Register a Japanese truck in Texas.

Where the truck lands

A direct Japan RoRo to Los Angeles or Long Beach is often about 2 to 3 weeks. The booked ship sets the date.

Our Japan RoRo list does not include Houston or Galveston. For Texas we price Los Angeles / Long Beach and Jacksonville and book the shorter inland truck to your city. A Gulf call is used only when the line actually offers it, and we will say so.

After it is in Texas

Texas DPS ended the non-commercial safety inspection on 1 January 2025 under House Bill 3297. A replacement fee is still collected at registration. Emissions tests remain in the metro counties Texas DPS lists, including Harris, the Dallas-Fort Worth counties, Travis, Williamson, and El Paso. Commercial vehicles still need a safety inspection. Bexar County was scheduled to join the emissions list. Read the current DPS county list before you title in San Antonio. A 25-year federal release does not skip an emissions-county test.

The office that handles the plate is Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Read their current page before you pay the vehicle balance. County rules change, and the page they publish is the one that titles the truck.

How old the truck has to be in Texas

NHTSA’s rule is the same in Texas as in every other state. A vehicle at least 25 years old, counted from the date of manufacture, can be imported without regard to the full federal safety standards. That entry is HS-7 Box 1. The badge year on the fender is not the clock.

Texas says an imported vehicle must meet the federal safety standards or the federal exemption, and the county tax office wants HS-7 or another customs document that shows that compliance or exemption. Title is due within 30 days of the sale. Registration is due within 30 days of bringing the vehicle into Texas. Texas does not publish an import age other than that federal rule.

The federal file, then the state

The federal gate is the same in every state. NHTSA’s 25-year rule runs from the date of manufacture on the plate, not the badge year. The entry is HS-7 Box 1. EPA is a separate file. CBP’s vehicle page says a vehicle is exempt from EPA standards when 21 years have passed since the original production year and it is still in original condition. Form 3520-1 is filed at entry. A truck can clear one clock and fail the other. Your broker files the entry at the discharge port. CBP’s importing-a-car page prints auto duty at 2.5% and truck duty at 25%. Those printed rates are not in our price. US$500 by card starts the Japan-side order. Ocean freight is quoted after the sailing is booked. State title, use tax, and any inspection come after CBP releases the truck. A federal release is not a state plate.

NHTSA: importing a vehicle · EPA: importing vehicles and engines · CBP: importing a car · United States overview