Registration and Title Bulletin - #057-11

Date: December 5, 2011

To:

All County Tax Assessor-Collectors

Subject: Vehicle Weight Changes for Combination Registration.

PURPOSE

To notify you of a change to the qualifications for vehicles registered with a Combination license plate.

DETAILS

A Combination license plate is issued to a truck or truck-tractor with a manufacturer's rated carrying capacity of more than one ton and used in combination with a semitrailer with a gross weight of more than 6,000 lbs. A combination of vehicles may not be registered for a combined gross weight of less than 18,000 lbs.

House Bill 2553, 81st Legislative Session, changed the qualification for a Combination license plate from a truck-tractor or commercial motor vehicle with a "manufacturer's rated carry capacity of more than one ton" to a vehicle with a "gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds" effective September 1, 2011. The combined gross weight of not less than 18,000 lbs. still applies.

Due to the complexity of the required programming, we anticipate that all tonnage changes will be included in a Registration Title System (RTS) release in late 2012.

COUNTY ACTION

You should continue to issue a Combination license plate based on a manufacturer's rated carrying capacity of more than one ton in RTS until programming is completed next year.

CONTACT

If you have any questions, please contact your local TxDMV Regional Service Center.