Ok, I have a girl that works in my office, we'll call her Mary, that broke up with her boyfriend of five years back in April or May. With the break up they agreed that she would take his truck. Let it be known she has a bill of sale dated in may for the truck. So she goes to register the vehicle at the tax office a couple of weeks ago and the the lady behind the window says they have a freeze on the vehicle for unpaid tolls. Mary had no idea there were unpaid tolls on this truck since this was his daily driver for years. The problem is that the tolls are $3500 and the ex-boyfriend says he doesn't owe her a dime.

So my question is, what can she legally do to get the truck registered without having to pay his toll charges? I don't think it is fair to her that she has to pay his toll charges because he failed to do so.

I don't know the answer, but it sounds like this could happen to anybody that bought a used vehicle in the state of Texas.

Go to the toll tag place and they will work out a deal where she will only have to pay a slight fraction of the 3500 and then she can register the truck after she pays the bill.

I refer all toll inquiry's too DaveDave... Seeker of Bigfoot...Solider in the anti NTTA Army.

So when did they tie registration to toll tag bills?

First I have heard of this

Is that toll tag stuff tied to the vin number? Seems if it wasn't and she went in there not knowing the previous plate numbers, there'd be no record of it.

I'd call them and state the facts he walked on the tolls.

Meanwhile: https://www.ntta.org/custinfo/Toll_Enfor...ised_071615.pdf

https://www.ntta.org/custinfo/Toll_Enfor...0FAQs.FINAL.pdf

Read down the 2nd URL:

Does my debt transfer if I sell my vehicle before I am cleared to renew my registration?
If you were the registered owner of the vehicle at the time of the violation(s), you are still responsible for
settling all tolls and fees, or until a payment plan has been arranged with the NTTA.


Best of luck!

They tie it via your license plate. It makes you the registered owner of the vehicle and liable for the toll tag fees. Your registration and license plate number does have your VIN number which identifies the vehicle.

This may help explain it

https://www.ntta.org/custinfo/Toll_Enfor...0FAQs.FINAL.pdf

From reading all that, it sounds like the lady at the DMV was wrong (big surprise). It appears the fines stay with the previously registered owner when a car is sold and are not attached to the vehicle itself.

Does she have a signed title or only a bill of sale? I can see them not wanting to register it if there is no title present, but if she has the signed title then the vehicle already legally belongs to her, it just isn't registered to her yet.

I have dealt with this two different ways. The easy one was when I sold the vehicle, and the new owner was running tolls, they tried to bill me. The day I sold it I had filled out the change of ownership form online. It took about an hour to get cleared up, but it worked out fine.

The second was when they tried to bill me about $5K for a vehicle I had never owned. That's a long story that eventually went my way. To say the least, I am not a fan of their billing practices.

Pics of mary would help

Yup. And then she should boat ramp his arse!

In theory she should only owe tolls from on, or after, the date on the bill of sale. NTTA, or whomever, should be able to help her on this.
She may be able to help NTTA, or whomever, by giving them an updated address, phone #, car make/model/VIN on the guy.

Not long ago. Happens now with red light camera tickets as well.