On Thursday, multiple states grappled with a significant disruption in services at Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices, attributing the halt in license-related transactions to a "national outage" stemming from "a loss in cloud connectivity."
We are aware of ongoing issues impacting transactions in our offices and online, and we apologize for the inconvenience. We are working diligently to get everything back up and running and will let you know when we do. pic.twitter.com/LczTr5I8ym
— NYS DMV (@nysdmv) March 21, 2024
The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), a key provider of software to DMV offices, elucidated on the issue, stating, "The network that connects motor vehicle agencies across the United States to each other and to various verification services experienced an outage due to a loss in cloud connectivity." This outage persisted from 9:50 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT, affecting the processing of crucial messages supporting driver licenses and motor vehicle titles transactions.
During this period, DMV offices nationwide were unable to issue driver licenses and vehicle titles, causing inconvenience to countless individuals. The AAMVA emphasized its commitment to resolving the issue promptly, collaborating both internally and with cloud providers to ascertain the root cause of the outage.
Fortunately, connectivity was restored to nearly all states by 2 p.m. EDT, according to the AAMVA. Notably, the association clarified that the outage was strictly connectivity-related and did not stem from software issues.
Across the country, DMV offices promptly alerted locals about the outage through social media channels. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias confirmed the widespread impact, noting that all driver's license facilities and DMVs in Illinois and "across the country" were affected. Similarly, the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles advised individuals with appointments at state driver's license offices to reschedule due to the outage, which they attributed to the AAMVA.
While the outage primarily disrupted driver's license services, including online options, certain functionalities such as driver's license knowledge tests, permit tests, and requests for motor vehicle records remained unaffected, as stated by Colorado's DMV.
Nevertheless, uncertainty loomed as DMV offices grappled with the aftermath of the outage. Massachusetts' Registry of Motor Vehicles issued a statement indicating their inability to process any license or ID-related transactions due to the national system outage. Meanwhile, New York State's DMV website displayed a banner alert, informing visitors that DMV transactions were currently unavailable due to the network outage.
Virginia's DMV experienced a glimmer of relief when its system resumed operations just before 1 p.m., following a third-party system outage affecting driver's license transactions at their offices and website.
The outage, albeit brief, underscored the significance of the national computer network maintained by the AAMVA, which facilitates the exchange of critical driver's license information among states. The association, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, remains committed to investigating the root cause of the outage to prevent similar disruptions in the future.
