Hey Texans....Minimum height requirement???

I have never seen nor heard of minimum height requirements in the state of Texas. I've been driving for 9 years and was a state inspector for 4 years.

This morning.....I was pulled over for the front of my truck being too low. It's a late model Chevy (sorry, O/T...but it relates to any vehicle on Texas roads really). If you're familiar with them you know they have that black plastic piece that hangs down below everything. With my 15" steel wheels, that piece does in fact hang below the bottom edge of the rim of the wheel. It is the only piece of the truck lower than the wheel, everything else is above scrub line. Being plastic, should anything ever happen, it would just fold up or tear off and not cause damage to any roadways (the "officer's" main complaint) or to anyone else, or cause the vehicle to loose control. It is not a safety hazard.

I didn't get a ticket.....but I have not been able to find any code or law whatsoever on the Texas books, so far, that has a minimum height requirement. If there is one.....does anyone know where to find it, or know something I don't know?

 

Look on the Texas DOT website. That has all the vehicle code information.

 

its been a long time but I recall my cousin getting h***led by the Garland Police when he had his mini truck becasue it was so low

 

The height requirement for a state inspection here in Travis and Williamson counties is for the headlamps. It is measured from the ground to the center of the headlamp. The lowest it can be is 24 inches. The highest is around 55 inches. Nothing on how low a vehicle can be...it was harr***ment by the cop


http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/vi/inspection/item_insp.asp

 

Sounds like the cop was betting on you not having insurance, or expired license, etc. Pulling you over for what he deemed to be a height infraction is total ********.

Your truck really isn't all that low anyway. Was it a city cop or sheriffs dept....or DPS? I'd be surprised if it was a state trooper.

Anyway, look up the law on the DPS website, print it out, and carry it in your glovebox. That way you can NICELY explain that the cop is mistaken, and you are in fact acting within the law. Cops absolutely hate to be proven wrong, so try to be nice about it so that he doesn't go looking for some other reason to cite you.

A cop wasting an honest citizens time for this kind of **** really irks me.

 

Makes no since...look at those idiots running the 1 inch tall tires on their sport cars...hell their valence would have to be draggin the ground to be below the rims on those cars.... I aggree with B*** on the rest

 

i agree with b***-your truck is not that low at all,we have **** hear in pa that sits way lower

 

Yeah, I looked all over the TxDot website this morning and read every bit of the vehicle equipment requirements and couldn't find a thing about height, other than the headlight rule which my truck certainly meets.

It was a Sachse city cop. I'd love to avoid this place but since I work in Sachse, I'm stuck. It's not the first time I've had problems with this same guy, the last time he gave me **** when I was driving the modified to the shop on a weekend, and I have antique tags. I was going to work on it, to a "repair facility." He'll give people **** for things he knows he can't write tickets for.

Sachse isn't exactly crime central...their cops do pretty much 90% of their work with traffic. It would be different if they were out doing drug busts all day long, or murder investigations or saving abandoned children, but this guy just didn't have anything better to do. I strongly feel a har***ment complaint coming.

 

Sounds like a slow day for law enforcement. You might try carrying donuts with you, then again, that might mean more pull overs..........a lot more pull overs. Got any with sprinkles?

 

check with an inspection station,they should have that information

 

Sounds like a bunch of BS and I think B*** is right .The cop was playing the odds of you having or not having something else and was needing a reason to stop you.I am having my own ordeal with a simular situation that happened to me last July.Its cost me $1300 smackers so far (lawyer ,bail, etc.), and i am taking it to a jury trial(my right to do so and i wish more tax payers would do it) in June over a simple bogus traffic infraction (which he chose to arrest me over),because i wont give up and take a plea and pay a $200 fine ,im going to trial and maybe the pokey."Profiling" is a fact of life and it seems this is the price you pay for a having a car that stands out from everyone else sometimes .If i loose i could face a week in jail ,but thats what they make vacation time for .I am one hard headed SOB when i think im right .If the same cop stops you again for more petty **** , id go file a complaint at the station ...

