Mine is due in the next few weeks.We have numerous DMV offices near me that I can use but all of them are always crowded and understaffed.

I go early in the morning before they are officially open and take a number only to find I'm already behind 30 people but there are only 5 people waiting with me.

Why it takes 1-2hrs is beyond my comprehension.You give them your old license,verify the address is current and read one line on an eye chart.You then wait 15-20 minutes to get your picture taken and another 10 to get it laminated.And they wonder why you give them that "Look" when they ask you to smile.

Who the heck is smiling when the officer walks up to your window? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to show the officer a license that reflects the look on your face when you hand over your paperwork? Maybe we could be issued multiple licenses so the officer wouldn't say "I'm sorry sir but this doesn't look anything like you."

Just saying...

Sorry you have to go thru all of that. I renewed mine online and they mailed me a new one. Not sure what age is the cut off for that tho.

IIRC Colorado allows you to do it online one time...no questions asked.I believe it has something to do with the eye test.I think if you see an optometrist regularly you can bypass the BS.

Mine is due to be renewed in august .. You now you go to the DMV and get your picture taken and they give you a piece of paper and mail the laminated drivers license to you in the mail ..

Your suppose to get it in 10 days .. I can see all kinds of snafu's that could happen .. But thats the procedure you have to follow now!!

I just turned 65 so it was mandatory for me to get a new license. I had to go to the DMV. The only thing that scared me was my eye test. I was totally blind in my left eye. I did manage to pass. Now I have to go every 5 years.

At least it only took an hour.

Be glad you don't have a CDL...

Last time I had to go to the dreaded DMV it was almost empty with no wait time. I felt like I was in the twilight zone, so I took a pic. Usually all the seats are taken and the benches out side are full.

In Ohio, you and your car get new license at the same time. Every year for the car, every 4 for you.

The small town towards Columbus is the 2 hour stuff, the small town 1 mile further the other way, my longest wait has been 5 minutes. They have free coffee and a smile. And it's between the TSC store and a gun shop!

Ivan

You can usually make an appointment at most states DMV's, although they keep that fact hidden.

It must be a hassle for them, I've had officer's on the phone tell me "ah, you don't need that, just come on by on a slow day".

No thanks.

Edited to add: I'm the curious type, so I went to the Colorado website. Turns out you can schedule an appointment online:

Appointments at the Colorado DMV | DMV.org

Indiana is a good state. I do about everything online including drivers license renewals. It takes a physical appearance if you have a new vehicle to license or if you have a change in your address, need a motorcycle endorsement or let your plates or dl expire. Often the crowd is thin and fast.

A trick I used to use back when the economy was humming and the bmv was crowded was get there about 10 minutes before closing. At quitting time all the back room slackers come to the front line to clear out the crowd so they can go home. Employess usually come alive at quitting time.

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God spelled backwards is dog.

You don't need a license to drive in Michigan. At least that's how it appears at times.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

My next renewal will be in 2020. At that time, I'll have to produce all the stuff required to prove I'm a good US citizen. Olde drivers licence, birth certificate, social security card (green card for legal US born citizens), DD124, income tax records, property tax records, electric bill, water bill, cable bill, mental health certificate, and voters registration with the correct "in power" party affiliation. Then, with the appropriate payoff to the Commissar of Federal Drivers Licenses, I'll get a receipt while they do the Federal 10 year verification of my records. Or I can just declare myself an undocumented alien and get one in 10 minutes from WalMart.

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NRA Benefactor

Tennessee DL is good for 8 years. Renew online or mail.

Count your blessings, and keep a sharp eye out if/when you see a Tennessee car on the road. I'm about to be 81. As luck would have it I'm in "perfect" health/physical condition----which is to say I have a whole laundry list of things wrong with me, but everything works and nothing's bad enough to fix, or slow me down in any way. My entire fleet of doctors just shake their heads and say, "See you next year!" So much for background.

I recently renewed my driver license (AND IF I CAN DO IT LIKE THIS, SO CAN ANYBODY ELSE----NO MATTER WHAT!!) I did it "online"----no tests of ANYTHING-----little stuff like can he see, does he know which end is up?

