Texas transportation laws

What it would do: Authorizes a regional mobility authority to issue permits for oversize and overweight vehicles on specified routes in Hidalgo County and increases the maximum permit fee from $200 to $250 per trip beginning September 1, 2025, with annual adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index.

What it would do: Amends Texas Transportation Code to allow ready-mixed concrete trucks to operate on public highways with tandem axle weight up to 46,000 pounds, single axle weight up to 23,000 pounds, gross weight up to 69,000 pounds or the maximum under Section 621.101, and requires tire load ratings not be exceeded.

What it would do: Exempts farm trailers and semitrailers under 4,000 pounds and farm tractors and implements of husbandry from registration when operated only temporarily on highways. Eliminates fees for issuance of volunteer firefighter, fire protection personnel, and certain specialty license plates.

What it would do: Amends Transportation Code Section 623.219(a) to designate specific routes for permits for oversize and overweight vehicles serving deepwater seaports in counties bordering Mexico, including routes from international bridges to the Port of Brownsville and Port of Harlingen.

What it would do: Amends motor fuel tax laws to require hazardous materials licenses for transporters' employees, prohibits motor fuel depots in Texas-Mexico border counties, and creates criminal offenses and civil penalties for violations including operating border depots and transporting fuel to them.

What it would do: Increases the criminal penalty for loading certain overweight vehicles transporting hazardous materials to a felony of the second degree when a three-axle vehicle transporting fuel or hazardous materials in a cargo tank is loaded at a weight exceeding the vehicle's authorized weight limitations.

What it would do: Prohibits operating or moving a three-axle overweight vehicle transporting placarded hazardous materials on public highways outside designated permit routes or without a permit if exceeding maximum gross weight by at least five percent, making such operation a felony of the second degree, effective September 1, 2025.

What it would do: Allows the Texas Department of Transportation to waive permit fees and surety requirements for governmental entities, and exempts municipally and county-owned vehicles from certain oversize or overweight vehicle permit requirements.

What it would do: Removes the exemption from weight limits for vehicles operating at ports of entry between Texas and Mexico, making them subject to standard state weight restrictions. Clarifies weight limit exceptions apply only to private ports of entry and private roads.

What it would do: Authorizes the Texas Department of Transportation to provide grants to rural rail transportation districts and shortline railroads for track or bridge replacement, rail capacity improvement, or rail restoration, requiring commission approval and at least 10 percent non-state funding.

What it would do: Allows hydrogen-fueled motor vehicles to exceed weight limitations by the difference between hydrogen and diesel tank weights, capped at 82,000 pounds maximum gross weight, but only if federal law authorizes such operation.

What it would do: Prohibits railway company trains from obstructing streets, railroad crossings, or public highways for 30 minutes or more, imposing civil penalties up to $10,000 per hour of violation and creating liability to individuals harmed by emergency service delays caused by such obstruction.

What it would do: Establishes a Clean Hydrogen Development Fund for loans, bonds, and grants; provides tax credits up to 20 percent for hydrogen production facilities and exemptions for electrolyzer manufacturers; exempts hydrogen vehicles from highway use taxes for ten years; and funds workforce development programs.

What it would do: Amends the transportation infrastructure fund grant allocation formula for counties by reducing oil and gas production tax allocation from 20 to 15 percent, horizontal well completions from 45 to 40 percent, and vertical well completions from 15 to 10 percent, while adding new allocations for adjacent counties based on regularly producing wells.

What it would do: Amends Transportation Code Section 623.219(a) to designate specific routes for oversize and overweight vehicle permits issued by port authorities in counties bordering Mexico, including routes to the Port of Brownsville, Port of Harlingen, Harlingen Industrial Park, and Boca Chica Beach.

What it would do: Expands eligibility for sheriffs and deputy sheriffs to apply for commercial motor vehicle safety enforcement certification by adding three new county categories: counties with populations over 40,000 adjacent to specified counties, counties with populations between 50,000 and 90,000 adjacent to counties over 4,000,000, and counties containing international ports.

What it would do: Amends civil liability rules for commercial motor vehicle owners and operators by expanding the definition of 'regulation or standard' and modifying when evidence of regulatory violations is admissible in bifurcated trials, and restricting employer liability claims based on respondeat superior.

What it would do: Dedicates 50 percent of fees collected from oversize or overweight vehicle permits to the state highway fund, with the remaining 50 percent distributed to counties designated in permit applications.

What it would do: Establishes a grant program administered by the Texas Department of Transportation to award grants to political subdivisions and railroad companies for rail-roadway and rail-pedestrian grade separation projects, requiring at least 10 percent non-state funding.

What it would do: Requires the Department of Public Safety to issue digital versions of driver's licenses, commercial driver's licenses, and personal identification certificates as downloadable applications on wireless devices, and authorizes the department to charge a fee to cover administrative costs.

What it would do: Amends Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 72.054 to limit an employer defendant's liability for ordinary negligence of a commercial motor vehicle operator to respondeat superior when the employer stipulates the operator was its employee acting within scope of employment, while preserving claims for negligent maintenance, repair, loading, and exemplary damages.

What it would do: Prohibits including driver's license information in collision or violation reports involving railroad locomotive or train operators and prevents such incidents from being recorded in individual driving records. Restricts disclosure of personally identifying information and communications of train crews to law enforcement, state attorneys, railroad companies, regulatory agencies, and court-authorized persons.

What it would do: Authorizes the Texas Department of Transportation to issue special permits for oversize or overweight vehicles transporting agricultural commodities during or following declared disasters, or preceding potential disasters if authorized by the Texas Division of Emergency Management, with permits expiring within 120 days.

What it would do: Establishes the Electric Truck Advisory Council within the Texas Department of Transportation to provide guidance on electric truck adoption, charging infrastructure, and regulatory issues, and requires the council to develop a statewide strategic plan for electric truck charging infrastructure implementation.

What it would do: Amends Transportation Code provisions governing Harris County port pilots by expanding the definition of Harris County ports, restricting board member conflicts of interest, extending deputy branch pilot certificates from three to four years, and allowing certificate renewal upon reappointment by a branch pilot.