By Ned Meister
TFB Commodity and Regulatory Activities Director
Are you still wondering if you need to inspect your trailer?
We are now several months into the new system for inspecting and registering trailers used on the farm. The process change requires trailers that must be inspected to go through the inspection prior to registration. But not all trailers are required to go through the inspection process. The rules require all commercial trailers with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 4,500 pounds and over to be safety inspected prior to receiving an annual registration.
Check it out. Click here and then select trailers and mobile homes in the “Select a vehicle class” drop down box.
Farm trailers and farm semi-trailers, however, are exempt from the safety inspection requirements if they have a GVW over 4,000 pounds, but not more than 34,000 pounds; and are registered as a farm trailer or farm semi-trailer with “Farm Trailer” license plates. A farm trailer or farm semi-trailer is defined as a trailer that is used exclusively to transport:
• seasonally harvested agricultural products or livestock from the place of production to the place of processing, market, storage or
• farm supplies from the place of loading to the farm.
An owner is not required to register a farm trailer or farm semi-trailer that has a gross weight of 4,000 pounds or less.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has developed a single page fact sheet that addresses the farm trailer inspection issue. It can also be found on the Texas Farm Bureau webpage in the Commodity and Regulatory Activities section under Regulatory.