Is any states DMV actually efficient

[deegack]

And work well.

We're in nj and in the process of getting approved to be foster parents. We need an abstract of our driving records. Go to the DMV website and you can do it online great! Except you need to obtain an account number and you have to put in your information and try will snailmail you a letter with the information in 7-10 days.
You can go to the office and pick one up. Ok not the best but I do it. It takes a bit over an hour for me. Not too bad. Dh goes today,Saturday, to get his. They don't do that on weekends. Nowhere on the website does it say they don't do abstracts on weekends. It says no reinstating revocations or suspensions but nothing about abstracts.
So irritating. So he will try again on Tuesday but we are actually going to a meeting with our foster care cw so we can get our classes scheduled so he needs to be done by 11 and it's getting close to re end of the month when DMV gets crazy.

 

[Katy Belle]

Our DMV has their hours posted on their website and on the front door of the building... 8-5. I took my son to get his permit... we arrived at 4:16. They had hours posted on the door to their room 8-4:45. They would not let him take the test! There was no one else there. Said he had to be there by 4! So we came back the next day and arrived at 4:01. They did let him take the test..he passed, they took his photo, etc. We got to our car at 4:12. So irritating!

 

[golfgal]

I haven't had to get a driving record or anything so I don't know how that process is but honestly, I have never waited more than a few minutes to get what I need done at the DMV done. You walk in, fill out the paperwork to renew your license and take a number. If you have to get new license plates, you just take a number. More often than not there isn't anyone else there so you just walk right up. I try not to go the last week of the month when they are their busiest but even then if you go at say 10:00 am or something, there is never a line.

For driver's license tests, you schedule an appointment online up to 3 months in advance, show up at your time, take the test, if you pass you go in, fill out the form as above...

 

[KGlo]

Our local one (Valparaiso, IN) is fantastic. When I changed my last name last year (got married), I was able to get a new license and update both plates for the next year so I wouldnt have to do it later on in the year. We were in and out in 20 minutes.

 

[PigletsPal2]

At our county DMV, the length of time you wait depends on the service you need. You wait longer to take your driving test (actually driving, not the paper test) than you do to get a handicapped parking placard. I think this is because there are only about a half dozen driving examiners but any one of the 30+ DMV employees can process the paperwork for the HC placard (at windows like bank tellers).

Queen Colleen

 

[tvguy]

Well, IF you make an appointment in California at the DMV, you can actually be in and out in 10 to 15 minutes. Without an appointment, it depends on the DMV office. A friend of my daughter's drove to a DMV office 25 miles away in a small town to get a replacement driver's license, and actually was only there about 30 minutes with the wait.

 

[Imzadi]

DMV and efficient are oxymorons. The DVM is a governmental agency. It isn't a business that has to be efficient to be competitive with any other companies to stay in business. They are going to be around no matter how inefficient they are.

 

[LisaR]

We just went on Tuesday and it was FANTASTIC! Best experience I have ever had in a DMV.

When DD got her learner's permit a year ago, the place was a dump. It was old, smelly, and the clientele was um.......interesting? There were people in there screaming at the clerks because they couldn't get their license back after multiple DUI's. There was a mom that was screaming at her children while the older one took his driving test. They used every single word under the sun multiple times. There was a weird guy pacing back and forth that I was certain was going to pull a gun and shoot the place up. It was a horrible experience. We had an appointment and we were still there for 2 hours.

I was not looking forward to going back to get her license. When we went to schedule the appointment, we discovered the other place had closed. We had to go to one that was about 30 minutes away. I wasn't thrilled and thought the area would be just as bad.

What a great place. Big windows made it nice and bright. They had clearly marked signs. They had multiple tickets you could choose from (pull ticket A if you need a tag, pull ticket B if you need.......). They called numbers quickly and moved people in and out with great efficiency. The clerks seemed nice. We were in and out in under 25 minutes and that included DD's road test. Truly wonderful experience! Of course, it also helped that there weren't any nut jobs at this one.

 

[jcano]

My DD just got her permit last week. We got there at 9:10. We didn't leave until 12:15. IT WAS RIDICULOUS!!!

I kept noticing all these little kids there. I figured they were just there with their parents (which was odd since school was in session, but OK...). Then I started noticing the kids were getting their pics made and signing (as well as a 7 year old can sign) the screen. We watched it happen over and over again. The kids would get called to the counter. It would take quite a while to input information (approx 15-20 minutes), then they would get their ID. These were 7-9 year olds. I was completely confused. Come to find out that any child who plays any sort of sports in the public schools of our state has to have an official state ID. Really??

Oh...I forgot. At least 2 of the kids in the room was obviously not feeling good. One of them was actually throwing up in the ladies rest room. Fun morning...NOT.

 

[hereyago]

Not where I live in Va.

They have a lottery system for the main DMV, they give you a number and maybe your number will come up soon, but not really, it's just another thing of hurry up and wait.

