Texas May Be Doing Away With State Inspections
You know those pesky state inspections that we're required to do annually? Yeah, the one that if it's not up-to-date, or not displayed at all, it'll cost you over $100 for a ticket? Well, there's a possibility that Texas won't have to worry about that anymore.
According to the Houston Chronicle, the Texas Senate approved Senate Bill 1588 by a vote of 27-4. If it's approved by the House, the change would take effect in March 2018, and it would end the statewide policy that began way back in 1951. Texas is currently one of only 15 states that still requires drivers to get an annual state inspection.
We've already gone from having two stickers, to now just needing one. So what's the next move here?
According to Senator Don Huffines, the senator that wrote the Bill 1588, this change would be a tax cut that would, "...save Texans $130 million..."
It's not going to be a complete change for all vehicles, though. Commercial vehicles will still be required to have annual inspections, and there are 17 counties in Texas that will still require drivers to have emissions test done on their vehicles before they can hit the road.
However, for us right here in the heart of deep east Texas, this would save a lot of frustration and time. We wouldn't have to make time during our day to get the inspection done.
I actually just got my annual inspection done the other day, and let me tell you, that's a lot of trouble and lots of hoops to jump through for a 10-minute inspection and a window sticker for my truck...