Texas Administrative Code › Title 43 - TRANSPORTATION › Part 10 - TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES › Chapter 217 - VEHICLE TITLES AND REGISTRATION › Subchapter B - MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION › Section 217.46 - Commercial Vehicle Registration

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a)
				  Eligibility. A motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle or moped, designed or
				  used primarily for the transportation of property, including any passenger car
				  that has been reconstructed to be used, and is being used, primarily for
				  delivery purposes, with the exception of a passenger car used in the delivery
				  of the United States mail, must be registered as a commercial
				  vehicle.
(b) Commercial vehicle
				  registration classifications.
(1) Apportioned
				  license plates. Apportioned license plates are issued in lieu of Combination,
				  Motor Bus, or Truck license plates to Texas carriers who proportionally
				  register their fleets in other states, in conformity with §
											217.56
				  of this title (relating to Registration Reciprocity Agreements).
(2) City bus license plates. A street or
				  suburban bus shall be registered with license plates bearing the legend "City
				  Bus."
(3) Combination license
				  plates.
(A) Specifications. A truck or
				  truck-tractor with a gross weight in excess of 10,000 pounds used or to be used
				  in combination with a semitrailer having a gross weight in excess of 6,000
				  pounds, may be registered with combination license plates. Such vehicles must
				  be registered for a gross weight equal to the combined gross weight of all the
				  vehicles in the combination, but not less than 18,000 pounds. Only one
				  combination license plate is required and must be displayed on the front of the
				  truck or truck-tractor. When displaying a combination license plate, a truck or
				  truck-tractor is not restricted to pulling a semitrailer licensed with a Token
				  Trailer license plate and may legally pull semitrailers and full trailers
				  displaying other types of Texas license plates or license plates issued out of
				  state. The following vehicles may not be registered in combination:
(i) trucks or truck-tractors having a gross
				  weight of less than 10,000 pounds or trucks or truck-tractors to be used
				  exclusively in combination with semitrailers having gross weights not exceeding
				  6,000 pounds;
(ii) semitrailers
				  with gross weights of 6,000 pounds or less, or semitrailers that are to be
				  operated exclusively with trucks or truck-tractors having gross weight of less
				  than 10,000 pounds;
(iii) trucks or
				  truck-tractors used exclusively in combination with semitrailer-type vehicles
				  displaying Machinery, Permit, or Farm Trailer license plates;
(iv) trucks or truck-tractors used
				  exclusively in combination with travel trailers and manufactured
				  housing;
(v) trucks or
				  truck-tractors to be registered with Farm Truck or Farm Truck Tractor license
				  plates;
(vi) trucks or
				  truck-tractors and semitrailers to be registered with disaster relief license
				  plates;
(vii) trucks or
				  truck-tractors and semitrailers to be registered with Soil Conservation license
				  plates;
(viii) trucks or
				  truck-tractors and semitrailers to be registered with U.S. Government license
				  plates or Exempt license plates issued by the State of Texas; and
(ix) vehicles that are to be issued temporary
				  permits, such as 72-Hour Permits, 144-Hour Permits, One Trip Permits, or 30-Day
				  Permits in accordance with Transportation Code, §
													502.094
				  and §
													502.095.
(B) Converted semitrailers.
				  Semitrailers that are converted to full trailers by means of auxiliary axle
				  assemblies will retain their semitrailer status, and such semitrailers are
				  subject to the combination and token trailer registration
				  requirements.
(C) Axle assemblies.
				  Various types of axle assemblies that are specially designed for use in
				  conjunction with other vehicles or combinations of vehicles may be used to
				  increase the load capabilities of such vehicles or combinations.
(i) Auxiliary axle assemblies such as trailer
				  axle converters, jeep axles, and drag axles, which are used in conjunction with
				  truck-tractor and semitrailer combinations, are not required to be registered;
				  however, the additional weight that is acquired by the use of such axle
				  assemblies must be included in the combined gross weight of the
				  combination.
(ii) Ready-mixed
				  concrete trucks that have an auxiliary axle assembly installed for the purpose
				  of increasing a load capacity of such vehicles must be registered for a weight
				  that includes the axle assembly.
(D) Exchange of Combination license plates.
				  Combination license plates shall not be exchanged for another type of
				  registration during the registration year, except that:
(i) if a major permanent reconstruction
				  change occurs, Combination license plates may be exchanged for Truck license
				  plates, provided that a corrected title is applied for;
(ii) if the department initially issues
				  Combination license plates in error, the plates will be exchanged for license
				  plates of the proper classification;
(iii) if the department initially issues
				  Truck or Trailer license plates in error to vehicles that should have been
				  registered in combination, such plates will be exchanged for Combination and
				  Token Trailer license plates; or
(iv) if a Texas apportioned carrier acquires
				  a combination license power unit, the Combination license plates will be
				  exchanged for Apportioned license plates.
(4) Cotton Vehicle license plates. The
				  department will issue Cotton Vehicle license plates in accordance with
				  Transportation Code, §
											504.505 and
				  §
											217.45
				  of this title (relating to Specialty License Plates, Symbols, Tabs, and Other
				  Devices).
(5) Forestry Vehicle
				  license plates. The department will issue Forestry Vehicle license plates in
				  accordance with Transportation Code, §
											504.507 and
				  §
											217.45
				  of this title.
(6) In Transit
				  license plates. The department may issue an In Transit license plate annually
				  to any person, firm, or corporation engaged in the primary business of
				  transporting and delivering by means of the full mount, saddle mount, tow bar,
				  or any other combination, new vehicles and other vehicles from the manufacturer
				  or any other point of origin to any point of destination within the State. Each
				  new vehicle being transported, delivered, or moved under its own power in
				  accordance with this paragraph must display an In Transit license plate in
				  accordance with Transportation Code, §
											503.035.
(7) Motor Bus license plates. A motor bus as
				  well as a taxi and other vehicles that transport passengers for compensation or
				  hire, must display Motor Bus license plates when operated outside the limits of
				  a city or town, or adjacent suburb, in which its company is franchised to do
				  business.
(8) Token Trailer license
				  plates.
(A) Qualification. The department will
				  issue Token Trailer license plates for semitrailers that are required to be
				  registered in combination.
(B)
				  Validity. A Token Trailer license plate is valid only when it is displayed on a
				  semitrailer that is being pulled by a truck or a truck-tractor that has been
				  properly registered with Forestry Vehicle (in accordance with Transportation
				  Code, §
												504.507),
				  Combination (in accordance with Transportation Code, §
												502.255),
				  or Apportioned (in accordance with Transportation Code, §
												502.091)
				  license plates for combined gross weights that include the weight of the
				  semitrailer, unless exempted by Transportation Code, §
												502.094
				  and §
												623.011.
(C) House-moving dollies. House-moving
				  dollies are to be registered with Token Trailer license plates and titled as
				  semitrailers; however, only one such dolly in a combination is required to be
				  registered and titled. The remaining dolly (or dollies) is permitted to operate
				  unregistered, since by the nature of its construction, it is dependent upon
				  another such vehicle in order to function. The pulling unit must display a
				  Combination or Apportioned license plate.
(D) Full trailers. The department will not
				  issue a Token Trailer license plate for a full trailer.
(9) Tow Truck license plates. A Tow Truck
				  license plate must be obtained for all tow trucks operating and registered in
				  this state. The department will not issue a Tow Truck license plate unless the
				  Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has issued a permit for the tow
				  truck under Occupations Code, Chapter 2308, Subchapter C.