Ever wonder why it takes so long to get an appointment at a Texas driver's license office? Four years after the state launched a new appointment system, data obtained by NBC 5 Investigates shows huge staffing shortages inside Texas DPS offices and customers still subjected to massive delays for appointments.
In 2012, NBC 5 Investigates launched an award-winning series titled "You're Gonna Wait," which exposed the unbelievable hours Texas drivers spent waiting in line at Texas Department of Public Service license offices. The promise from the DPS then was that "Mega Centers" being built in Garland and Fort Worth would dramatically improve wait times.
That hasn't proven to be the case. Now, 12 years later, the wait to get into a driver's license office has grown from hours to sometimes months.
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From the outside, a DPS license office looks better than in 2012. There are no longer lines of people spilling out into a hot parking lot and wrapping around the building. There's still a line, though. Instead of waiting in person, the wait is now online.
NBC 5 Investigates looked at the state's appointment system in early August and found the first available appointment at some DFW area offices was two or three months away.
Fort Worth's first available appointment wasn't until late January, almost six months away.
That's why there are some unhappy customers.
"It's a different kind of wait. Now you're waiting months instead of hours at the building," said one driver who spoke to NBC 5 Investigates outside of a license office.
"It's crazy. You used to just come here and do your paperwork and get your driving license. Now ... it takes a work of Congress to get your driver's license," said Angela McDonnell, a customer at the Fort Worth DPS office on Woodway Drive near Altamesa Boulevard.
NBC 5 Investigates obtained the latest wait time data from the Texas DPS. At 116 offices, it took longer to get an appointment this spring compared to last spring, and at least 45 DPS offices had an average wait of more than 30 days.
"So the ultimate goal obviously, would be to try and get people within five to 10 days," said Sheri Gipson, chief of the Texas DPS license division.
Gipson acknowledged that some locations are way off when it comes to meeting that target and that the DPS isn't providing great customer service when people have to wait 30 to 60 days for an appointment.
"Is it the greatest customer service? No, sir. It's not. We understand that. We know that there's still room for improvement," Gipson said.
Gipson said her staff is constantly examining each office with the goal of bringing down wait times.
"The thing that we're shooting for right now, primarily, is to get every office down below 60 days because you have to take it in small increments," Gipson said.
State Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) is vice chair of the Senate Transporation Committee. NBC 5 Investigates shared with him the data we obtained from the DPS showing wait times have increased at more than 100 offices.
"I think it's ridiculous," West said of the 2-3 month wait times at many DFW area offices. "It says a couple of things. Number one that we don't have the personnel. That's number one."
There's no doubt the DPS has staffing challenges. Statewide, the DPS said about 13% of driver's license office jobs are vacant. But in bigger cities, that number jumps to 25%, meaning that in areas like North Texas, even on a good day when employees aren't on vacation or sick, they're still short in one out of every four positions.
Gipson said the problem is the salary, with driver's license office specialists starting at $39,000 annually.
"It's still a difficult position to fill because the salary that our in our license and permit specialists make is not necessarily competitive in a market like Dallas-Fort Worth," Gipson said.
Because some companies are paying higher salaries for jobs that allow people to work remotely, the DPS said they are considering ways they can offer similar perks. DPS officials revealed in our interview that they are considering a virtual appointment system that would allow some staff to handle license appointments through a computer screen to do that work remotely, possibly from areas of the state where the cost of living is lower than in the larger cities.
"So, that will increase the number of people that a person can serve. And then you can also hire people across the state. And when they're finished with one customer, they get the next customer in line," Gipson said.
West said he was intrigued by the concept.
"I mean, we're doing it with doctors. We're doing it with appointments. You have virtual appointments with doctors now," West said.
When state lawmakers meet in January, the DPS said it will ask them to fund a virtual system.
Meanwhile, the DPS is still trying to fix another problem. DPS data showed that in 2023, about 2.1 million people didn't show up for their appointments. Data obtained in May 2024 showed that some DFW-area offices have more than 4,000 no-shows each month.
Those are appointment slots that, once taken, are unavailable to anyone else. And when those filled appointments go unused, that's wasted time that the DPS can't get back to serve other drivers.
Gipson said the DPS is working on a way to better estimate the number of no-shows in advance so that it can open up more last-minute appointments for others to use. That process might allow people to snag an appointment more quickly as it did for some drivers NBC 5 Investigates met at license offices in recent months.
Elsa Kahn said she originally scheduled an appointment for September but kept looking for rescheduling opportunities. She told NBC 5 Investigates she'd search online early in the morning and eventually found an office in the Metroplex where she could get an appointment in days or weeks, not months.
Still, so many Texans are unable to find appointments more quickly.
"I feel like we deserve a whole lot better. We really do," said Alfredo Silva.
Drivers trying to renew a license over the phone will also find massive waits. The DPS said it only has 50 people available to answer phone calls and that they get about 20,000 calls about driver's licenses each day. The operators answer only about 13% of calls, and data obtained by NBC 5 Investigates indicates that number may even be lower on some days, more like 5% to 7% of calls.
OTHER OPTIONS FOR LICENSE RENEWALS/TRANSFERS
Driver's license offices offer services by appointment only. While same-day appointments may be available at select offices, it's a good idea to check first to see if you're eligible for a renewal online.
New Texas residents must apply for a Texas license in person.
If you just need a renewal or to replace a lost card, you can likely do it online without going into an office. The DPS also allows drivers to change their address and emergency contacts online. Texas driver's licenses are usually renewed for eight years and can be renewed up to two years before and after the expiration date listed on the license.
Younger drivers needing learner permits or provisional licenses must visit a driver's license office. The same is true for senior drivers aged 79 and up. Licenses for senior drivers between 79 and 84 are good for six years, while those for drivers 85 and up are good for two years.
Learner licenses are good for six months and expire on a driver's 18th birthday. Provisional licenses for drivers aged 16-17 expire at age 18 and can be renewed online. At the age of 21, a driver with a provisional license will receive an unrestricted license.
State-issued ID cards are available for people 18 and up who do not need a driver's license. ID cards are good for six years and must be obtained at a DPS office.