My license expires in 2024. (Do the math!!) Beware of Tennessee cars being driven by white hair and wrinkles. They may be hazardous to your health and well being----and NOBODY will know the first thing about it until after the smoke clears.

And just because you don't see a Tennesee car, you should know I have a pilot's license too.

We live in dangerous times!!

Ralph Tremaine

Just did mine a couple weeks ago. Couldn't do it on line because photo was 16 years old. Took a flat two hours before I walked out. At 73, I am in doubts I will be here in 16 years for a new photo, Oh yeah, had to wait for them to mail it as well. Took 6 days.

[QUOTE=coltle6920;139666583]Mine is due in the next few weeks.We have numerous DMV offices near me that I can use but all of them are always crowded and understaffed.

I go early in the morning before they are officially open and take a number only to find I'm already behind 30 people but there are only 5 people waiting with me.

Why it takes 1-2hrs is beyond my comprehension.You give them your old license,verify the address is current and read one line on an eye chart.You then wait 15-20 minutes to get your picture taken and another 10 to get it laminated.And they wonder why you give them that "Look" when they ask you to smile.

An hour or 2 however often is a whole lot better than 8 hours day after week after year. Dealing with the public where 1 out of every 3-4 people have something nasty to say about you, your family, or how you should be doing your job is no fun. What do you do/did for a living, & how would you have handled someone coming into your place of business with a tude & insulting/threatening you? " not having a clue" is spot on. If everyone ahead of you had what they needed with them, filled out correctly, didn't try to do some intricate/impossible task, or ask a bunch of kooky questions the line would move faster. Trust me, those employees don't want your angry mug in their faces any longer than needed. Some of them actually try their best to help you, in an overworked/understaffed workplace.They have some "recreational" stress reducers in your area now to help you chill.

For our picture can't we just smile at our phone or PC? You know somebody has probably hacked into to it

A friend once went directly from an all night party to the License Center. He said his picture would look exactly right that way. I saw the license and he looked about half dead

I'm too tall for their camera set-up. 6'3" with a long torso. I always have to slouch and put my head down into my shoulders. Makes me look like I have no neck at all. Waiting to get a terrible photo taken really grinds my gears too.

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Virtue,Liberty & Independence

They REALLY streamlined the one close to me. There are about 20 windows there and the sign and announcement thing works great. The place was a horror, but now it's not bad. It's still very busy, but everything moves along.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Wow! I reread my thread a couple of times and still can't figure out how you came up with this tripe.

It's kind of like what came first...the chicken or the egg.What came first...The boorish,disgruntled,zero personality govt employee who is getting paid to sit there for 8hrs or the disgruntled taxpayer who isn't getting paid and has to suck it up and deal with the lousy service while loosing a good portion of their day.

I don't see security guards at the DMV to protect the employees from all the "abusive" customers.The employees don't sit behind glass to prevent people from spitting on them so again I don't know how you got that from reading my thread.

It's funny that when I went to the DMV to pay for a ticket I had just got it took me longer to find a parking space than to pay for the ticket.In and out in about four minutes.

Well it isn't the first time my attempt at disguised humor was lost on someone and I'm sure it wont be the last.

Did mine on the 3rd. Walked in at about 11am, took a number. By 11:15 I was in my car. Took so long because the guy in front of me kept asking to redo his picture.

There is no online renewal in PA that I'm aware of. You get a notice, you send it in with a check and receive a card to go get your license. Walk into a DMV, give them the card, sit down and have your picture taken. Make sure info is all correct and receive your new DL within the next minute and half

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

The Department of Motor Vehicles is a state agency. If you want faster service at your state's DMV offices, find someone to vote for in your state legislature or for governor who is willing to champion spending more money on the DMV for more staff.

Personally, I think life is too short to waste any mental energy even getting mildly upset about spending maybe an hour or two at the DMV every 8 years.

