Starting in September, Texas will remove the current registration exemption for foreign commercial motor vehicles that are registered in another U.S. state. Gov. Rick Perry signed HB 313 on May 14 after the state Senate unanimously approved it.
As of Sept. 1, foreign-owned or foreign-leased trucks and trailers that operate in Texas must be registered in Texas or carry a new $15 NAFTA tag. The new law is designed to crack down on unregistered Mexican trailers being towed far beyond the border commercial zones.
A legislative analysis estimated the bill would affect the operators of 30,000 Mexican commercial motor vehicles pulling trailers with out-of-state registrations, generating $450,000 annually for the State Highway Fund.
