Posted on 08/13/2015 11:11:32 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
A North Texas man is fighting the North Texas Tollway Authority over $1,436 in tolls for a car he insists he no longer owns.
David Barlett, of Kemp, said he sold his 2002 Nissan Maxima in October 2013 to a man who responded to a Craigslist ad.
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"I signed the title over to him and didn't really think much else about it – until I started getting bills from the tollway," Bartlett said.
The buyer never turned in the title to the state and kept the same license plates. So on paper, Bartlett remained the registered owner.
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Bartlett said he believes the new owner then ran up the toll bills without paying.
For cars without an electronic toll tag, the NTTA takes pictures of a car's license plate and bills the registered owner.
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"By law, if you look at it, he still owned that vehicle through all the time of these tolls, and we've seen nothing to change that thus far," said NTTA spokesman Michael Rey.
Bartlett admits he has no proof he sold the car. He said he no longer has the bill of sale, which the NTTA said would void the bill.
The authority also said Bartlett called about the charges in November 2013 and was advised to file a vehicle transfer notification with the state, which is separate from a title transfer. Records show Bartlett did not do so until October 2014 while more tolls accumulated, Rey said.
He also could have kept his license plates when he sold the car, according to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
Bartlett said he'll take his case to court.
"I will go to jail before I pay this, just out of principle," he said.
Interesting. I’ve never lived in a State that had that rule.
This is true. And I doubt that 95% of us Texans know that.
But then, most cars are traded in to a dealer.
My home state of Idaho has a little attachment on the title itself (or at least it did a few years ago) that you detach, fill out, and mail in along with $2. That covers you in case this type of thing ever happens, or the driver pulls a hit and run, etc... New Mexico has a form you can fill out and send in. I’ve done it for every vehicle I sold via Craigslist here in NM.
Alaskans do this. The tags stay with the car unless they are specialty plates.
California does this, too.
And Delaware.
See here: http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/laws/transfer-of-plates/
“The buyer never turned in the title to the state and kept the same license plates. So on paper, Bartlett remained the registered owner.”
Sux2bu Bartlett. You should have kept the plates.
TOTAL F***ING SCAM.
I expect better from Texas that that. What a profound disappointment that anyone in Texas would tolerate that sort of underhandedness.
Around here, paperwork is required - you have to show proof of insurance. So at least the buyer is running around with insurance on the vehicle, or the stickers are expired.
I see cars with the wrong plates on them in a certain part of town. Here trailer plates have a special number sequence and it is very common to see a trailer plate on a Dodge van.
I forgot...you are right about the liability insurance. However, the insurance company will have to verify the vehicle you are driving by title.....and that could cause a problem.
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