Transferring TN CDL to a TX CDL ?

What is not being considered here are 2 legal definitions that make ALL the difference.

1: Domicile. You may only have 1 domicile. In order to establish a legal domicile a number of criteria have to be met.
The most common ones are where you have your drivers license, where the vehicles you own are titled, operated and insured, whether you own or rent real estate that is considered you primary address, who you pay state income taxes to, where you doctors are, many others. The state of Pennsylvania had over 50 of them. As has been mentioned the Escapees RV Club will provide these services, and their website gives a ton of information on the topic.

2. Residence. You can have MANY residences, but only one will qualify for your domicile. You have to establish which one due to your circumstances.
Just getting a drivers license or a mailing address is not sufficient to make it a domicile.

I played this game for 5 years, using Escapees as my option because i actually lived full time in a 5th wheel trailer and moved it to different locations several times during the year. But I also had Pennsylvania try to say that my domicile was still there long after I had left, they tried to charge me PA income tax even if I had done everything required through Escapees to establish in Texas. Escapees was a big help in this case.

 

@Studebaker Hawk well said.
There have been cases where people setup domicile in a low tax state then try to get local resident privileges somewhere else. That is pennywise pound foolish.

Having "Professional relationships" i.e. doctor, veterinary, dental, Moose club memberships or other stuff where the new lower tax domicile is helps with defense on those higher tax states.

These extra burdens of proof are why I don't jump on the bandwagon. Still considering though.

 

Don't need all that proof with Escapees RV Club. Register your vehicle there and your mail will go there for more proof.

 

You know how long and complicated issues with state bureaucracies happen? They often happen by people using creative plans, schemes, strategies to get around the bureaucratic requirements. Bureaucrats look at your paperwork, you, your explanation and all they are doing is deciding does your stuff/situation go into Pile A or Pile B, or Pile C. The clerk is trained that Pile A requires X, Y, or Z. Clerks also have experience of the most common way the public tries to get around what The System requires. Someone sitting alone in a room or a truck convincing themselves H,J, or K are just as good as requirements X, Y, or Z IS NOT the same as a govt clerk accepting H, J, or K in place of what their rules require.

There is a big difference between convincing a clerk in a bureaucracy of something and convincing yourself of something the first time you attempt to do it. The clerk may see a situation 30 times per day for last 5 years. They have more experience with the issue than the guy in a room hatching a plan. When the rules are posted online, at least go read what those rules require. If you have sufficient internet to post/read this forum you have sufficient internet to use an internet search engine, enter the state name + question and hit enter.

 

I have used the Escapees option the last six years. My license says 187 Rainbow Drive #xxxx, Livingston TX 77399. My voter registration is there. I voted there last election. My car is registered there. We no longer have to have a state safety inspection on our cars as of Jan 1, 2025. It's Polk County, a small county so there is no emission testing there for cars.

I moved back from the Northeast and was able to get my old driver license number. I got it all done in the same day, but it's an administrative pain. I worked 8 years in Texas with an Ohio license before I changed it. I paid the Ohio taxes every year but took my time off in Texas. And if I lived in Texas and worked in another state I would pay their income taxes if they had them. It's between me and the state, no reason for an employer to get involved, especially a trucking company.

 

Texas requires proof of residency with a physical address on it. You cannot put a PO box on a CDL anymore, they quit doing that several years ago. And it is illegal to possess more than one DL at a time.

 

I'm wondering about the most mentioned on here. Wouldn't it have too many listed for addresses?

Someone mentioned voting.

50 nuns had their votes denied because they all had the same address. They were accused of voter fraud.

 

I moved from Arkansas to New Hampshire. It was no harder to transfer a CDL than a regular drivers license. The hazmat has to be retaken in whatever state you transfer the CDL to.

I worked for two months in New Hampshire on my Arkansas CDL before getting it switched over and it was no problem the company I worked for.

 

Tak a few days off/vacation, then go to Texas and do what's necessary to switch your CDL to Texas. After that's done, return to Tennessee and go back to work. Tell your company you have a Texas CDL, and only after you find a new job, and don't be in a hurry to do that. Take as long as it takes to hire on with another company that hires with a Texas CDL and using your new Texas address; a week, two weeks, a month or whatever. Once you're hired, simply resign your current company and say you're moving to Texas. Don't even mention you already have a Texas CDL.