Communications with Otto and Uber
| Submitted | March 27, 2017 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Mark Harris
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
All communications, and supporting/attached documents, between the department and Otto, the self-driving truck company, or Uber, regarding fully or partially automated or autonomous trucking or freight transport, whether testing or operational, from 1 May 2016 to the present date.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Mark Harris
From: Bishop, Adale
Dear Mr. Harris,
I am contacting you with regards to your 3/28/17 Public Information Act Request for information regarding contact between TxDMV and companies Uber and/or Otto, see attached. Your request originally went to our Motor Carrier Division (MCD). MCD reports that they have not had any contact with Uber or Otto. Your request then came to our Vehicle Titles and Registration (VTR) for additional follow up and coordination of final documentation, if any. I have contacted some other divisions, in addition to MCD, and asked them to have their staff check for any contact. Additionally I have requested a time estimate for our IT Department to program a search of agency emails looking for any contact with Uber or Otto since May 1, 2016 to the present. To do a check of all agency email will require programming, for which there will be a fee. I will let you know what that fee will be as soon as I know. We will not be able to complete your request within 10 business days of your submission, but we will do our best to get it completed as soon as possible. If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly. Thank you and have a great weekend! Adale
Adale Bishop || Budget and Research Services
Vehicle Titles and Registration
E: VTR_information_Requests@txdmv.gov P: 512.465.4067 F: 512.465.4117
[cid:image001.jpg@01D067E3.871323C0]<http://www.txdmv.gov/>
4000 Jackson Ave || Austin TX 78731 || www.TxDMV.gov<http://www.txdmv.gov/>
From: Mark Harris
Thanks Adale,
That's a really helpful response. I look forward to hearing details of fees, etc, but thank you for the information so far.
best
Mark
From:
RE: PIA Request # 17-0092
April 12, 2017
Dear Mr. Mark Harris,
You have requested information pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act. Your request was assigned tracking number 17-0092. Additional time will be needed to comply with your request, pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 552.221(d). Please note we will provide you with a cost estimate for your review as soon as possible. If you need additional information, you may contact me at 512-465-4067 or adale.bishop@txdmv.gov. Thank you,
Adale Bishop
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles
VTR_Information_Requests
@txdmv.gov (mailto:VTR_Information_Requests@txdmv.gov)
From: VTR Information Requests (TxDMV)
Good morning Mr. Harris,
I just wanted to touch bases with you and let you know that your Public Information Act request, submitted to TxDMV on 3/28/17, has not fallen through the cracks and is still being worked on. The request for all email communications crosses over functional work teams within IT and it appears that extracting the data and vetting it for relevance to your request is going to be much more complicated and time consuming than anyone anticipated. Hopefully we will have that cost estimate for you very soon. Thank you for your patience, Adale
Adale Bishop || Budget and Research Services
Vehicle Titles and Registration
E: VTR_information_Requests@txdmv.gov P: 512.465.4067 F: 512.465.4117
[cid:image001.jpg@01D067E3.871323C0]<http://www.txdmv.gov/>
4000 Jackson Ave || Austin TX 78731 || www.TxDMV.gov<http://www.txdmv.gov/>
From: VTR Information Requests (TxDMV)
Hello Mr. Harris,
TxDMV has determined that we do not have any documents to provide in response to your attached Public Information Act request. There has not been any communication between Uber or Otto and TxDMV staff regarding fully or partially automated or autonomous trucking or freight transport. I know you have been waiting a while for us to provide you with this response. We appreciate your patience. Thank you, Adale
Adale Bishop || Budget and Research Services
Vehicle Titles and Registration
E: VTR_information_Requests@txdmv.gov P: 512.465.4067 F: 512.465.4117
[cid:image001.jpg@01D067E3.871323C0]<http://www.txdmv.gov/>
4000 Jackson Ave || Austin TX 78731 || www.TxDMV.gov<http://www.txdmv.gov/>
