Drivers in Texas no longer need to fulfill an annual safety inspection to register their vehicles in the state, a move that will impact some auto shops.
As of January 1, the state no longer requires the previously annual safety inspection, eliminating a significant source of revenue for some auto shops in Dallas, especially those focused solely on safety inspections.
Saady Hussain runs Quix State Inspection, a state inspection shop off Mockingbird Lane in Dallas. Typically, Hussain welcomes 1,250 vehicles a month exclusively for inspection. With the requirements updated, emissions testing will be required only in certain North Texas counties: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, and Tarrant.
In addition to dropping the annual requirements, the law prohibits auto shops from charging more than $18.50 for emissions tests. This represents a more than 27% drop from the previous price tag of $25.50.
Even still, Hussain remains optimistic and prepares to pivot to a new business model if required. He says he will wait a few months before removing his shop’s inspection bays.
“We survive as a business. Of course, we are going to lose a lot of revenue, but we’re gonna survive,” Hussain said, per WFAA.
Last month, Texas businessman and former Senator Don Huffines wrote an opinion piece in The Dallas Express, praising the move to drop the requirement, a measure he fought for in the past. Huffines explained that the program was responsible for costing drivers in the state “millions of dollars and millions of hours of their time,” with little perceived safety benefit.
“Make no mistake: this was NEVER about safety. It was about protecting the profits of special interest groups—new car dealers, small repair shops, and big government lovers—who fought tooth and nail to keep the chains of government on Texans,” wrote Huffines.
Many drivers concur with Huffines’ position.
“I always feel like when I go to the auto shop they’re gonna tell me I need more than actually I need done,” one driver told WFAA.