October 21, 2026 Farhad Musazada

Kei Trucks for Landscaping and Property Maintenance Crews in Houston

By Farhad Musazada, owner of Skyline Kei Trucks. Last updated: October 21, 2026. Based on Senate Bill 1816, TxDMV, FMCSA and TDI guidance, and the manufacturers' 1999–2001 catalogs; statutes, agency pages and catalogs verified October 2026; equipment and sod weights are published manufacturer and extension figures (sources at the end). General information, not legal, tax or insurance advice.

Key facts

Size: A 1999–2001 Suzuki Carry is 3,395 × 1,475 mm (11 ft 2 in × 4 ft 10 in) and turns in a 4.1 m (13.5 ft) radius, per Suzuki's catalog; a Hijet turns in 3.8 m (12.5 ft).
Bed: Carry bed: 1,940 × 1,410 mm (6 ft 4 in × 4 ft 7 in), three fold-down sides, 350 kg (about 770 lb) rating. Roughly a third of a sod pallet, or one commercial walk-behind mower.
Road use: Since June 20, 2025, a titled and registered kei truck can run Houston streets under Senate Bill 1816. Comfortable speed is 45 to 55 mph; route on surface streets.
Business paperwork: Title, registration and the 6.25 percent sales tax are the same for a person or an LLC. A loaded Carry is about 1,090 kg (2,400 lb), far under the 26,000 lb Texas and 10,001 lb federal motor carrier thresholds.
Insurance: A personal auto policy won't cover business driving, per the Texas Department of Insurance. Get a commercial auto quote before you buy; some insurers don't write kei trucks.

Why are Houston crews looking at kei trucks?

A Houston landscaping or property maintenance crew works in short hops between properties. Its vehicle needs to carry a few hundred pounds, fit where a full-size pickup won't, run legally on public streets and cost little to keep. A kei truck is built around those four things: a Japanese mini truck with a 660 cc engine, a body no more than 3.4 m long and 1.48 m wide, and a 350 kg (about 770 lb) load rating. We import them directly from Japan at 25 years old or more and sell them at 6100 Harvey Wilson Dr, Houston, TX 77020.

Road legal. Since Senate Bill 1816 took effect on June 20, 2025, Texas treats a kei truck as a "miniature vehicle" that can be titled, registered and driven on public roads if it can comply with traffic laws. Texas does not register a UTV for general street use; our kei truck vs. UTV guide covers those rules.
Narrow and short. A 1999–2001 Carry or Hijet is 1,475 mm (58 in) wide and 3,395 mm (11 ft 2 in) long. Ford's 2026 specifications put a regular-cab F-150 with the 6.5-ft box at 79.9 in (2,029 mm) wide without mirrors and 209.4 in (17 ft 5 in) long, turning in 41.2 ft (12.6 m) curb-to-curb; the Carry's 4.1 m (13.5 ft) radius, measured at the outer front tire, is about 27 ft across.
Cheap to run. Suzuki's 1999 catalog rates the Carry at 14.4 to 16.6 km/L (about 34 to 39 mpg) on Japan's 10-15 mode test.

It is not a full-size truck: no manufacturer publishes a towing rating, the bed is rated for 350 kg, and 45 to 55 mph is the comfortable cruising range.

What fits in the bed?

Suzuki's catalog gives the 1999–2001 Carry a bed 1,940 mm long by 1,410 mm wide with 290 mm sides (6 ft 4 in by 4 ft 7 in by 11 in). All three sides fold down for loading from the curb side. Level with the sides, that is about 0.8 cubic meters (28 cubic feet, roughly a cubic yard). Honda's 1999 release quotes a 660 mm (26 in) bed floor height for the Acty.

