Driving a Right-Hand-Drive Kei Truck in Texas: Tips for New Owners

By Farhad Musazada, owner of Skyline Kei Trucks. Last updated: October 21, 2026. Based on Texas Transportation Code chapters 545 and 547, TxDOT and TxDPS pages, a U.S. Postal Service release and UNECE Regulation 112; statutes, TxDOT, TxDPS, USPS and NIST pages verified October 2026; speed tables are arithmetic from the NIST factor (sources at the end). General information, not legal advice.

Is it legal to drive a right-hand-drive vehicle in Texas?

Yes. We hear this more than any other question about the driving position, and there is nothing to point to. Texas vehicle equipment law is chapter 547 of the Transportation Code. It covers lamps, reflectors, brakes, a horn, mirrors, wipers, mufflers, safety belts and glazing, and has no section on which side the steering wheel sits. We are not lawyers, so we say it plainly: we know of no Texas statute that requires left-hand drive.

What Texas does require came with SB 1816 in 2025: a "miniature vehicle" may use a public highway only if it is titled and registered and "capable of operating in compliance with applicable traffic laws." That is about lights, brakes, signals and keeping up with traffic, not the seat. Our Texas title guide covers the paperwork; our legality guide covers the law.

Federally, NHTSA says a vehicle at least 25 years old "can be lawfully imported into the U.S." "without regard to whether it complies with all applicable FMVSS," the federal safety standards. That is Box 1 on the DOT HS-7 form that comes with every truck we sell.

For proof that right-hand drive is ordinary here, look at a mail truck. On February 23, 2021, the U.S. Postal Service awarded the contract for its Next Generation Delivery Vehicle, "a purpose-built, right-hand-drive vehicle for mail and package delivery," 50,000 to 165,000 of them over ten years. The carrier sits on the curb side to reach the mailbox. A kei truck puts you in the same seat.

Other states vary; see our 50-state laws map. Nothing here is a promise about another state.

What is different behind the wheel?

You sit on the right, next to the curb, in a cab at most 1.48 m (58 in) wide. The pedals are in the usual order, so your feet relearn nothing. The shift lever and parking brake are on your left.

Shifting with the left hand. The pattern is not mirrored: first is still at the top left of the gate, which now means up and away from you. Reverse varies by model; the diagram is on the knob. Our buyer's guide covers each model's transmission and 4x4 system.

Stalks. The turn-signal stalk is on the right of the column and the wiper stalk on the left, the reverse of an American car. The Japanese motoring press traces it to the Japanese industry standard (JIS); the ISO recommendation puts the signal on the left. The stalk still follows the rim of the wheel: down for right, up for left. Expect to wipe a dry windshield a few times in the first week.

Mirrors. The mirror beside you now shows the curb. The far mirror, on the left, is the one for lane changes and passing, so set it before you move and add a shoulder check that way.

Turning, passing and drive-throughs

Right turns are easy: you are on the inside of the corner with the curb in view. Left turns need one habit. Waiting behind another vehicle turning left, you sit farther from the center line and see less of the oncoming lane, so wait for the gap you can see.

Passing on a two-lane road is the one real disadvantage. In a left-hand-drive vehicle you edge toward the center line and look past the vehicle ahead; from the right seat you must move much of the truck into the oncoming lane before you can see. Texas allows a pass only when the left side is "clearly visible and free of approaching traffic" for enough distance, and you must be back in your lane before coming within 200 feet (61 m) of an approaching vehicle (§545.054). A 660 cc engine needs more road to get by, too. Our rule: hang back far enough to see ahead through the gap (§545.062 requires an "assured clear distance" anyway) and pass only when the road is straight and empty for a long way.

Drive-throughs put the window on the left. Reach across, which most drivers can do in a kei truck; let a passenger do the handoff; or park and walk in. The payoff is the curbside mailbox, reached from the driver's seat, which is why the Postal Service specifies right-hand drive.

Tolls, parking and ticket machines

There is no toll booth to reach across. TxDOT says it plainly: "All tolls are collected electronically on TxDOT's toll roads in the Houston area." The tag is a sticker inside the windshield behind the mirror; an overhead reader "sends a signal to the microchip inside the sticker" and the toll comes out of a prepaid account. Without a tag, a camera reads your plate and TxDOT mails an invoice "at the higher rates and additional fees."

In Houston the tag to get is the EZ TAG from the Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA), which since November 9, 2024 has also handled TxDOT's toll transactions and TxTag billing. Open the account after you register; it is tied to your plate. The Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority was the first in the country to eliminate cash from all lanes and offers no pay-by-mail, so have a tag before the Fort Bend Parkway.

