Nevada DMV News

Budget cuts causing long lines at the DMV

State budget cuts are cutting into customer service at the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.

Spokesman Kevin Malone explains, things could get worse before they get better.

"It's been kind of a perfect storm of things. We lost over 135 positions in the last legislature, plus we have employees out on furlough. And we're implementing two new programs that we're working the bugs through. Once we get the new programs nailed down, things will improve a little bit and they have over the past month or so. But we're looking at some pretty long lines into the future here.

Malone says a DMV visit that used to take an hour could now take more than three.

That's three hours once you get in the door. Add to that the time it takes to gather your documents, obtain updated information, drive or otherwise travel to a DMV facility, find parking, stand, wait in the information line for review of your needs, sit in the crowded waiting room, waiting for your number to be called and a turn with the DMV technician.

So, if this doesn't sound too bad...Read on.

Once you've spent much of your day, and alot of time to spend your money, you are informed by the DMV technician that "you do not have all of the required information, documents or signatures required to complete your transaction", or obtain your renewal sticker, or licence plates, or reinstate your driving privilage, etc...

So now, you are given the "line pass", you can come back to the DMV and straight to the technician, "without waiting?, you say, you are so excited about your new "VIP" status, off you go, to get your required documents, signatures, tests, inspections or whatever was requested.

After spending somewhere between 30 minutes and several hours completing your DMV "assignment(s)", you have "everything" you need to "get this done", and you get to "cut" to the front of the line, you're "special", you have "VIP" status, you earned it by "putting in your time", waiting for hours already.

So back you go, driving or otherwise traveling to back to a DMV facility, find parking, etc...20 minutes...30 minutes?

But this time you don't have to stand, waiting in the information line for review of your needs, sitting in the crowded waiting room, waiting for your number to be called and a turn with the DMV technician like the rest of those poor souls. Or Do You?

Well "NO", you say, "The technician said to come right back to the counter, with my pass". This is when you find out that you are not the only person with a line pass and you are waiting again, sitting, waiting to be called, maybe for 10 minutes, maybe for 30 minutes?

At this point you have invested somewhere between 3 hours to as many as 6 hours of your time, patience and more money, and you are still not finished, you still are not legally compliant, and you may be cited and fined up to $1000.00, or worse, your car could be impounded, and that could cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Due to delays with the DMV process you drove without your renewal sticker or Nevada license plates. "How else was I supposed to get around town, get here, or get to work?", you say.

Finally, your called to see the technician. You are relieved.

The technician takes your paperwork. And this time the technician says "I'll be right back". "OK", you say. The technician is gone for an extended period of time. "They're probably doing some typical processing task", you think to yourself. Moments later the technician returns. "I spoke to my supervisor, It appears that another form and signature are required due to the type of circumstances we are dealing with here". You say, "You told me to get these other things completed and I would be done". Now you are confused and frustrated. Another hour "wasted"!

Seven (7) hours invested...Still not finished...DMV closes at 5pm, you've now spent all day on a "simple" task. Will it take another hour, another Day?

How long can you stand, waiting at the DMV?

You do not have to go to the Nevada DMV. DMV Easy is a convenient, time saving alternative to the frustrations spoken of in this story.

DMV Easy offers Same Day Express Pick-Up and Delivery of your Licence Plates, Registration and Permit,to your home or office, often delivered within hours of your order.

Contact DMV Easy at 702-858-3279. Rest assured, We'll handle the Nevada DMV.

Wait Times Nearly Double at Nevada DMV Offices

Associated Press - New statistics show wait times at the Department of Motor Vehicles office in Nevada have almost doubled after budget cuts closed satellite offices.

The statistics released Tuesday show customers at a northern Nevada DMV office waited an average of 42 minutes in July. A year earlier the wait time was 23 minutes on average.

Average wait times begin after standing in line to receive your number to be seen at the counter by a DMV technician. Times can be as short as one to two hours from arrival or as long as three to four hours by the time you are finished with the technician. Prepare for a day away from family, work or leisure activities.

