The Texas Department of Public Safety’s Driver License offices will reopen for regular business hours statewide on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, following the closure caused by the driver license system upgrade, according to the DPS. Online services will also be available.
The Texas Department of Public Safety had pushed appointments at driver's license offices further into Friday afternoon earlier in the day.
Since Tuesday, Texans have been turned away at DPS offices due to a systemwide problem with issuing licenses.
DPS canceled all appointments for Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 6-7, and said appointments on Friday would start at 11 a.m. Eight minutes before the doors were open Friday morning, the DPS pushed those start times until 2 p.m. at the earliest.
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"Customers are being notified of cancellations through their preferred email/phone number and are being given priority rebooking," the DPS said.
The DPS said the Garland Mega Center, Fort Worth Mega Center and Carrollton Mega Center remain open for appointments.
According to Texas DPS, an ongoing system upgrade that began over the Labor Day weekend is affecting people trying to renew or replace a driver's license, or identification card, obtain a driving record, or verify eligibility.
The problem disrupted offices and online services.
NBC 5 asked DPS if their system had been hacked. A spokesperson said no security issues have been reported.
DL offices will be extending hours in high-volume areas in order to accommodate rebooked appointments in the short-term. During this time, walk-in service will be very limited or unavailable at most locations as we work to serve those people who were impacted this week.
TEXAS DPS
Police departments across North Texas say they are aware of the ongoing issues and some are asking their officers to take it into consideration during traffic stops.
Dallas, Fort Worth and Plano Police Departments tell NBC 5 officers are use their discretion during traffic stops and make decisions based on each situation.
The Arlington Police Department says there is something motorists affected by the cancellations can do to help officers.
“We also encourage those who have been impacted by these cancellations to just make the officer aware of their situation,” said Arlington Police Sgt. Courtney White. “If they have proof, maybe an email or a text that their appointment was canceled, please show that to the officers.”
White also encourages motorists whose licenses will soon expire not to wait until the last minute to seek a renewal appointment.
