Texas vehicle inspection system is not operational

Austin - In a developing story that could affect millions of Texas car owners, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has temporarily halted the state's vehicle inspection services, Dallas Metro News reported.

The system went down unexpectedly last Wednesday, and there is currently no set date for its restoration.

Andrew Villarreal, an inspection official caught up in the challenges of the system outage, expressed concern over the ensuing difficulties.

Villarreal stated that the shutdown of the state-wide vehicle inspection system is not a standalone issue. He has been forced to turn away many customers whose vehicle tags are about to expire.

"(Then) they get pulled over and when they do get pulled over they have to tell them 'I wasn't able to an inspection because our shop couldn't do the state inspection but in reality it's a Texas wide thing," Villarreal said.

Adding to this complex situation, Sgt. Harold Mallory, the Public Information Officer for the Texas DPS, clarified the role of law enforcement officers during this service disruption.

If a driver is pulled over for an expired tag, the consequences—ranging from a citation to a simple warning—will depend on the discretion of the officer handling the stop.

Additionally, Sgt. Mallory provided specific information for those with inspection appointments set for the remaining days of August. Drivers should note that tags will expire on Thursday, August 31. A five-day grace period will be granted to accommodate any inspection delays.

Credit: Dallas Metro News, Texas Department of Public Safety, KRIS-TV