Category: Industry News

Notice to our Dealers:

Over the weekend of November 20, 2015, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) will be performing a technology update as part of a broader TxDMV technology enhancement effort that will help position their systems for the future while also allowing for more customer-centric enhancements. As part of this deployment, users will not be able to access the mainframe and the applications it supports (the Registration and Title System, eTAGs, webDEALER, the Internet Vehicle Title Registration Service, and so on), beginning November 20, 2015, at 11:00 p.m. CST and ending November 23, 2015, at 7:00 a.m. CST.

Dealers will need to ensure they have sufficient Internet Down tags preprinted for this time period before the outage begins. As a reminder, every dealer should maintain a minimum of 30 Internet Down tags. Please remember that after using an Internet Down tag, you must enter the information for that tag into eTAGs as soon as the system is accessible. Doing this will ensure you always have the full allocation of unused Internet Down tags available when you need them. Also remember that unused Internet Down tags are valid for one year from the date they are printed.

The latest update to the Motor Vehicle Title Manual (see link below) is now available via Registration and Title System workstations and at www.txdmv.gov.

Changes have been made throughout the manual due to the recent Supreme Court decision on same sex marriage, primarily to Chapters 16, 17, and 18, changing the terms husband and wife to spouse(s) in most instances.

Additionally, the following are brief summaries of the chapters updated in the September 2015 revision.

Chapter 14 -Vehicle Types
Chapter 14 was reorganized and consolidated for clarity.  The following subsections were deleted: Multi-Purpose Type Vehicles, New, and Transfers.

Subsections labeled “Converted Trucks and Buses” and “Chopped, Cutaway, or Incomplete” were deleted as they were previously moved to the Assembled Vehicle Manual.

Section 14.2, “Motorcycles,” was updated with new definitions for “Enclosed Three Wheeled Motorcycles” and for “Autocycles” as a result of legislation passed during the 84th Legislative Session.  Registration and Title Bulletin (RTB) #004-15 was distributed May 26, 2015, to provide guidance regarding autocycles.

Section 14.7, subsection “Definition,” includes a statutory update on the width and length of house trailer type vehicles and camper trailers.

Section 14.14, “Miscellaneous Vehicle Types,” is a consolidation of smaller sections of material in this chapter. Within this new section, “Implements of Husbandry” was updated to reflect legislative changes passed during the 84th Legislative Session.

Chapter 15 – Odometers
Section 15.7, “Correcting Odometer Errors,” was created, in part, from an existing section. In addition, the “Odometer Errors Caught by NMVTIS” subsection was created to provide guidance on the requirements for correcting odometer readings that are not a result of a data entry.

Chapter 23 – Foreclosure of Miscellaneous Liens
Section 23.1, “Mechanic’s Lien,” was updated to reflect legislative changes made during the 84th Legislative Session impacting the date of public sale as it relates to the copy of the foreclosure notice being filed with the county tax assessor-collector’s office. Detailed guidance was provided in RTB # 008-15.

Chapter 24 – Certified Copies
Section 24.5, “Owner Verification Procedures/Acceptable Identification,” was updated for consistency with the language used in Texas Administrative Rule and Chapter 6 of the manual. There were no substantive changes to this section.

View the Full Title Manual

 

The latest update to the Motor Vehicle Registration Manual (See Link Below) is now available via Registration and Title System workstations and at www.txdmv.gov.

 

This manual update reflects changes made during the 84th Legislative Session effective on or before September 1, 2015. A new appendix includes the list of Texas Administrative Code Rules and corresponding hyperlinks for Chapter 217, Subchapter B, on motor vehicle registration.

The following are brief summaries of some of the chapters updated in the September 2015 revision:

Chapter 2 – Commercial Vehicles
Section 2.9, “Tow Trucks,” was updated to include changes from Senate Bill (SB) 1820 regarding additional vehicles excluded from the requirement to display tow truck license plates.

Chapter 6 – Exempt License Plates
Section 6.1, “General Provisions,” was updated to include changes from House Bill (HB) 1360 that allows vehicles owned by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary used in search and rescue, emergency communications, and disaster operations to apply for exempt license plates.

Chapter 7 – Farm Vehicles
Section 7.7, “Farm Vehicles,” was updated to include changes from HB 75 as outlined in Registration and Title Bulletin (RTB) #006-15. This change exempts farm trailers and semitrailers owned by farmers’ cooperatives and marketing associations from the ag/timber number requirement for the issuance and renewal of farm license plates.

Chapter 10 – General Provisions
Section 10.1, “Definitions,” was updated to include the expanded definition of an implement of husbandry defined by SB 971. The definition of a motorcycle under Transportation Code, Chapter 521, was expanded by SB 1756 and a new definition of autocycle was added by SB 449 as outlined in RTB #004-15.

Chapter 12 – Off-Highway, Log Loader, Forestry & Miscellaneous
Section 12.12, “Vehicles Subject to Registration or Eligible for Distinguishing License Plates,” was updated to include a note and an image for an impact attenuator trailer and to clarify these vehicles do not qualify for machinery license plates.

Chapter 14 – Application for Registration
Section 14.6, “Registration Year,” was updated to include the amendment to Texas Administrative Code, Rule 217.27, as outlined in RTB #005-15 and #007-15. This change requires the issuance of 24 months of initial registration when a two-year inspection is issued. This information was also updated in Chapter 22.

View the Full Motor Vehicle Registration Manual 

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) has been working closely with the webDEALER user community to improve system features, accommodate growth, and help onboard new users before Dealer Title Application support ends in April 2016. To date, a total of 57 counties have approved over 290,000 transactions for 489 dealers using the application. In July alone, 52 of those counties approved over 64,000 transactions for 416 dealers, accounting for 17 percent of all dealer title applications.

webDEALER 2.3.0 is currently scheduled for release at the end of August. Documents scanned as part of a webDEALER application will automatically be purged from webDEALER 30 days after an approved transaction has been added to the title history imaging database in order to reduce the space being utilized by webDEALER storing documents for approved transactions. Additionally, we were able to address a limited number of issues that will improve functionality for county tax assessor-collectors, motor vehicle dealers, and commercial fleet buyers. Some of these changes are detailed below:

Counties will now be able to view the surrendered title information entered by a dealer when approving transactions to verify correct information was entered.
The maximum number of pending title transactions will be increased to 5,000. Note: Counties can still set the limit for each dealer and commercial fleet buyer.
Travel trailer dealers can now process travel trailers with widths up to 8 feet, 6 inches or lengths up to 45 feet.
The selection for supporting documents will offer dealers the ability to select “Additional Supporting Document,” increasing the types of transactions that can be submitted.
webDEALER will require 24 months of registration in accordance with RTB# 007-15 and Administrative Rule 217.27. Additionally, commercial fleet buyers will now be able to issue 24 months of registration consistent with House Bill 2115.
The webDEALER help menu will be changed and a link for the Commercial Fleet Buyer User Guide will be made available.

Updated user guides covering the aforementioned items will be made available next week in advance of the scheduled webDEALER 2.3.0 release.

Counties interested in using webDEALER should contact their local TxDMV Regional Service Center for setup assistance. Dealers interested in learning more about webDEALER should contact their county tax assessor-collector for more information. A list of counties actively using webDEALER can be found on the Dealers page of www.TxDMV.gov.