Starting Thursday, violators’ names will be posted online, shared with media

AUSTIN — Moving forward with its initiative to collect millions of dollars in unpaid tolls, the Texas Department of Transportation today reminds habitual toll violators that they have until noon on Wednesday to avoid having their names shared with the news media and published on TxDOT and TxTag websites beginning on Thursday. Authority to publicly report the names of violators was provided by Senate Bill 1792 in an effort to collect more than $27 million in unpaid tolls.

The primary targets for collection are the 28,000 vehicle owners who each have at least 100 unpaid tolls. Some of these offenders have vehicles with thousands of toll violations, which add up to money intended to be used to pay debt and fund operations on these roads. Published listings of toll violators will include the violator’s name, city and state of residence, number of unpaid tolls and total amount owed in tolls and fees.

In addition to publishing the list of top violators, TxDOT also has the authority to:

• Ban vehicles from using TxDOT toll roads with Texas Transportation Commission approval. If stopped by law enforcement, vehicles in violation of the ban can be ticketed and impounded.
• Report the habitual violators to county tax assessor-collectors to potentially block the renewal of the vehicle’s registration.

Motorists with unpaid toll violations should immediately contact the TxTag Customer Service Center at (888) 468-9824 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. weekdays. A negotiated settlement amount may be offered as well as a payment plan, if needed.

For media inquiries, contact TxDOT Media Relations at MediaRelations@txdot.gov or (512) 463-8700.