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Yes the military are also effected. This isn't about cars that are just sitting. It is about the assumption that everyone spends all of their time in Texas and never goes anywhere else!

 

Barb

Edited by Barbaraok

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
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I suppose that some people think this is a trivial issue and don't see the "big deal". I would bet that almost all of those are not affected by this law.

 

I'm affected by it big time, and it IS a big deal for me. It FORCES me to come back to the state - on THEIR timeline - and incur that expense. For no real beneficial reason. Simply another government intrusion into private life, in my book. There are good reasons for some government programs and restrictions. This is not one of them.

 

I have no choice but to take a "wait and see" attitude, since there is nothing of significance I can do, and I have no choices for domicile that are better.

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
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I work full time also.We stayed in Louisiana for 1.5 years on a job. working 13/12's, that's 2 days off a month. No way I could tow to Texas and get inspection done. Some years most work in Texas other Louisiana. We left NC because of this. It would effect us greatly.

2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1

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Jack, back on page 13 of this thread, someone posted a link about South Dakota allowing nonresidents to register a car in South Dakota. I looked into it more thoroughly and I'm satisfied that it's a valid option. Not an ideal one, because you'll be a Texas resident with cars registered in South Dakota, but more attractive than enduring the disruption of having to go to Texas every year on a schedule, or having to get a CDL because you're a Florida resident.

 

South Dakota's Department of Revenue and Regulation issued a memo in May 2010 stating South Dakota law does not expressly prohibit nonresidents from titling vehicles there, and states that there's an attorney general opinion supporting that view. But there was a problem because out of state residents were giving bogus South Dakota addresses--addresses they had no connection to at all--thinking it was necessary in order to get a vehicle titled there. And it's not.

 

The Department wants to encourage people to provide their actual home address, so it has procedures and forms that allow nonresidents to use an out-of-state address on the forms. It takes no stand on whether the nonresident's home state will have a problem with nonresident titling cars in South Dakota instead of the nonresident's home state.

 

And in the case of nomads like us, South Dakota has them file an affidavit that says this:

 

1. I do not have a South Dakota Driver’s License; and

 

2. I do not maintain a “residence post office address”* in South Dakota or any other United States jurisdiction; and

 

3. Because I do not maintain a “residence post office address”* in South Dakota or any other United States jurisdiction, the address I have provided with my South Dakota Application for Title and Registration is strictly for mail-forwarding purposes.

 

*For purposes of this affidavit, the term “residence post office address” is defined as the place at which a person actually lives.

 

Bingo! But not quite...I checked with my insurance company, and to get insurance for a vehicle registered in South Dakota, I have to have a South Dakota garaging address. (Never mind how ridiculous this is in the context of fulltimers.)

 

I did a brief search, and the cheapest one I could find was the bronze plan from America's Mailbox:

 

Receive up to 7 pieces of mail per year, such as using Americas-Mailbox as a "home base" for vehicle licensing and registration.
$129 annually plus tax and $100-$150 min. to open postage fund.
One Lifetime $25 start-up fee per account.

 

But I'm definitely not happy about the exorbitant postage fund for a box that can receive no more than 7 pieces of mail per year. But I would maintain my Texas residency and health insurance, and just have vehicles registered in South Dakota.

 

Now, will Texas will grouse about my registering vehicles in South Dakota? Don't know.

 

First, they would have to find out I did it. To that end, I would probably use my South Dakota address on the vehicle registration form, even though I could use my Texas address. I would have a connection with the South Dakota address, having paid for it, so it's legitimate. And in case some busybody wanted to see if Texas residents were registering vehicles in South Dakota, it wouldn't show up.

 

And if Texas did find out, and if they cared, and if they managed to get organized enough to try to do something about it, I would argue that I had no choice because Texas made it impossible for me to register my vehicles in Texas. This would definitely be a "get forgiven rather than permission" situation.

