A registered commercial vehicle owner may get a short-term permit to carry excess weight for certain farm-related transport if the required fee is paid first.
Sec. 502.434. FARM VEHICLES: EXCESS WEIGHT. (a) The owner of a registered commercial motor vehicle, truck-tractor, trailer, or semitrailer may obtain a short-term permit to haul loads of a weight more than that for which the vehicle is registered by paying an additional fee before the additional weight is hauled to transport: (1) the person's own seasonal agricultural products to market or another point for sale or processing; (2) seasonal laborers from their place of residence to a farm or ranch; or (3) materials, tools, equipment, or supplies, without charge, from the place of purchase or storage to a farm or ranch exclusively for use on the farm or ranch. (a-1) A permit may not be issued under this section unless the vehicle's owner provides a registration number issued by the comptroller under Section 151.1551, Tax Code. The comptroller shall allow access to the online system established under Section 151.1551(l), Tax Code, to verify a registration number provided under this subsection. This subsection does not apply to a permit issued to a retail dealer of tools or equipment that is transporting the tools or equipment from the place of purchase or storage to the customer's farm or ranch. (b) A permit may not be issued under this section for a period that is less than one month or that: (1) is greater than one year; or (2) extends beyond the expiration of the registration year for the vehicle. (c) A permit issued under this section for a quarter must be for a calendar quarter. (d) The fee for a permit under this section is a percentage of the difference between the registration fee otherwise prescribed for the vehicle and the annual fee for the desired weight, as follows: One month (30 consecutive days)10 percentOne quarter30 percentTwo quarters60 percentThree quarters90 percent(e) The department shall design, prescribe, and furnish a sticker, plate, or other means of indicating the additional weight and the registration period for each vehicle registered under this section. Transferred, redesignated and amended from Transportation Code, Section 502.351 by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1296 (H.B. 2357), Sec. 144, eff. January 1, 2012. Amended by: Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1068 (H.B. 3256), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2013.