DPS Advice (Dallas, Austin, Plano: closing, centers, license) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

speedyg · 06-17-2019, 01:50 PM

I need to go into the DPS office for paperwork (not a test and not eligible for online). However, I am unable to go in before 3PM. Plano is the closest. Then the Garland Mega Center, Carrollton Mega Center and McKinney are about equal distance. It seems like you can only "Get In Line" for the some locations (not Plano), but they give you a particular time.

Would I be better off just showing up at Plano or trying to "Get In Line" through the website at another location? If so, what time of day should I be trying to hitting their web site to get a time between 3 and close? I know at 2PM it was already too late today.

Thanks for any help!

eastdallasmom · 08-05-2019, 04:34 PM

I have to renew my license in person and also wanted to see if anyone has recommendations for the best location? I'm going to try to use the "Get in Line Online" function, but have been hearing mixed reviews as to whether it works even at the centers that supposedly offer that option. I have seen chatter online indicating the Garland Mega Center seems to be the least miserable one to deal with and Carrollton Mega Center the worst? Would appreciate any recommendations if anyone else out there has recently had to renew their license in person.

Thanks!

Bp25 · 08-05-2019, 05:46 PM

Not sure about Dallas area ones but in Austin, the best bet is to show up just before closing and sit tight even if your number looks ridiculously high. Once gates are closed, they will purge any number that is not physically present and then the remaining numbers will go pretty fast. It may be my imagination but the people there work relatively faster when they see the end of day in sight.

TXNGL · 08-06-2019, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastdallasmom

I have to renew my license in person and also wanted to see if anyone has recommendations for the best location? I'm going to try to use the "Get in Line Online" function, but have been hearing mixed reviews as to whether it works even at the centers that supposedly offer that option. I have seen chatter online indicating the Garland Mega Center seems to be the least miserable one to deal with and Carrollton Mega Center the worst? Would appreciate any recommendations if anyone else out there has recently had to renew their license in person.

Thanks!

I have to also within the next couple of weeks. Oh. God. How. I. Hate. This! Everyone is telling me to try and get in line at the Garland center. My stepdaughter was getting her Texas license recently (from another state) and the get in line function wasn't working at all.

eastdallasmom · 08-06-2019, 12:00 PM

In case this is helpful to others, I ended up going to the Lewisville location using Get In Line Online. I went to the website at 7 am sharp and ended up with a 10:58 pm time slot. Arrived in the office around 10:45 and was finished and back in my car at 11:15. One thing that seemed nice about this location is that if you don't get an online appointment, you can wait indoors. I've heard Garland and some of the other offices have people standing outside for over an hour which does not sound fun at this time of year.

Regarding Get In Line Online, I read on a couple of other websites that you have to start trying to get an appointment right at 7 am when the system opens up and that the places fully book up for the day by 9 or 10 am. A friend of mine who went to Plano DPS last week said don't even bother getting in the line there unless you can arrive before the place opens at 8.

Design_Dist · 08-06-2019, 01:55 PM

I went to the Garland location a few months ago.

I was unable to use the "Get In Line Online" function. I tried at 7:45, so it's possible all the spots were taken. I tried it on every local location with no luck.

I arrived at 8:15 and got a number. I did not have to stand in a line. I sat down and waited until my number was called at 1:00 pm. There were at least 200 people there already sitting and waiting.

I wish there was an estimated time on the paper they give you, but there isn't. I suppose I could have gone and come back, but there are multiple number lists, so it's not easy to guess when you might be called.

Bring a back-up battery for your phone and a lunch.

I did hear from other people I met there that Wednesdays were slower and to avoid Mondays and Fridays.

Prumio · 08-06-2019, 04:21 PM

We used the "Get in Line Online" at the Garland location and it was reasonably smooth. After playing with the system several days in a row, we found that there was a "sweet spot" in the morning for making an afternoon reservation. Trying too early gave us an appointment 20 minutes away, not enough time to get there. Waiting too long meant the whole day was booked. On the day we got our reservation, appointments jumped ahead >3 hours during a 10 minute window of checking online. So play with it to find what's ideal for your timing. It's important to be sure to check in at the automatic kiosk once you get there.

tb75252 · 08-07-2019, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prumio

We used the "Get in Line Online" at the Garland location and it was reasonably smooth. After playing with the system several days in a row, we found that there was a "sweet spot" in the morning for making an afternoon reservation. Trying too early gave us an appointment 20 minutes away, not enough time to get there. Waiting too long meant the whole day was booked. On the day we got our reservation, appointments jumped ahead >3 hours during a 10 minute window of checking online. So play with it to find what's ideal for your timing. It's important to be sure to check in at the automatic kiosk once you get there.

One thing that I do not understand: If you get an appointment through the Get In Line Online feature, when you arrive at the DPS site do you get to skip all the line of people that snake out of the building, or do you have to go to the end of that line?

Prumio · 08-07-2019, 11:39 AM

Not sure about that, TB. When we went there wasn't a line. We for sure had to go in and check-in at the kiosk's (there was a short line for that), then take a seat in one of the waiting areas. If the seats had been full, we may have needed to go back out and queue. But there was definitely a staff person there to ask...

eastdallasmom · 08-13-2019, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tb75252

One thing that I do not understand: If you get an appointment through the Get In Line Online feature, when you arrive at the DPS site do you get to skip all the line of people that snake out of the building, or do you have to go to the end of that line?

You get to skip the line; in fact, at the location I visited (Lewisville) they were very specific that if you don't check in at the kiosk in time you will lose your spot. Thankfully for me there was a security guard standing there who told me where to go, so it didn't just look like I was trying to skip the dozens of people waiting in line. But I guess I would have braved the public scorn to avoid waiting for several hours!