 

But I think the likelihood of my needing good health insurance is far higher than the likelihood that I'll get in trouble for having South Dakota plates while I'm in Texas, and I'll just cross that bridge if I come to it.

 

I'm still down with the "wait and see" attitude because it's not a perfect solution. But it's a solution, and as far as I can tell, doesn't require me to ever go to South Dakota, so I now feel able to relax during the "wait and see" period.

Edited by Blues
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I agree with Jack. Those that will see little or no impact don't understand what the big deal is, and those of us likely to be severely impacted are impatient for a solution that's going to be months in coming, if indeed one is offered at all (a solution has been promised, but we all know how little politicians and bureaucrats value their promises).

 

Many have speculated in this thread about the underlying motive for the change, but that is irrelevant at this point. Those responsible for the provisions of the new law have been accused of ignorance, stupidity, carelessness, and many other unflattering attributes, but whatever the reason for which it was done, the fact remains that the former inspection law had two clearly defined options that granted relief to Texas residents that were traveling out of state when their current inspections expired, and made the system work for them as well as those that remained in-state -- options that were clearly inserted into the law over the years because they addressed a recognized need -- but for some reason they were summarily deleted in the rush to set up this new system, instantly putting many Texans that either know or suspect that they are likely to be out-of-state and unable to return on a timely basis at some point in the future in serious jeopardy of being unable to register their vehicles without also having to establish a new domicile (and quite possibly also re-insure) elsewhere, something that many of us are unwilling and/or unable to do.

 

The "solution" is as simple as reinstating the former option for the vehicle owner(s) to defer inspection until up to three days after returning to the state and reaching their final destination, although the DPS and TxDMV would have to develop a mutually agreeable new procedure by which the owner(s) could inform (or, for legal purposes, possibly affirm via affidavit) the DMV that they're invoking that option at the time of renewal, instead of just not getting the vehicle in question inspected, as was done under the old system. They could also reinstate the option to have a vehicle safety inspected in another approved jurisdiction, but there are at least four significant drawbacks to doing so: 1) As stated earlier, it's an option available to so few out-of-state Texans as to be nearly useless, 2) As with the first option, it would require the development of a procedure to notify the DPS and the DMV that this option is being utilized in conjunction with renewal, 3) It results in a second windshield sticker, defeating the purpose of the new system, and 4) It would create an exemption from emission inspection for vehicles that are registered in and may ultimately be returning to a county in a non-attainment area, something that the US EPA might disallow.

Phil

 

2002 Teton Royal Aspen

2003 Kenworth T2000 - Cat C12 380/430 1450/1650, FreedomLine, 3.36 - TOTO . . . he's not in Kansas anymore.

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I agree with Jack. Those that will see little or no impact don't understand what the big deal is, and those of us likely to be severely impacted are impatient for a solution that's going to be months in coming, if indeed one is offered at all (a solution has been promised, but we all know how little politicians and bureaucrats value their promises).

 

Many have speculated in this thread about the underlying motive for the change, but that is irrelevant at this point. ........

 

The "solution" is as simple as reinstating the former option...................

That first statement is much to broad a blanket statement to be valid. I will be little impacted now that we are part-time as is true for many who have left the fulltime road and who now winter in Texas or base there. But most, if not all of us do understand the implication and many of us are also actively pushing our elected representatives to get a workable solution in support of what the Escapees, trucking companies, and others are doing. But we can't simply leave it to others to get things done abut should all of us take the time to join the action at least to the extent of writing a few letters. I wonder how many of those who post here and keep this thread going have bothered to put as much effort into helping to get this solved by contacting their representatives?

 

As to your simple solution, the catch is that this was done by passage of a new law that has been signed by the governor. The trucking industry has full time lobbyists who should have caught this before the law was completely through the process, but failed to do so. They are as much at fault as anyone and more than most. But to put things back will require action by the TX legislature to change the new law or reascend it. Nothing political is very simple, even if it should be. Our best hope for an immediate solution is via the development of procedures then action by the legislature.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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A lot of speculation and complaining, but nothing will be done here. Get on a writing spree and let your representatives know how you feel.

