AAMVA acts as a portal through which all states must access federal databases in order to verify information before being allowed to issue any driver license or state ID card.

The maintenance will begin at 5:00 a.m., EDT, on Saturday, August 15, 2009 and will last approximately until 9:00 a.m., EDT. During that time, service connections to the Commercial Driver License Information System (CDLIS) and Problem Driver Pointer System (PDPS) will be unavailable.

PDPS is used to search the National Driver Registry (NDR), a repository of information on problem drivers provided by all 51 U.S. jurisdictions. Based on information received as a result of an NDR search, PDPS will "point" the inquiring jurisdiction to the State of Record(s) (SOR), where an individual's driver status and history information is stored. Based on the information received from the SOR(s), the issuing state will decide if the applicant is eligible to receive a new license or renew his/her driver license.

Mandated by the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986, states must be connected to CDLIS and the NDR in order to exchange information about commercial motor vehicle drivers, traffic convictions, and disqualifications. A state must use both CDLIS and NDR to check a driver's record, and CDLIS to make certain that the applicant does not already have a CDL.

Customers should call ahead to their local BMV Deputy Registrar Agency before driving to the location on Saturday, since it is possible that their transaction may not be able to be processed. The Ohio BMV apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause; however system maintenance must be done at the national level periodically to ensure that all states are able to issue driver licenses and identification cards.