Attached Images

IMG_4994.jpg (19.8 KB, 28 views)

Wait until you are over 70, then you get to take a driving test every time you renew.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

In Missouri, the Department of Revenue (a more apt name for the agency than most states' "DMV") only operates about four or five offices, all in the big cities. The rest of the offices are fee offices, awarded by the Governor as patronage positions. They get a couple bucks for every license and registration they process. The goal of the fee office owner is to operate as cheaply as possible, which creates the situation you are probably imagining while reading this. In addition, we get a new fee office owner and location every time we get a new Governor. Lots of fun . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Renewing your drivers license................

quick n easy...i do an eye test at my eye doctors office before, he completes a form...i give it to the dmv...they are friendly and courteous, take my picture and away i go for several more years.........

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There's nowt so queer as folk

I was referring to dealing with the public in general. For me it was VAMC, hospitals, rehabs.
Bullet proof glass with their spit running down it give you a clue. As bad as you THINK you have it, others would gladly trade places with you. Suck it up buttercup.

Gots to like this guy... way to go Ralph!

This thread reminds me of my Dad when he was 89. He wasn't dangerous, and I took a ride with him often, but he was the slowest thing on the road. Finally my sisters insisted (to me) that it was time to take his license. Nobody wanted that job. But then we realized he was coming up on his 90th birthday and renewal time, and that he wouldn't get renewed.
We were wrong. He passed with flying colors and drove for a few more months and then decided for himself it was time to hang up the keys.

In Texas we can renew online every other time. Have to get a new eye test and picture every 12 years. Last time I went the visit was much more pleasant than I remembered. No take a number and wait. Stand in a line behind a dozen or so other folks. There was a separate line for commercial licenses. That takes much longer. I was out in about an hour and quite pleased with the results. I can renew online next time. Don't have to go back until 2026. I reckon an hour or so every 12 years isn't so bad.

A little tip, DON'T. They may not really want to drive, but the keys represent something to them. A file to a couple of the keys teeth work just as well, & leaves them some dignity.

Yes, we go so infrequently in Texas that we seldom go to the same building twice.

Here we go to AAA in and out in 5 min or less, if you go to the registry it could take all day.

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Don

My Grandpop had his license until the day he died at the age of 97. He also couldn't see more than a few feet. He never gave up his license, but he did stop driving around age 92. He lent us his car when ours quit running, and never asked for it back. Even with his vision I'd still rather have been in a car driven by Grandpop than one driven by most of my high school friends. My Dad passed away long before I had to worry about his license.

Best experience I had renewing here in PA was a few years ago. The renewal went fine, I just had to wait for the employees to stop screaming at each other about whose turn it was to go on break.

I sometimes wonder why I bother renewing. At work it's a novelty when I deal with someone with a valid license. I get guys with so many driving under suspension offenses they won't be eligible for a license until the 22nd century, but they're still out there on the road every day.

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Wheel guns are real guns.

In Florida, you can renew by mail and with all of the folks 85+, driving on the road can be more aggravating than waiting in line. Last time was to register a car - took 20 minutes because I was changing plates on both cars.

Try going just before closing, they want to go home just like everyone at the end of work day.

I renewed mine online on the 29th of June. Got it 10 days later. You also save a buck doing it online.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I just renewed my license. I'm 84; I doubt I'll ever need to do the 'in person' license renewal.

Now that I've 65 I have to renew it every 5 years. Oh well, what else do I have to do with my time?

Here in Kiwiland driving licenses are issued for 10 years. The driving age used to be 15 (now 16) so the 10 year licenses needed to be renewed every "5th" birthday (25, 35, 45 etc). Until 75 you rock up to the licensing agent, fill in the form, produce two forms of ID (usually old license/birth certificate/passport plus proof of address from a Bank statement or utility bill) do a very dodgy eye test which many fail at the time so it pays to go get an Optomitrist's certificate first, have your photo taken and within 14 days the new license comes in the mail.

Between my renewal in 2006 and again last year the rules around heavy truck licenses were changed to include a medical (too many truck drivers having heart attacks behind the wheel).

My birthday is the last week of May and all documents have to be less than 2 months old, so end of February go get my eye test. Early April go visit the doctor (double appointment required due to the question answers needing to be handwritten and 3X the usual doctors fee).

Last week of April go to the licensing agency, pass over my $40, get my photo taken, hand in my old license and receve my temporary permit good for 1 month. Get home to find driver license renewal reminder in the mail. 5 days later new license is in the mail box. Relatively painless.