 

Ken

Edited by TXiceman

Amateur radio operator, 2023 Cougar 22MLS, 2022 F150 Lariat 4x4 Off Road, Sport trim <br />Travel with 1 miniature schnauzer, 1 standard schnauzer and one African Gray parrot

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Blues, thanks for the info. That does represent a path forward. One I hope is not needed, but one I am willing to pursue if required. Thanks for doing the homework on it.

 

As for those that imply that none of us here are actually DOING something other than complaining I would ask where you are getting your information. Because you are wrong.

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail
2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it)
2022 New Horizons 43' 5er
2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 
2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU
No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units
2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar power
www.jackdanmayer.com
Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com

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Hi All,

 

I want to update everyone on the issue of the registration/MVIS law that will be enacted on March 1, 2015, for the SKPs who register their vehicles in Texas. I have continued to monitor the situation and am pleased to pass on that a solution will be in place to allow RVers and others who are of the state to be able to re-register their vehicles without having to drive back to the state for the MVIS sticker. During a Senate Transportation Committee meeting chaired by Senator Nichols, Whitney Brewster, the Director of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, publicly stated in the Transportation meeting that residents who are out of state at the time of re-registration will be allowed to complete the process without the need to return to the state for the new inspection sticker. When the vehicle has returned to the state, then the owner will have 72 hours to get the required inspection. All Texas county registration offices will have the ability to override the inspection requirement during the re-registration request. I have talked to the Polk County registration office, and they confirmed that this process will be available.

 

I would like to thank you for your patience while the wheels were grinding out a favorable solution for us who register our vehicles in Texas. I will continue to monitor this issue and will report back to you when needed.

 

Jim Koca

Advocacy Director

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The devil is in the details. How will this be accomplished, phone calls, mail only, certainly not online. How many years can you go. When will it be published, etc. good start, but talk in committee meetings doesn't make it a done deal.

 

Barb

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

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The devil is in the details. How will this be accomplished, phone calls, mail only, certainly not online

Some people just prefer to find fault. Why not see what the details are before you start to criticize them? <_<

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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Goodness! Hundreds of posts about what a disaster this was going to be, and when a favorable outcome is announced only two folks even bother to comment. Interesting...

 

There are multiple threads in several of the various Fourms on this topic, and this same notice was posted to several of them. There are responses there, too, so there have been more than two comments posted about it.

Phil

 

2002 Teton Royal Aspen

2003 Kenworth T2000 - Cat C12 380/430 1450/1650, FreedomLine, 3.36 - TOTO . . . he's not in Kansas anymore.

ET Air Hitch

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I'm a ( by nature) a optimistic person. That said, If the facts come out and are presented properly by the powers to be that there is a pretty large group of folks out there that need to be considered in this new law things will work out to our advantage. MPO

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Some people just prefer to find fault. Why not see what the details are before you start to criticize them? <_<

Because if you don't start asking questions now, it will be too late when the deal is done! I have experience with promises from state legislative committees that end up hurting rather than helping!

 

Saying we've solved the problem doesn't help if the solution actually makes things worse. What if the exemption is 1 year only? Obviously you won't be able to do renewal online, but will have to send in a request along with the renewal form in order to get the exemption? Or will you be able to call n? Again, the devil is in the details.

 

Barb

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

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There are multiple threads in several of the various Fourms on this topic, and this same notice was posted to several of them. There are responses there, too, so there have been more than two comments posted about it.

Sorry. I should have said hundreds of posts in this thread... and only two folks bother to comment in this thread. I will be more precise next time.

