All computer systems with Taxation and Revenue Department, which oversees MVD, were affected by the technical difficulties, which were due to a hardware malfunction, according to the agency.
All statewide MVD offices were expected to be fully functional and open for business today, Taxation and Revenue Secretary Demesia Padilla said.
“We apologize to everyone who was affected by this outage,” Padilla added.
The computer glitch meant New Mexicans could not renew their driver’s licenses or conduct most other vehicle-related business, either online or in person. The problem also effectively paralyzed the state’s online tax filing services.
MVD offices were able to perform some functions, such as road tests for new licensees and vehicle identification number inspections.
The Motor Vehicle Division has been implementing a long-awaited new computer system as part of an effort to reduce customer wait times and improve efficiency, but the rollout has been occasionally bumpy.
Last year, a similar outage shut down MVD operations for most of a day. At the time, an agency spokesman said additional system safeguards would be implemented in hopes of preventing similar incidents.
Statewide, the MVD averaged more than 5,000 transactions per day in 2014, according to department data.
In addition to 34 state-run MVD field offices, there are also 39 city- and county-run field offices, and 18 private MVD retail outlets around New Mexico.
Offices of the state Motor Vehicle Division, including this one at 4575 San Mateo NE, were hobbled by a computer outage Monday at the MVD’s parent agency, the Taxation and Revenue Department. The shutdown prevented online tax filing and most motor vehicle-related business, online and in person.
©2016 the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