Garage ticket machines are on the left: pull in close, stop with the machine level with the far door, and reach across, or let a passenger grab the ticket. Parking gets easier: the curb is on your side, and a kei truck is at most 3.4 m (11 ft 2 in) long, so it fits a compact space.

How do I read a speedometer in km/h?

Every truck we sell keeps its Japanese cluster: the speedometer reads kilometers per hour and the odometer counts kilometers (our FAQ explains why). One mile is 1.609344 km (NIST); the quick rule is km/h times 0.6, a little under the true figure.

Most owners learn the numbers on their own routes, 56 km/h for a 35 mph street and 105 km/h for a 65 mph highway, and stop converting.

Headlamps, kids, weather and where to practice

Headlamps aimed for the other side of the road

Japanese lamps are built for traffic that keeps left. UNECE Regulation 112, the UN headlamp rule, describes a low beam with an asymmetric cut-off: flat to the left and raised to the right for right-hand traffic, the mirror image for left-hand traffic. The raised part lights the curb and signs in Japan; on a Texas road it points at oncoming drivers. Some lamps serve both systems with an "R/D" and "L/G" setting.

Section 547.333 requires the low beam to reveal a person or vehicle at least 150 feet (46 m) ahead and to be aimed so that "no part of the high-intensity portion of the beam" "projects into the eyes of an approaching vehicle operator." Before the first night drive, have a shop with an aiming machine set the beams, or fit lamps made for right-hand traffic. Ask us about a specific truck; we do not claim its lamps have been changed unless we say so.

Seat belts and child seats

A kei truck has two seats, both in front. Anyone 15 or older in a belted seat must wear the belt, and the driver answers for passengers under 17 (§545.413). A child younger than eight rides in a child safety seat used per the seat maker's instructions unless taller than 4 ft 9 in (145 cm); the fine is $25 to $250 (§545.412). The statute sets ages and heights, not a seat position, so the seat maker's instructions on front-seat use decide; we add no advice beyond the law. No one under 18 may ride in the open bed (§545.414). Texas DPS summarizes all three.

Rain and flooding

Houston floods, and a kei truck sits low. The National Weather Service says "it only takes 12 inches of water to wash a car off the road," 30 cm; Texas DPS says "two feet of rushing water will carry off pick-up trucks, SUVs and most other vehicles." A kei truck is smaller and lighter than a full-size pickup. Do not drive into water you cannot see the bottom of: turn around, don't drown.

Where to practice

A kei truck cannot go on a public road until it is titled and registered, so it leaves our lot on a trailer or with a carrier. Once the plates are on, start in an empty parking lot: run the stalks, shift through the gears, and park between lines until you know where the left side of the truck is. Then quiet streets, a drive-through at an off hour, and a toll road with the tag on the glass. Most owners adjust quickly (our FAQ). To sit in one first, come by our Houston lot.

Frequently asked questions

Is right-hand drive legal in Texas?

Yes. No Texas statute requires the steering wheel on the left; chapter 547 lists required equipment and says nothing about steering position. A kei truck must be titled and registered before it goes on a public road, and under SB 1816 it must be able to comply with traffic laws.

Do I need a special license for a right-hand-drive kei truck?

No. A regular Texas driver's license covers it. Insurance works like any other vehicle, and Texas requires at least 30/60/25 liability coverage to register. See our FAQ on licenses and insurance.

Do I have to change the headlights on a Japanese import?

Texas judges the result: §547.333 requires a low beam that keeps its high-intensity portion out of approaching drivers' eyes. Japanese lamps are built for left-hand traffic, so the raised part of the beam points at oncoming cars here. Have the aim set, or fit lamps made for right-hand traffic, before you drive at night.

Can a child ride in a kei truck?

The statutes set ages and heights, not a seat position. A child younger than eight needs a child safety seat used according to the seat maker's instructions unless taller than 4 ft 9 in (§545.412); a kei truck's only seats are in front, so those instructions on front-seat use decide. No one under 18 may ride in the open bed (§545.414).

Sources

1. Texas Transportation Code chapter 547 (vehicle equipment)
2. Texas Transportation Code chapter 545 (rules of the road)
3. Senate Bill 1816 (89th Legislature), enrolled text
4. Texas DPS: Texas Occupant Restraint Laws
5. NHTSA: Importation and Certification FAQs
6. USPS news release, February 23, 2021
7. TxDOT: Houston area toll roads
8. TxDOT: Paying tolls
9. TxDOT: How tags work
10. Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority: statewide interoperability and electronic toll tags
11. UNECE Regulation No. 112 (headlamps), EUR-Lex text
12. NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.8 conversion factors
13. National Weather Service: Flooding
14. Texas DPS: Water on the road, Turn Around, Don't Drown (February 2, 2012)
15. Autoc-one (Japanese motoring site): why Japanese cars have the signal stalk on the right

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.