Mark & Teri

2021 Grand Designs Imagine 2500RL, 2019 Ford F-350

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While we're all going to have to wait for the details, it appears that what they're doing is reinstating the original inspection exemption for out-of-state vehicles. It didn't previously preclude the possibility of online renewal, and there's really no reason for it to do so now. Obviously no one seeking the exemption is going to appear at an Assessor/Collector's office to request it, so they're going to have to establish a procedure for invoking the exemption, for both mail and online renewals. For the online renewal, it could be something as simple as checking a box stating that the vehicle is currently out of state, or as detailed as clicking on something that takes the applicant to a statement or affidavit for completion. There was also no limit to the number of years that the exemption could be taken previously, so long as the vehicle was continuously absent from the state, and there's really no practical reason that they'd need to limit it now. If something is compelling a Texan to be elsewhere, that is punishment enough. ;)

 

Mark or Teri, I apologize if you thought that I was calling out a lack of precision in your post. That certainly was not my intent. I was simply trying to point out that some folks had commented on this topic in other Forums, either instead of or in addition to posting on this one, and that they may have elected to reply elsewhere, even if they'd been active in this thread. I had already done so myself, and didn't think it appropriate to place duplicate posts in multiple threads.

Phil

 

2002 Teton Royal Aspen

2003 Kenworth T2000 - Cat C12 380/430 1450/1650, FreedomLine, 3.36 - TOTO . . . he's not in Kansas anymore.

ET Air Hitch

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Phil,

 

I wish I shared your certainty that it will be worked out and everything will be the same as it was. BUT, I can already see an objection in how would anyone know if you haven't got it inspect, because no one will have inspection stickers, they will be relying on the database links to verify inspection. So I come back for 2-3 weeks and leave again. How would anyone know unless I was stopped for something else? Extreme, of course. But things that can go on during legislative sessions that no one would have thought possible.

 

Barb

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

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Folks have been saying for months that the law can't be changed by March 2015. Here it is 8 months before that date and it was changed. Now there's worry about how they're going to put it in place? Geez...give them a chance before coming down on them. They have 8 months to figure it out and I'm sure they will.

Full-timed for 16 Years
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome
and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

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That's discouraging. Did they really say it was going to be handled during the legislative session? I assumed they would try to deal with this at the agency rulemaking level, rather than at the legislative level.

 

Yes, that's what I was told. Unfortunately, the changes passed to create the new inspection/registration process explicitly removed the portions of the former law that allowed for inspections to be deferred until the vehicle returned to the state. Presumably that's the reason that a solution can't be obtained via DPS rulemaking, since the current law has no provision for deferrals of any kind.

 

Phil, you seem to be getting information directly from Escapees, and upon reading the new post from Escapees saying there will be an exemption for vehicles that are out of state, I remembered that you said they'd told you that it was impossible to handle this by rule. Do you know what happened?

 

And I got curious and looked at the bill itself. I'm not sure exactly what you were told about deferred inspections for out-of-state vehicles being explicitly removed from the law, but I looked up the bill and that's simply not the case.

 

Here's the provision. Underlined words are new; words that are bracketed and struck through are deleted:

 

SECTION 22. Section 548.103, Transportation Code, is amended to read as follows: Sec. 548.103. EXTENDED INSPECTION PERIOD FOR CERTAIN VEHICLES. The department may extend the time within which the resident owner of a vehicle that is not in this state when an inspection is required must obtain a vehicle [an] inspection report [certificate] in this state.

 

All the bill did was change "an inspection certificate" to "a vehicle inspection report." The extension itself wasn't affected.

 

I wish I'd looked it up earlier because it was much more worrying when Escapees was saying that nothing could happen until the legislative session next year.

 

And...the committee hearing Jim Koca mentioned was on June 23. Whitney Brewster said there would be the 72-hour window upon returning to the state, and added, "This is the current process the DPS uses for inspections when a vehicle is outside the state."

 

If Escapees was in on that hearing, it would have been nice if someone had shared that two weeks ago, especially if they were telling people that the legislative session next year was the only way to get this fixed.

 

As for what started this whole thing, I also listened to the committee hearing from back when the legislature was first considering the one-sticker thing. The people who testified for it were all from Dallas. One of them claimed that 20% of vehicles in the state have either fraudulent or counterfeit inspection stickers. He mentioned "criminal activity" at inspection stations, but then said it was "defrauding the state." Nobody mentioned people stealing stickers from inspection stations.

