Leander man's car registration blocked due to $1,600 of unpaid tolls

LEANDER, Texas - Did you know that you can have your car's registration taken away in Texas if you don't pay your tolls? It happened to a man in Leander. 

The backstory:

"Right now it's up to $1,600," said a Leander man who wanted to only be identified by his first name, Luke. "I would say about a third of that is the fees."

Luke's toll bill is proof that several dollars a day really does add up. Luke says he started taking the U.S. 183 tollway to work in Austin because of his busy schedule. 

"My wife just actually came to the country," said Luke. "I had to find two jobs to get the bills all covered. We now have a baby, but [my wife] was pregnant during the time."

Luke says he didn't get himself a toll tag because he was confused by the different choices, so he opted to pay by mail, which is more expensive. 

At first, he said he was keeping up with the payments, but then last year he had a setback. 

"I did lose my job, and it took me about two months to get through the hiring process for the job that I currently hold right now," said Luke. 

During that period, Luke started falling behind. 

"The fees started to build up," said Luke. "Every month, you know, they kind of compound when you're late."

Luke says he was struggling to make his toll payments, along with other bills and debt that had accumulated. Luke and his family moved back in with his father to save money. Due to this address change, Luke says he didn't receive some of the notices. 

"I guess they were sending some mail to the post office, but I wasn't aware," said Luke. 

Luke got that corrected, but then in October he received a letter in the mail saying he was a "Habitual Toll Violator" and informing him that "a block has been placed on your vehicle that will prevent you from renewing your vehicle registration with the State of Texas."

Luke called the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, which manages the 183 tollway. 

"They kind of put me in a hard place," said Luke. "They say you can either pay the full amount or you have to pay them, you know, $400 to get your vehicle registered."

Local perspective:

"Can there be some way that a phone call can be made?" suggested Prof. Chandra Bhat, a transportation expert at UT Austin. 

Bhat says more could be done to communicate with drivers who have mounting toll bills, to ensure they're aware that their registration could be revoked. 

"How many of us know about that, right? I think if it's much more clearly articulated," said Bhat. 

For drivers, it's key to make sure your address is updated, and, if you take toll roads often, it's best to avoid paying by mail.

"Getting a tag is always the easiest thing to do," said Bhat. 

Bhat would also like to see a maximum cap placed on toll fees, something that has been discussed in the legislature. 

"I'm not talking about $20 or $100, you know, but maybe about $250. That seems to be the range where I think it would be reasonable," said Bhat. 

In Luke's case, the CTRMA says it offered him a settlement on the phone, and it acknowledges it did not grant his request for a lower one. 

"I don't mind paying my dues and being responsible. It's just if I can make it affordable for my monthly income, because otherwise I'm just going to be waiting for some inevitable injunction with the law. And that's not what I want," said Luke. 

What they're saying:

In a statement to 7 On Your Side, the CTRMA said in part:

"...our records indicate an outstanding balance comprised of tolls and fees accumulated between March 2024 and February 2025...[Luke] was added to the Habitual Violator (HV) List after exceeding the threshold defined in state law which specifies that a Habitual Violator is someone who has 100 or more unpaid toll events within a year and has been warned of potential Habitual Violator remedies. [Luke] specifically received multiple late notices after being designated an HV, and subsequent enforcement remedies provided by law for the non-payment of tolls were executed."

The CTRMA says it appreciates that Luke would like to settle his balance, adding the settlement it offered to him is similar to what's given to other customers. 

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