Mechanics Are Not Lawyers! I needed my 2001 Ford F-350 stake body truck inspected for annual registration in Bell County TX. To my shock and dismay, the mechanic failed the truck for the third brake light being blocked by the stake body. The high mounted brake light works but the bulkhead of the truck bed obscured its view. I asked the mechanic if, "he was sure?" and he insisted that he was and the light is required to be visible. Coincidentally, I had a scheduled appointment with the Texas Auto Theft Task Force following the safety inspection. The officer spent 30 mins inspecting the vehicle and signed my paperwork. A discussion of safety inspection failure for the brake light naturally came up. As a result of that conversation, I verified the TX vehicle code, which also provided examples for the inspection stations to follow. After a series of back and forth text messages with the inspection station, I was able to convince them that they were in error in failing the 11,200 lb GVWR truck.
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