 

I agree the cop was betting on something to find. I got stopped in Lewisville the other day for throwing sparks out of the back of my Newport. I agree, stupid thing to do latee at night. But then the cop started giving me a hard time because I didn't have a inspection or registration sticker on my car (I have '66 plates), after I nicely explained to him the law pertaining to antique plates, het let me go after checking my license and insurance. Bummer, I agree about the Sasche PD, seems they "llok" for things, a good friend of mine worked at a hot rod shop there and got h***led a lot.

 

It is part of the requirements. Having owned a few minitrucks I have been pulled over for that more than once. It correctly states nothing can hang below the bottom of the rim. There is also the headlight heights. That one is more for the Off Road trucks. I say just remove the plastic and not worry about it. That law is also why most Minis run air now to bump it up when they see the cops.

 

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Surely it would discriminate against short people?

 

Where does it say that? I've looked through everything I can and have not found any mention of it whatsoever. I'll be glad to take the measures to fix it if I am breaking the law, but I'm not going to do it because one ***hole thinks I am...

Minimum for headlights is 24", mine are at 26".

 

i know people who got pulled over for their u-bolts on the drop blocks being lower than the rim....i never owned a minitruck, but have has several really low cars, and never got stopped. my 91 olds wagon was static dropped and could push a cigarette pack down the road....sounds like har***ment to me.....you outlaw!!

 

Yeah, like in UK you can get pulled over for being "Ugly in a NO UGLY ZONE"

 

The law used to be that no part of the vehicle shall be lower than the lowest part of the rim, I got a ticket for that a few years ago even though my car wasn't that low (that cop was a real d!#& head)!

 

Yhea, must of been the kid that drove his parents 68 4dr 98 to school and got screwed with all the time.

 

even if doesnt say that. which if it did he would have given you a ticket for it. Cops will look for whatever reason to pull you over hoping to find somethig thing to stick you for.
This is totally on topic ... to keep us all Informed about the law. you were being profiled....

 

you were "Fidgiting". werent you?..................

 

I have had similar problems with different Cops especially when I was young. I had a CHP pull me over every week. He pulled me over for my turn signal blinking to fast, for tractions bars hanging to low, trailer lights being to dim no front license plate etc etc. We new each other by name. One day I saw him the local resturant and I bought his lunch he left me alone after that. I would suggest befriending this guy if you can somehow, he obviously has a fascination with you or your truck. Trim the bottom valance so that it does not hang down past the rim Height.

 

No, not this time.....

My solution will be to trim the valence, they look really weird just removed. But I wont do it unless I can find a legal reason to. It might be stupid but I'm going to keep driving it as is. I really think he was just looking for a reason to pull me over.

I work on the main street through town and the guy goes by on a near daily basis, so I know he knows the truck and he knows where I work and who I am. We are the biggest business in this city aside from grocery stores, you'd think the local fuzz would have some respect for the employees here. I've been driving the truck like this for at least 2 years and it's never been an issue.

I don't run my front plate, but it is under the seat. I could have seen him ticketing me on that and I wouldn't have such an issue with it.

 

usually this kind of thing happens in Carrollton at the begining of the month. I believe its revenue motivated for the most part.....

 

http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/statutes/docs/TN/content/htm/tn.007.00.000727.00.htm#727.001.00

Here you go.

 

My Dad got pulled over for some BS like this one time. I'll bet you got 'profiled' - even though they're not supposed to do that. Old car, shady looking character driving it : )

 

Oh, so if you run low profile rubber, you could be as low as an inch or two off the ground!

 

Well, thanks.

Guess I'll go trim that valence now....or buy some 17"s. It's still ********

 

I was going to tell you to research Vernon's Civil Statutes also, but jmurphy nailed it. Most states, counties, cities base their codes on the next larger en***y. I suspect the Tx code is based on the US Dot requirement. You'll find it applies in almost all states.

Maybe this is the root cause of all those big *** 22" rims with rubber bands around them... hmmm

 

If you feel he is specifically harasing you, you need to keep a detailed log of his actions in regards to you and file a complaint with his supervisors.

If you complain and his actions against you increase, he can get into real trouble.