TXDMV outlines July 1 rollout plan for HB 7 18; plates to stay with vehicles, webDEALER use expanded

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles presented an implementation timeline and operational plan for House Bill 7 18, which the board must implement by July 1, 2025. Agency leaders told the board the law will replace multiple paper tags with metal plates, require plates to remain with vehicles when ownership changes, and expand mandatory use of the webDEALER electronic transaction system for dealers and tax assessor-collectors.

Why it matters: HB 7 18 changes how plates are issued, tracked and reassigned, alters dealer and county processes, and creates new compliance and technology demands for the state and roughly 22,000 licensed dealers.

During a detailed briefing, Deputy Executive Director Roland Luna said the department has created cross‑functional committees to handle rule/regulatory work, plate design and manufacturing, technology, compliance and training. The department has designed a set of new plate types intended to replace paper permits and temporary tags and to provide law enforcement with visual and machine-readable indicators. Key plate types described include a new dealer plate and dealer temporary plate, an out‑of‑state temporary plate, a temporary registration plate to replace 30‑day and single‑trip permits, and a multi‑use buyer provisional plate for transactions that lack an immediately available permanent plate.

Technology and inventory controls were central topics. The agency has contracted with Eptricity for an inventory management system and with Taylor Communications for plate distribution. The inventory management system will allow dealers, tax assessor‑collectors and TXDMV to order, assign, track and report plate inventories. The department said the system will expose APIs for partners and integrate with webDEALER and the state vehicle title systems.

On transaction processing, staff described a vehicle transfer notification (VTN) that must be recorded when ownership transfers. The department said it will build the VTN into webDEALER for dealers and provide a public VTN form for private sales. Enforcement and training directors noted the VTN will be a critical control because plates will remain with vehicles after sale.

Training and outreach: the department reported it has trained roughly 10,000 stakeholders to date using a mix of in‑person regional sessions, webinars and self‑paced modules in English and Spanish. Staff said they will prioritize plate allotments for dealers who complete webDEALER training by the board‑set April 30 target and that regional testing with selected dealers and tax assessor‑collectors will begin ahead of the July 1 go‑live.

Staffing and funding: TXDMV said the legislature provided 44 positions and $35 million for the biennium to support HB 7 18 implementation; 26 positions will support dealer compliance. The agency said it has identified more than 300 system enhancements across DMV systems, prioritized them, and is sequencing work to reduce service disruption.

Board members asked detailed process questions about auctions, consignment sales, emissions and temporary registrations. Agency enforcement and VTR staff clarified that dealers are responsible for plate disposition in dealer transactions and that additional guidance and training will be issued for auctions, salvage and non‑GDN consignments.

Looking ahead: the department said it will continue pilot testing with dealers and tax assessor‑collector partners, expand training, publish implementation guidance and issue targeted communications to law enforcement, dealers and county offices so the rollout can begin in April and meet the July 1 statutory deadline.