 

(These people also filed written testimony, but I don't see online access to that--just the tape of what they said at the hearing.)

 

I got the feeling most of the perceived problems stemmed from the emissions testing side. (Dallas is an emissions-testing area.) They have straight up counterfeit stickers, and they have ways to test a "surrogate" vehicle for emissions and get a passing grade. (But I'll just say that people will still be able to make and sell counterfeit stickers (although the information on that will be revealed to be false if a computer check is done, unlike the current inspection stickers), and I assume people will still be able to set up surrogate vehicles for testing. Regardless, one of the witnesses said it was an "awesome" bill, and the senators seemed to like it.)

 

I think they said 27 states (it was kind of jumbled) had moved to a one-sticker program, and in South Carolina, inspection compliance went up from 80-something percent to 98%; they were talking mainly about emissions on this. Almost nothing was said about the safety part of inspections.

 

Several of the senators mentioned needing a reminder to get the vehicle inspected, or what if you've just gotten an inspection outside the 90-day window--will you need to get another one during the 90-day window? The DPS had already thought of that with the 1-year transition period. There wasn't a peep from any senator, or from any of the people who signed up to speak, about vehicles that were out of state. Which confirms what I said before--they just didn't think of us.

 

But I think all of this would have been very different if someone had been at that meeting and said, "There's currently an extension on inspections for people who are out of state. I trust the new law will continue a similar scheme." Or at least read the bill that did pass and not claim legislation was the only way to get relief.

 

Also, the requirement that diesel engines be inspected that someone alerted us to upthread was never mentioned, although when the bill was voted on at a later meeting, the committee passed it but with the understanding that at the next step, the part about diesel engine inspections would be taken out; they couldn't do it then for some procedural reason or something.

 

That bill never went further, and the one-sticker part of it got tacked onto another bill and passed. But that might be something to stay alert to because it's liable to show up again.

 

 

Edited by Blues
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Blues, I was as surprised as you were by the recent announcement, because I was, indeed, under the impression that the needed revision would have to be made during the next legislative session, not as a part of any administrative action. The original out-of-state exemption had been removed, supposedly, as a result of the new legislation, so whatever relief could be obtained would have to come the same way, according to what I was told. I have only heard once from Escapees, in the person of Mr. Koca, in a response to the long, detailed email that I'd sent them back when they originally solicited input from Escapees members that would be adversely affected by the new law. HIs reply indicated that, at that time, they were speaking to the agencies involved, along with members of the legislature, and that the points that I'd raised in my email would be presented to them, but I was still left with the impression that it was all being done with the intent of getting something ready for immediate action when the legislature returned for their next session, and that nothing could be expected before then.

 

As far as the concerns expressed by some that enforcement of the inspection laws will suffer due to the lack of a sticker, well, they're not doing all that well with the current system, either, so the compliance level will almost certainly go up. Just this morning, on the way to work, I passed an old pickup truck bearing current registration and an inspection sticker that had expired at the end of October of 2012 -- and the vehicle's appearance was such that it should have caused every LEO that it's passed in the last twenty months to look for a current inspection sticker. It's also true that anyone willing to evade the inspection requirements by falsely stating that their vehicle is out-of-state likely won't be discovered unless their registration is run through the system by a LEO for some other reason. For that reason I'd have to think that, should any of us that take advantage of the out-of-state exemption in the future be "stopped" by a LEO for any reason during the seventy-two hour grace period, they're going to be very aggressive about forcing us to thoroughly document our vehicle's continuous absence from Texas, but that's a reasonable expectation.

Phil

 

2002 Teton Royal Aspen

2003 Kenworth T2000 - Cat C12 380/430 1450/1650, FreedomLine, 3.36 - TOTO . . . he's not in Kansas anymore.

ET Air Hitch

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