Sec. 144.023. VEHICLES; PERMIT REQUIRED

(a) A vehicle used to transport dead animals or renderable raw materials to or from a rendering establishment must:

(1) be leak-proof and maintained in a manner that precludes the creation of a nuisance; and

(2) comply with each applicable requirement for operation on the public roads or highways, including applicable insurance requirements and gross vehicle weight limitations.

(b) A collection vehicle shall be held to a minimum number of stops, and the stops shall be brief, while traveling to the establishment with dead animals or renderable raw materials. Each collection vehicle shall be washed and sanitized at the end of each day's operations.

(c) A truck bed used to transport dead animals or renderable raw materials shall be thoroughly washed and sanitized before use for the transport of finished rendered products. A truck bed used to transport dead animals or renderable raw materials to a rendering establishment, or to transfer finished rendered products from an establishment, shall, before being used to transport any product intended for human consumption, be thoroughly sanitized with a bactericidal agent that is determined by the department to be safe in a rendering establishment. A truck bed may not be used to transport dead animals or renderable raw materials at the same time the truck bed or any part of the truck bed is used to transport any product intended for human consumption, notwithstanding the manner in which part of the truck bed is sealed or separated from the remainder of the bed.

(d) The owner of a vehicle may not operate the vehicle on public roads and highways to haul dead animals or renderable raw materials unless the owner holds a permit for the vehicle issued by the department. To obtain a permit for the vehicle from the department, the owner must provide to the department:

(1) the owner's name and address;

(2) a description of the operations to be performed under the registration;

(3) the year, make, model, license plate number, and manufacturer's vehicle identification number for the vehicle;

(4) a list of names of drivers employed by the hauler to drive the vehicle and their driver's license numbers; and

(5) any other information required by the department.

(e) The department may require that a dead animal or renderable raw material hauling vehicle conspicuously display a permit decal issued by the department and the number and license holder's name for any operating license required under Section 144.011. As a condition of issuance and maintenance of the permit, the department may require that the vehicle comply with any other construction, operational, maintenance, inspection, and marking requirements as prescribed by the department.

Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 678, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989. Amended by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 485, Sec. 7, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.