The limit is weight, not volume. Every kei truck is rated for 350 kg (about 770 lb), covering everything on the bed. Examples with published weights:

Sod. A pallet typically holds 450 to 500 square feet and "may weigh as much as a ton," per Mississippi State University Extension. A kei truck carries roughly a third of a pallet per trip; have full pallets delivered and stage pieces with the truck.
Mowers. Toro lists its 48-inch ProLine mid-size walk-behind at 654 lb (396.6 kg): under the rating, with about 115 lb left for trimmers, a blower and fuel. Its 48-inch Z Master 4000 zero-turn is 1,130 lb (512.6 kg), over the rating by itself; a riding mower stays on the trailer behind a bigger truck.
Bulk mulch and soil. Weights vary with moisture, so ask the yard for the scale ticket and keep the load under 770 lb; the payload FAQ explains the rating.

Catalog figure	Suzuki Carry DA52T/DB52T, 1999–2001	Daihatsu Hijet S210P, 1999–2001
Length × width × height	3,395 × 1,475 × 1,790 mm	3,395 × 1,475 × 1,780 mm
Bed, inside	1,940 × 1,410 mm, 290 mm sides; three fold-down sides	not listed on our source page
Load rating	350 kg (about 770 lb)	350 kg (kei class limit)
Minimum turning radius	4.1 m (13.5 ft)	3.8 m (12.5 ft)

Truck, dump or van?

Match the body to the work.

Flat-bed truck. The simplest and most common: three fold-down sides and a flat floor, for anything loaded by hand several times a day.
Dump truck. The same 660 cc truck with a tipping bed: a hydraulic ram, driven by an electric pump or a power take-off from the gearbox, lifts the bed from a switch in the cab. The rating is the same 350 kg. Clippings, leaves, storm debris and gravel tip out in seconds. See our kei dump trucks.
Van. The enclosed version: one-box body, sliding rear doors, seats for four, rear seats that fold flat. Honda quotes a 2,640 mm (8 ft 8 in) cargo length for the 1999 Acty Van with the seats down. It suits irrigation and lighting techs, pool service and pest control. See our kei vans.

Two-wheel drive is enough for streets and lawns. Part-time 4x4 earns its keep on wet turf, detention pond slopes and construction mud; the Carry catalog lists a two-speed high/low transfer case on 4WD models.

Does a kei truck have A/C for a Houston summer?

Houston's normal July high at Bush Intercontinental is 94.5 °F (34.7 °C), per the National Weather Service's 1991–2020 normals. Factory air conditioning was optional on these trucks in Japan; Suzuki's 1999 Carry catalog lists separate curb weights for air-conditioned versions. So some trucks have A/C and some don't: ask about the specific truck, or inspect and test drive it at our lot with the A/C running. Every vehicle is sold as is by Wideway Motors LLC.

How do crews run a kei truck between properties?

Senate Bill 1816 requires that a miniature vehicle "has been registered and titled in accordance with the laws of this state" and "is capable of operating in compliance with applicable traffic laws," and adds no speed cap or road-class ban of its own.

These trucks were built for Japan's 60 km/h (37 mph) roads and are comfortable at 45 to 55 mph (see our FAQ): subdivision streets, surface arterials, frontage roads and farm-to-market roads, not freeway main lanes, where a slow vehicle impedes traffic. Right-hand drive puts the driver on the curb side, next to the mailbox and the gate keypad.

The first trip is the exception: a kei truck cannot be driven until it is titled and registered, so it leaves our lot on a trailer or a carrier (670 to 750 kg, about 1,480 to 1,650 lb, empty per the catalogs). Then the county tax office within 30 days of the sale: the VTR-68-A VIN inspection by a police auto theft unit, Form 130-U, sales tax and registration. Our Texas title and registration guide walks through it; the Houston page has the Harris County specifics.

What paperwork does a business need?

The forms are the same as for an individual buyer, with the company's name on them.

