not interested in having to go there more often than I want to.

 

So among Texans by virtue of a mailing address, you have the "never go to Texas" contingent, and the "don't want to go to Texas on a schedule" contingent, and the "can't go to Texas on a schedule because of other commitments" contingent. And possibly others I haven't thought of. I would guess that the "never" contingent is actually the smallest of these three.

[Guest Pensauncola]

Pensauncola,

 

I'm trying to figure out what axe it is that you have to grind? This could cause a lot of problems for a lot of people. We're lucky, we're already on Medicare and our secondary policy will cover us no matter where we 'live'. But for others, this is going to be a real problem.

 

Barb

 

No axe. I'm just trying to learn. Just curious about the info you're providing. I just didn't realize there were 10,000 people who are residents of Texas and never go to the State.

[Guest Pensauncola]

 

"Never" is a bit of a ringer. The law will not only require Texas fulltimers to go to Texas every single year, but to do so on a schedule. Not to be obnoxious, but that's not what I signed up for when I went fulltime.

 

I actually consider myself to be a fairly frequent visitor to Texas (I'm a native with ties there), but I haven't been there in the last year and don't have any plans to go there in the foreseeable future. I don't "never go to Texas," but I'm also not interested in having to go there more often than I want to.

 

So among Texans by virtue of a mailing address, you have the "never go to Texas" contingent, and the "don't want to go to Texas on a schedule" contingent, and the "can't go to Texas on a schedule because of other commitments" contingent. And possibly others I haven't thought of. I would guess that the "never" contingent is actually the smallest of these three.

 

Good points.

 

I suppose the point of all this discussion is that each State has it's advantages and disadvantages of being a resident there. We must sort out what is important to each of us and go with a State which provides that. I personally chose a State which I enjoy spending at least some time in each year. Are there financial penalties for that choice? Yes, but it works in other ways for me provides for most of my needs.

[Barbaraok]

 

No axe. I'm just trying to learn. Just curious about the info you're providing. I just didn't realize there were 10,000 people who are residents of Texas and never go to the State.

 

First, I think there are more than 10,000 who get their mail through Escapees. And not all would be affect, but a lot will be. But there are tens of thousands more who are oil field workers in North Dakota or Saudi Arabia, military personnel who are stationed other places in the US or around the world, students at colleges and universities throughout the world, large construction project workers taking 2-3 year assignments from Anchorage to Cape Town, South Africa, independent computer specialists who travel all over the country on short and long term assignments. And that says nothing about trucking companies who have thousands of vehicles that might not enter the state for years at a time but they are registered in Texas because the trucking firm is a Texas company and all of their fleet is registered in Texas. This was an amendment added at the end of the legislative session that has untold consequences for lots of people, most of whom don't even know about it and will be in a lot of difficulty if some work arounds aren't available.

 

You give the impression of having some axe to grind in the way that you are constantly challenging everything that is said, as if we are all either hysterical or making things up.

 

Barb

[Guest Pensauncola]

You give the impression of having some axe to grind in the way that you are constantly challenging everything that is said, as if we are all either hysterical or making things up.

 

Barb

 

Sorry if I gave that impression. I didn't realize that asking questions and seeking information was the same as challenging anyone. As far as you being hysterical or making things up, those are your words. I never used them.

 

I'll bow out of this subject and leave it to those who it affects.

[Dave O]

Sorry if I gave that impression. I didn't realize that asking questions and seeking information was the same as challenging anyone. As far as you being hysterical or making things up, those are your words. I never used them.

 

I'll bow out of this subject and leave it to those who it affects.

 

THANK YOU!

 

Dave O

[Striker]

Check out this article from the Dallas Morning News. It says that if your registration sticker expires next year before your inspection sticker, then you will be given a grace period. You won't have to get another safety inspection until within 90 days of your registration expiration in 2016.

[Striker]

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/state/headlines/20140629-texas-is-keeping-auto-inspections-but-peeling-off-the-stickers.ece

[Blues]

 

But there are tens of thousands more who are oil field workers in North Dakota or Saudi Arabia, military personnel who are stationed other places in the US or around the world, students at colleges and universities throughout the world, large construction project workers taking 2-3 year assignments from Anchorage to Cape Town, South Africa, ..

 

There are separate provisions for military personnel--did those go away with the new law?

 

And as for people working in Saudi Arabia or attending college throughout the rest of the world, I doubt they took their cars with them, so it's probably not a good idea to use them as examples. And privileged young adults studying abroad? They don't provoke a lot of sympathy.

 

Personally, I think the face of this campaign, as suggested WAY upthread, should be the family that has driven their car to St. Jude Hospital in Memphis to be with their child during treatment and their registration expires while they're there. Slam dunk.

 

We have a couple of cars that we leave in Texas. If nobody is driving it, it doesn't have to be registered or inspected. If I'm letting somebody drive it, then they can go get it inspected. Even I'm not complaining about the new law with respect to those cars.