“We have not kept up with the growth in population in Texas,” said Col. Freeman Martin, the new DPS director, in a video released by the agency Dec. 10. “We face more threats than we’ve ever faced, and we ask more of our people than we’ve ever asked.”
The DPS is asking state lawmakers for nearly $229 million to address these challenges, according to the agency’s legislative appropriations request for fiscal years 2026-27. This would allow the DPS to upgrade appointment technology and hire 1,224 new employees to staff driver license offices and remote call centers.
What’s happening
The DPS does not have enough employees to meet demand for driver license services in major metropolitan areas, Martin said. Texans have to wait over 60 days for driver license appointments in some areas of the state, according to the appropriations request, while a few areas have wait times over 90 days.
The request would add 833 driver license employees in the upcoming biennium, which begins Sept. 1. The documents do not state how many people currently work in DPS’ driver license division.
“We do really well in the rural areas of Texas,” Martin said. “In the large cities, we struggle with staffing. ... To address the staffing issues, we're working with temporary agencies and we're trying to streamline processes.”
The agency has 81 call center staff members who answer Texans’ questions about licensing and identification services, according to the budget request. Since 2020, the DPS customer service center has received over 47 million calls and could only answer about 2.5 million due to insufficient staffing.
“If the current staffing limitations persist, unanswered calls and emails are projected to rise, delaying services to customers, and leaving them frustrated,” the request states. “This could translate into missed appointments, delays in obtaining essential documents and ultimately, a decline in public trust in the state's ability to deliver efficient services.”
More details
Martin said imminent REAL ID requirements are adding to appointment delays, as it takes time to review documents and issue new driver licenses. Beginning May 7, American adults will need REAL ID-compliant licenses to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities, according to the federal government.
Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005, in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack. The act established minimum security standards for license issuance and production, which were set to go into effect in 2020—however, the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues led to years of delays.
In Texas, a REAL ID-compliant license or ID will have a gold star in the top right corner, according to the state. The upgraded ID will be required to fly within the U.S., but Texans can still use an unexpired license to drive, purchase age-restricted items and more.
- An original or certified copy of their birth certificate or an unexpired U.S. passport
- A Social Security card
- Current Texas vehicle registration or title, if applicable
- Current car insurance policy, if applicable
- Legal documents showing proof of a name change, if applicable
Martin said the DPS is considering technology upgrades that would allow Texans to upload documents to a secure online portal, as it can take hours to verify documents at a driver license office.
“We're also looking at upgrades to the appointment system,” Martin said in the video. “A large issue in our major cities is the 30% no show rate. So we’re looking at upgrades to the system that allow people to easily cancel their appointment and [give] them reminders where they have to verify that they're going to be in the office on the time that they're scheduled.”
Also of note
The agency also aims to add 500 state troopers and special agents to ease workloads for current state law enforcement officers, according to the request. The Texas Highway Patrol has 2,802 commissioned troopers, per the DPS website.
“We put a tremendous amount of responsibility and workload on our people,” Martin said in the video. “We pull them out of one area and deploy them to another area. The troopers, agents, the rangers that are left behind, they have an increased workload. So a lot of times, if they're not working, they're on call.”
