The Texas DPS serves as your primary hub for information and legal processes concerning the ability to drive in Texas. You will find everything you need to apply for or renew a drivers license, register and title a recently purchased car, or change recorded important personal information such as your current home address. The DPS is also the best place to find out about the important laws you’ll need to know if you want to be a safe and responsible driver- including the Texas driving point system and what to do if your license is ever suspended.
Locate the Closest DPS Office
The DPS has branches scattered throughout every county of Texas. You can go to any branch to take care of your important license- and car-related tasks. The DPS offers a convenient branch locator which will automatically tell you the nearest locations to your address. When you have located the nearest branch, take a moment to check its operating hours, or if there are any restrictions on the types of services they offer. Each branch is subject to its own unique availability and schedule policies.
Booking an Appointment for your Driving Test
Remember, everyone who drives uses the DPS. This means long wait lines can form, even at the most random and unexpected times of day. You can easily end up waiting for a few hours just to spend a few minutes with a DPS representative. When you need to take a driving test with the DPS, you can use their online appointment setter so that you won’t have to wait in line with everyone else who needs to take care of their various problems. For other services, try to go at a time when there are likely to be fewer people waiting, such as before the lunch hour rush or during the middle of the week. Better yet – check the Texas DPS Online Services page to see if you can take care of your DPS business from home!
Find the Right Forms with the DPS
It also helps to make sure you have all the proper forms and other requirements you’ll need before you arrive at the DPS office. Though all of the DPS forms you’ll need for whatever you are doing are available in person at the office, you can save time by finding them online and filling them out ahead of time. The most common forms used at the DPS are those required for applying for a license, permit, or registration, but you can also find forms for accident reports and other incidentals that need reporting from time to time. You can even download the entire Texas driver’s handbook from the DPS site.
Understand the Texas DPS Point System
Texas uses a point system called the Driver’s Responsibility Program to punish drivers who make frequent violations behind the wheel. At the DPS, you can learn exactly how many points each violation is worth, and the short- and long-term consequences of accumulating these points on your record. Everything from speeding tickets to a DUI will count against you, though some will be nominal in their influence and others will cause an immediate suspension of your driving privileges. These points will also go on to influence you in other ways, such as raising your auto insurance rates now that you are seen as a greater liability in the eyes of your provider.
Get a Copy of Your Texas Driving Record
The best way to stay up to date with the status of your license and any potential negative blemishes on it is to order an official copy of your Texas driving record. This can be done immediately online, and printed out for your own records. Driving records are also used as a screening measure for employment, and by your auto insurance company to determine the liability you pose for them.
Navigating the DPS can seem a little daunting for anyone, but with continued practice and reference, you will learn how to get exactly what you need in as little time as possible.
