M939 Series Vehicle Inspection in Texas

[charlesmann]

This is more for TX owners, or those that have dealt with inspection in tx. I need to get my M936A2 inspected so i can register it. i know i can register as a military vehicle, but i am severely limited to what i can do with the truck. I want to stay on the right side of the law, and reg as mil is not really an option, more like the last resort. I would prefer registering as a farm truck, not for profit/hire, but would settle for normal plates as well. If for farm use, or normal plates, do these trucks need a DOT inspection, or a state? i would think it should be similar to the motor coach buses/rv type, equip with airbrakes, but not for hire, as where the same rv is a bus, used to haul tour groups, bands, sports players and so forth, for hire. none of my uses will be for hire, so a regular state inspection should suffice, right?

 

[NDT]

The weight class of your truck requires DOT inspection for Texas Truck plates.

 

[charlesmann]

The weight class of your truck requires DOT inspection for Texas Truck plates.

I'm assuming the motor coaches/rv, bc they are an rv, only require a state bc they are reg as an rv?

my reason for the questioning is bc my sec tank depletes, but can't find the leak, not even soapy water. i also read on here somewhere, not sure if i could even find the thread i read it in, but these trucks dump air through the intake stack. i know it does it when, disengage the xfr case pto, and i can hear the air dumping into the intake. but I'm not sure if the sec system is suppose to dump. the primary will be around 90 psi while the sec is 0 psi.

NDT, thanks for the info, i figured a DOT, just the air supply bleed down is my only worry about passing.

 

[NDT]

There are threads on your air problem, indeed your air is going out the intake stack, either search in the 5 ton and up forum or start a new thread.

 

[Txcoop]

This is more for TX owners, or those that have dealt with inspection in tx. I need to get my M936A2 inspected so i can register it. i know i can register as a military vehicle, but i am severely limited to what i can do with the truck. I want to stay on the right side of the law, and reg as mil is not really an option, more like the last resort. I would prefer registering as a farm truck, not for profit/hire, but would settle for normal plates as well. If for farm use, or normal plates, do these trucks need a DOT inspection, or a state? i would think it should be similar to the motor coach buses/rv type, equip with airbrakes, but not for hire, as where the same rv is a bus, used to haul tour groups, bands, sports players and so forth, for hire. none of my uses will be for hire, so a regular state inspection should suffice, right?

I register my M923A2 with regular plates. The inspection checks lights, turn signals, back up lights, windshield wipers, etc. The DOT part inspects the air lines, brake liners, engine hoses. They then test drive using the brakes till the air is gone and wait for it to build up. It’s not to onerous and I have passed the last two years
Randy

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

Owning a Tow Truck/Wrecker in Texas can become a permitting hurdle to jump over.

IF you ever accept MONEY for towing ANY vehicle which is not your own, you will be considered a commercial towing operator.

Hence, you see some tow trucks/wreckers branded NOT FOR HIRE. This is not just a "sign" on the truck, it is a LEGAL REQUIREMENT to circumvent the permitting requirements upon commercial operators.

THEREFORE, it is in your best interest - even if you are NOT FOR HIRE - to become familiar with the following LAW:

Texas Occupation Code: CHAPTER 2308 - TOWING & BOOTING

Not being familiar with this LAW could get you into a whole heap of trouble in a nanosecond.

IF you are claiming exemption as being NOT FOR HIRE, then you'd best NEVER EVER get caught dragging any vehicle of which YOU are not the OWNER. If it isn't yours, it will be presumed that you're getting paid to drag it. Then, you'll end up in court proving otherwise.

 

[charlesmann]

Owning a Tow Truck/Wrecker in Texas can become a permitting hurdle to jump over.

IF you ever accept MONEY for towing ANY vehicle which is not your own, you will be considered a commercial towing operator.

Hence, you see some tow trucks/wreckers branded NOT FOR HIRE. This is not just a "sign" on the truck, it is a LEGAL REQUIREMENT to circumvent the permitting requirements upon commercial operators.

THEREFORE, it is in your best interest - even if you are NOT FOR HIRE - to become familiar with the following LAW:

Texas Occupation Code: CHAPTER 2308 - TOWING & BOOTING

Not being familiar with this LAW could get you into a whole heap of trouble in a nanosecond.

IF you are claiming exemption as being NOT FOR HIRE, then you'd best NEVER EVER get caught dragging any vehicle of which YOU are not the OWNER. If it isn't yours, it will be presumed that you're getting paid to drag it. Then, you'll end up in court proving otherwise.

the only thing ill be dragging behind it is, my gn trailer. but thanks for the info, i'll definitely dive into the regs . as for them calling it a wrecker/tow truck, when i registered and insured it, i called it a crane truck. the title indicates i believe, abbreviated, cn or crn, and I'm assuming that means crane. even the motor vehicle lady didn't know what their own abbreviations meant.

 

[charlesmann]

I register my M923A2 with regular plates. The inspection checks lights, turn signals, back up lights, windshield wipers, etc. The DOT part inspects the air lines, brake liners, engine hoses. They then test drive using the brakes till the air is gone and wait for it to build up. It’s not to onerous and I have passed the last two years
Randy

so you got the dot inspection?

 

[charlesmann]

Owning a Tow Truck/Wrecker in Texas can become a permitting hurdle to jump over.

IF you ever accept MONEY for towing ANY vehicle which is not your own, you will be considered a commercial towing operator.

So, i looked up the abbreviation of the body style on the tx dmv.gov website, and CR annotates crane. so thankfully, the 2 previous owners were knowledgable enough to not classify it as a wrecker, and i bought from a local tow company, which bought it from the local volunteer fire dept.
so, i think I'm safe according to the state and their own abbreviation/definition of the truck.

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

So, i looked up the abbreviation of the body style on the tx dmv.gov website, and CR annotates crane. so thankfully, the 2 previous owners were knowledgable enough to not classify it as a wrecker, and i bought from a local tow company, which bought it from the local volunteer fire dept.
so, i think I'm safe according to the state and their own abbreviation/definition of the truck.

That's good to know. And good for you as well.

I have no personal experience with "cranes", so your input here is quite valuable.

Thanks for sharing what you're learning.