The Texas Department of Public Safety notes that out of state violations are placed on a Texas driving record, however it does not mention if they are brought over from your previous state's driving record or not .We thus posed this question to DPS to find out if you would start fresh in Texas or if your Ohio driving record would transfer onto your new Texas driver's history.

The License Issuance Bureau of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) responded to our query saying that as long as any previous tickets were taken care of and your Ohio license is not suspended, revoked, etc you could obtain a Texas driver's license and these previous Ohio moving violations should not show up on the Texas driving record. These should mean that as long as you do not have any unresolved issues in Ohio with your license you should be able to request and obtain a Texas driver's license and start fresh there with a new driving record.

If you did have issues with your driver's license in Ohio due to the accumulation of 6 points, unpaid tickets, etc they would need to be taken care of before applying for a Texas license.

As for insurance, even without the Ohio moving violation convictions or points transferring over to your new Texas driving record your OH driving record can still affect your TX insurance rates. Most insurance companies will pull your previous state's motor vehicle record (MVR) if you have moved in the last few years to check that driving record as well as your current state's driving record. Insurers want to get a good picture of your driving history so a relatively new driving record in Texas will not be enough, they will also check your Ohio record. Some insurance companies go back 3 years other insurance carriers go back 5 or even 7 years. In some instances a carrier may not pull your OH license information but then only give you a rate based upon your experience in Texas.

It will depend upon the type of moving violations you were convicted of (minor or major offense) as well as your insurance company's rating system if the Ohio traffic infractions will affect your rates. To get the best rates available to you, shop around for Texas auto insurance.