The vehicle inspection system in Texas, managed by the Department of Public Safety (DPS), has experienced a nationwide outage. This disruption occurred on Wednesday, and there is currently no estimated timeframe for its restoration.
A local state inspector, Andrew Villarreal, shared that he has already been forced to decline numerous customers with impending tag expirations due to the system’s unavailability.
“It’s disheartening because, as their tags expire, they’re compelled to drive,” remarked Villarreal. “Subsequently, if they’re pulled over, they find themselves in the position of having to explain, ‘Our shop couldn’t conduct the state inspection due to the statewide issue in Texas.'”
Sergeant Harold Mallory, the local public information officer representing the Texas Department of Public Safety, indicated that should law enforcement stop you from having expired tags, the decision to issue a citation or a mere warning rests with the officer’s discretion.
Sgt. Mallory clarified that their sticker would generally expire on Thursday, August 31, for those scheduled for inspection in August. However, a five-day grace period exists to facilitate the vehicle’s inspection.