Friday, January 22, 2010

California: DMV Offices Experience Network Outage




As reported by the AP, all the DMV office branches in California were unable to connect to the central computer system, preventing them from processing paperwork. A report by CNET clarified that computers were down for about two hours due to a router glitch.

The CA DMV did the sensible thing and continued to process work from customers by hand until access to the system could be restored.

California's budget struggles have resulted in reduced hours at all DMV offices and the closure of several others. The DMV is encouraging use of their online services and providing the option to schedule appointments up the 45 days ahead of time. Penalties are currently being waived until the next business day for due dates that fall on an "offices closed" Friday.

Other state DMVs are also feeling budget-related strain. Wisconsin has reduced hours at most DMV locations and has scheduled office closings for employee furlough. Louisiana is also considering ways to implement mandatory budget cuts without reducing office locations or hours.

Image: from Portola Redwoods State Park