Don’t Be Fooled When Buying a Texas Driver Record
A Bit Confusing
Many drivers find the whole ticket process a bit confusing, and unfortunately there are defensive driving course providers out there that are trying to take advantage of it, especially when it comes to ordering your driving record. Many drivers who request permission to take a state approved Texas driving safety course (a.k.a. Texas defensive driving) from a court are required to also get a copy of their driving record to turn in before their deadline date.
Many are confused by this step and don’t understand if they should order the driving record before, after, or during their defensive driving course. The answer is that it doesn’t matter as long as it is ordered so that it is in hand when it comes time to turn it in along with your defensive driving certificate and any other court required documents on or before your deadline. I would recommend not procrastinating and ordering it right away to avoid the possibility of forgetting to do it.
Buyer Beware
So with many drivers confused about the process, unfortunately there are many online defensive driving course providers in Texas out there that offer a driving record ordering service and charge $25-$35 to do so. This fee is in addition to the fee they charge for their defensive driving course. Also, many of them tell the customer that it can take days to weeks for the driving record to be received. This would be a perfectly good add on service for these companies to offer, if it wasn’t for the fact that any person with a valid Texas drivers license can simply go online to the website for the State of Texas (www.Texas.gov) and order and print off a certified copy of their driving record in minutes for as little as $12. There is no added service being provided. In many cases customers are paying more to get the driving record to get it slower than if they just purchased it for themselves on Texas.gov. So this is how to order your driving record:
Step 1. Go to www.Texas.gov and click on the link for “Driver Records”
Step 2. Click “Continue” on the welcome screen
Step 3. Make sure your device is setup to print and check the “I agree” box on the requirements page.
Step 4. Enter your drivers license information to login.
Step 5. Request the “Type 3A” driving record and fill out the address information.
Step 6. Review and pay for your record.
Step 7. Print out your driving record.
Watch out for these slick defensive driving providers taking advantage of the uneducated consumer by overcharging for driving records. Save money and get it sooner by ordering it yourself.