They also have the website, where certain things you send for a PIN number 7 to 10 days and then you can go back online and do it.

This one makes me laugh: Our old main DMV moved to a bigger builder years ago. the old very small building is now a building for the city: personal property,etc a little satellite building so you don't have to go downtown. well the main DMV will send as many people they can to the satellite DMV, which is now in the old DMV building

 

[HelenePA]

I've never had a wait at the DMV or post office in and out with in 10 minutes.. small town living has some GREAT advantages!!

 

[chrysano]

When I changed my last name last year (got married), I was able to get a new license and update both plates for the next year so I wouldnt have to do it later on in the year.

 

[Cinderella94]

The DMV I go to in MD is horrible.

 

[Michelle67]

Because of a combination of switching to doing a lot of the renewals online, using a new (to them, not new in the world) system of having people take a number from one of four different series based on what service they are there for, and having a "greeter" there by the number machines to make sure that people waiting for particular services have the necessary paperwork to get what they need, I was astounded how fast we were in and out of the DMV the last two times we were there! The greeter alone saved a heck of a lot of time for the "qualified" and prepared people, as we didn't have to wait behind the people who used to get up to the counter with no proof of ID and then argue for ten minutes about why they were not going to get a license today.

 

[sasywtch]

CA DMV-4 hours without an appointment the last time I had to go in. Won't make that mistake again, hopefully. Forgot the name of the poster here in Carmichael but they probably know the one I went to. The line was out to the street before the doors opened.

I was sent a copy of our state worker newspaper. A reality show is going to start filming CA DMV offices, ala "parking wars". I'm surprised they are allowing it. We're guessing they are going to concentrate on the more outlandish customers.

 

[SandrA9810]

There's a DMV office in Kissimmee that is amazingly nice, but they don't do the driving test there.

I've gone into the big office about 3 times, and without much of a wait at all for just being a walk in. There's a nice big desk with people give you a number for what you need. Then the counter to do things at is behind about 6 sets of doors. So the waiting crowd doesn't hear what's happening at the desk. Went in for a renewed license, renew tags, and replace a license.

When I took my driving test, I had to make the appointment at the small rinky dink place. I made it fairly early in the morning, about 4 hrs prior to a lunch reservation at Sea World for my birthday. You wait in one line to get your number, then wait to get called to the counter, take the driving test. Then they want you to wait in another line to get back up to the counter for payment and receiving your ID. I told the lady that administered the test about my lunch reservation, and I guess thought it meant I had to be at work at Sea World, so she got me ushered up to the counter. It still took a really long time.


The DMV here in Cali isn't too horrible. Getting the tags/title to the car took a bit of time. It's something that's supposed to be done within like a week of the sale, but appointments are available for like a month later....

 

[cornflake]

They have the DMV bouncer system here, combined with some computer system that breaks down what people are there for and lines 'em up accordingly.

You can't get a ticket on your own - you go in and see the 'bouncer' who asks what you want, makes sure you have the correct documents on you and only if you do, will he or she give you the form you need.

Then you fill out the form at a table and bring it back where the person checks to make sure it's all filled out and that you're clutching your relevant paperwork and then, if you're all ready, you get a ticket.

The tickets have different letters based on what you need and they rotate in the queue depending on goodness knows what.

It can be a decent wait, but that's more due to them only ever staffing like 5 windows out of the 25 available than anything else, as I think they have done everything possible to streamline the system by making sure people going up to the actual counters are ready and not going to dilly dally and they know what they need to do.

It only takes like a couple of minutes every time on line to see the gatekeeper/bouncer person - those people do not play. If you hem and haw or start to hold up the line, they'll put you to the side and keep handing out forms and checking while they argue with you, heh.

 

[rszdtrvl]

I had to take my 14-yo son to the DMV to get a state-issued ID card.

I already looked online at what types of papers he would need to prove identity, so we had everything.

We were in and out of the building in less than 10 minutes. And arrived there 15 minutes before noon!

I was expecting a long line, being that it was close to lunchtime. But it was very quick and painless. I was shocked.

 

[Katieinwonderland]

I haven't been to one in a while, but the one I went to last was awful. I made an appointment, but I was still there over an hour. The whole place was packed and the a/c wasn't working properly. The man next to me fell asleep with his head on my shoulder.

To top it off, I was the only white person in there so the receptionist chose to call on me by pointing that out. "Hey white girl they're ready for you now." "Hey white girl your photo is ready."

 

[penn19]

Mine is not. Althought I think it used to be at one point. I am dreading having to take my ds to get his license. First you have to show up (no appointments for this btw) and wait on line ( could be 2 hours, who knows) to get an appointment to COME BACK within a week to take your drivers test. Which you will also have to wait to take. If you are waiting to get your appointment to take your test, there is no guarantee that when they call your number that they will even have any appointments left for you to have. Which means that you then have to come back another day and repeat the whole process all over again.