• Texas requires annual safety inspections for all vehicles, including commercial trucks.truck image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
  
  A commercial truck is a vehicle used to transport or move products for business or commercial purposes. For instance, a delivery truck. Texas has requirements for annual safety inspections for vehicles in the state. For commercial trucks, the inspection includes a look at the vehicle's vital parts, such as brakes.
  
  

Brakes

• Trucks should have brakes that act on all their wheels, except in the case of trucks manufactured before 1981 that have three or more axles. A truck's service brakes will not pass the Texas inspection if the inspector finds that there is less than 2 inches of pedal reserve in the case of conventional brakes, or less than an inch of pedal reserve in the case of power brakes. There should not be a leakage in hydraulic lines or cylinders or other parts of the service brake system. The brake pedal should be able to maintain a suitable height for one minute, on application of moderate pressure with the foot. Texas inspection rules also require inspectors to look at the brake's hoses, operating levers, rods and other parts. The break warning signal should not come on during the test.
  
  

Horns

• A truck should be equipped with a horn that emits a sound that can be heard at least 200 feet away. Inspectors will check to see if the truck's horn is securely fastened, if the horn switch is accessible to the driver, if the wiring insulation is in good condition, and if the horn emits an unusually loud or harsh noise. The operation of the horn also shouldn't interfere with the operation of any other truck circuit.
  
  

Steering

• The Texas commercial truck inspection requirements also call for an inspection of the truck's steering. The purpose of the steering inspection is to make sure that there is no excessive wear or maladjustment of the steering linkage or steering gear. The inspector will determine this by turning the vehicle's steering control through a part of a revolution without front wheel motion.
  
  

Other Parts

• Inspectors will also look at other parts of a commercial truck, including its lamps, exhaust emission system, mirror, reflectors and seat belts. All these parts should be working properly to pass the Texas safety inspection.