Title and registration. Texas registers light trucks by weight, not by who owns them. TxDMV lists a $50.75 base fee for cars and lighter pickups plus a county fee of $0 to $31.50. The title goes in the business's name on the same Form 130-U.
Sales tax. 6.25 percent of the sales price, paid to the county tax assessor-collector, per the Texas Comptroller, whose page lists no exemption for an ordinary business purchase.
TxDMV number. Not for a kei truck. TxDMV's triggers for intrastate motor carrier registration are a vehicle or combination with a gross weight exceeding 26,000 lb, placarded hazardous materials, a farm vehicle of 48,000 lb or more, more than 15 passengers, a commercial school bus, or household goods for pay. A Carry with 350 kg on the bed weighs about 1,090 kg (2,400 lb).
USDOT number. Also no. FMCSA's threshold starts at a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 10,001 lb, plus passenger and hazmat criteria. Texas is on FMCSA's list of states that require USDOT numbers from intrastate carriers, but that applies to commercial motor vehicles, not a 2,400 lb truck; a heavier truck in the same fleet has its own rules.
Safety inspection. Texas ended the annual safety inspection for non-commercial vehicles on January 1, 2025 and replaced it with a $7.50 fee at registration, per DPS. The release says "all commercial vehicles" still need one without defining the term; if you register the truck to a business, ask the county tax office. Harris County emissions testing covers gasoline vehicles 2 through 24 years old, so a 25-year-old kei truck is outside it.
Insurance. The Texas Department of Insurance says personal auto policies "won't cover driving for business" and the insurer "could deny your claims" if you don't disclose it. Ask for a commercial auto policy in the business's name, or, for a personally owned truck used on jobs, a business-use add-on, which TDI says typically costs less. Texas requires at least 30/60/25 liability either way, and some insurers do not write kei trucks, so get the quote before you pay a deposit.

We don't title or register vehicles; you get the Japanese export certificate with an English translation, the U.S. Customs entry, the DOT HS-7 and EPA 3520-1 forms and a bill of sale.

What should a crew budget?

Our Texas cost guide covers purchase prices, tax and fees with a worked example. Running costs to plan for:

Fuel. Regular unleaded. The catalogs' 14.4 to 17.0 km/L (34 to 40 mpg) comes from Japan's low-speed 10-15 mode lab cycle, so treat it as a ceiling for a loaded truck in Houston traffic. The tank holds 38 to 40 L (10 to 10.6 gallons).
Registration. $50.75 base plus the county fee and the $7.50 inspection replacement fee, each year.
Routine service. Oil and filter, coolant, brake fluid, tires and, on belt-driven engines, the timing belt at the manufacturer's interval.

Pickup at our lot is free; for buyers outside Houston we help arrange independent carriers, paid by the buyer.

Frequently asked questions

Can a landscaping company drive a kei truck on Houston streets?

Yes, once it is titled and registered. Senate Bill 1816, in effect since June 20, 2025, lets a miniature vehicle use a public highway if it is registered and titled in Texas and can comply with traffic laws. Keep it on surface streets and frontage roads, where 45 to 55 mph fits the traffic.

How much can a kei truck carry for landscaping work?

350 kg (about 770 lb), covering everything on the bed: roughly a third of a sod pallet, which can weigh as much as a ton, or one 48-inch commercial walk-behind (Toro's ProLine is 654 lb) with about 115 lb to spare. A 1,130 lb commercial zero-turn is over the rating by itself.

Does a business kei truck need a DOT number in Texas?

No. TxDMV motor carrier registration starts at a gross weight exceeding 26,000 lb (or placarded hazmat, more than 15 passengers or household goods for pay), and FMCSA's USDOT threshold at a 10,001 lb gross vehicle weight rating. A loaded kei truck is about 1,090 kg (2,400 lb).

Can a kei truck tow a mower trailer?

No manufacturer publishes a towing rating for these trucks: the catalogs give a 350 kg load rating and nothing for a trailer. For a trailer with a riding mower on it, use the full-size truck.

Sources

Written by Farhad Musazada, owner of Skyline Kei Trucks

Farhad imports more than 300 kei trucks a year to Houston and meets buyers at the lot at 6100 Harvey Wilson Dr. He writes these guides from the paperwork our buyers take to the county tax office and the official sources listed on each page. Spotted something out of date? Email us and we will check it.

Ready to look? Browse kei trucks for sale in Houston, see what is in Houston now or arriving soon, or call or text (713) 385-9798.

All vehicles are sold by Wideway Motors LLC as is, with no warranty.