It seems that every week I stop a driver whose license has expired, sometimes by a year or more. Inevitably the first thing they Say is "Do they expire"? Followed by "I didn't get a reminder". At that point I determine that they have moved address 5 times since they last renewed it but have never updated their address so no, they couldn't get the reminder.

And none of these drivers seem to know anything about the concept of personal responsibility. Probably why many also do not have safety certificates or annual licenses on their cars.

Vermont licenses are good for 4 years; every other renewal can be done on line, but the interim renewals must be done in person because they want a fresh photo every 8 years. Same thing here when you have to go in person, wait around waiting for your number to pop up on wall displays for each step of the process.

Living in small town Montana. Walked into the Driver examiners. He asked what he could do for me. Said need to renew license. Handed him my old one and he gave me a little bit of paper work to fill out at his desk. While I was filling it out he thanked me for my service (noted on DL). Small talk about getting older during the quick eye exam, had a woman in her 90s renew just a short while before. Did a quick photo and I was on my way after we talked handguns for about 10 minutes. New license came in the mail about a week later. Might stop by and just visit with the guy before my 8 years are up.

Renewed my CDL recently even though I don't need it per se I thought it good to retain. Made an appointment on my off day, short wait and had all the required paperwork. Could have been almost in and out but since I was excepted intrastate I needed proof of employment by the entitled entity and since it was my day off I did not have my city I.D.
I handed over my union card and pulled the plant parking pass out of my car and was good to go.

What's a drivers license???????

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James Redfield
LM #497

DMV offices are the epitome of government at its finest! The employees there look at every citizen who enters as the enemy, to be fooled, abused and mistreated. Why we put up with it is a lesson in apathy, it is apparent that no one cares enough to complain to the the Department directly. Maybe we are as dumb as they think we are!

1-2 hours? That's nothing. In CA and Reno, you could be there all day. I am lucky to have a CDL, because in CA and NV we have a separate DMV office where the wait is usually less than 10 minutes, but only for license stuff.

6 hours at an overly busy clinic for my CDL physical, about 45 at the SOS office because of all the crud required to obtain an enhanced DL (required for all CDLs), $85 at the clinic, $250 for the CDL, and I only keep it to use on vacation when I can.

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NHI, 10-8.

Might be worth the drive to Carson or Minden......

.....be you prince or pauper it's the same all over "Service with a snarl"
Last time I was at DMV to get a license renewal I walked in and it was empty (Tuesday afternoon around 3). Walked up to the desk and was told to "take a number" I'm thinking that I am in a Monty Python movie! So I walked back to the entrance and took my number-sat down on the bench and waited for my number to be called. AND DAMNED IF THAT ISN'T HOW IT HAPPENED!!! I'm at the mercy of a 400 pound urban lass who fit every stereo-type of the genus "Govermentalious Employeeneous".
Think you are somebody important?????? Just go to DMV

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Forum consigliere

I had to renew mine a few months back. In California you can simply renew by mail if you don't have any violations on your record. That goes on for a number of years (don't know how many) or maybe it has to do with age (I'm over 70) but anyway I got notification I'd have to take the written test - which I hadn't done for a long time. I was a little nervous about it so got on the DMV website and you can download several sample tests to practice with (nice of them). I carefully studied all four. I made an appointment at my local DMV - which is a small town facility that isn't usually very busy. When I got there I immediately was given the test to take and found (surprise) that there was not one single question that I had seen on the sample tests. But I got a good score anyway so that was done. When I went to the window to finish the process and get photographed the nice young lady said, "Hey you also have a motorcycle endorsement on your license - want to renew that too?" I told her I hadn't ridden a motorcycle for a long time and probably wouldn't ever do it again. She said, "You don't have anything to lose - if you have time, why not take the test just for the fun of it." So I did - and (surprise) I passed that too. So now I have a motorcycle endorsement and a funny picture too. It was all kind of a fun experience.

rolomac

It's a government operation....nuff said.



I work in government, it NEVER gets better!

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Stupid games = Stupid prizes.