The office saw considerably more customers (in the multiple thousands) last month, than in July 2008.

Nevada DMV spokesman Tom Jacobs says the average wait at the
Carson City office has also risen, though he did not have exact numbers.

Jacobs says three DMV satellite offices in northern Nevada closed in June, likely causing the increase in wait times.

At least four technicians at the DMV office are on furlough each day. Jacobs says it's not clear what impact that has had.

Wait times climb at the DMV; Northern Nevada may be next

Few issues bring out the anger of Nevadans and newcomers alike, like a long wait at the DMV.

For Southern Nevadans that irritation has been compounded by the knowledge that wait times here are as much as three times as long, on average, as in the rest of the state.

That won’t be remedied any time soon because lawmakers were unable to fully fund a plan to bring more equity to the system because of the state’s austere fiscal situation. North Las Vegas will not get a new DMV office, as officials had hoped.

But if misery loves company, Las Vegans can find some solace — things might get a bit worse for Northern Nevadans. The Department of Motor Vehicles closed “express” offices — which offered some but not all DMV services — in Reno and Sparks. A full-service DMV office in Gardnerville, about 16 miles from Carson City, also closed because of budget cuts.

All told, the cuts will save about $1 million over the biennium.

Entering the legislative session, the department had plans to close one Northern Nevada express office and open offices in North Las Vegas and Fernley (up north). But the combined cost of those offices was $1 million a year, according to DMV spokesman Tom Jacobs.

In May, the latest period for which numbers are available, wait times at Southern Nevada DMV offices continued to climb compared with May 2008.

Wait times at the two Northern Nevada offices that keep track — in Reno and Carson City — remained largely unchanged. At the Galetti office in Reno, the wait time increased by four minutes, to 28 minutes. At Carson City, the wait time remained flat at 18 minutes. This is after you have waited in the first line for your transaction to be identified, and obtain a number to be seen by a technician.

The total wait before seeing a technician can be as long as 60-90 minutes, making your entire DMV visit 2 hours or more. from the time you arrive. Southern Nevada wait times in Las Vegas are as much as three times longer, and can be four to five hours on an initial visit to the DMV.

The DMV does not track wait times at the 10 other offices in the rest of the state.

The Las Vegas Valley last saw an increase in the number of DMV offices in 1998, when the Henderson office opened. (A North Las Vegas office was replaced by the new facility on Decatur at the Las Vegas Beltway in 2006.)

Southern Nevada legislators regretted that they couldn’t open another office, but said it came down to dealing with a sagging state budget.

“We need money to open up new facilities,” said Assemblyman Kelvin Atkinson, D-North Las Vegas, chairman of the Transportation Committee.

Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, head of the Senate committee over transportation, said the disparity between north and south needs to be addressed. “We need more locations here in Southern Nevada, but when your revenue is whacked 45 percent, it makes it pretty tough,” he said.

The DMV’s budget is limited to 22 percent of the state’s highway fund, which comes mainly from the gasoline tax. (The state’s vehicle registration fees go to the general fund.) Legislation to increase the gas tax to increase funding for highways and the DMV died.

Wait times could grow, when furloughs for state workers begin. Most state employees, including DMV workers, will be forced to take one day off a month without pay.

Any complaints about the likelihood of longer lines irks the head of the state workers union.

“You’re going to have to take a half-day off of work to register your car,” said Dennis Mallory, head of the state chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Crackdown on Uninsured by Nevada DMV

Started in March of 2010, drivers registering a vehicle at the Nevada DMV must present a current (dated within 30 days) Nevada Evidence of Insurance Card.

The card(s) will also be a required document for new registrations, renewals, reinstatements and license plate changes. The Nevada DMV says that the new requirement is meant to tackle the problem of reducing uninsured drivers.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly one in four Nevada drivers does not have car insurance. The bureau found that there is a direct correlation between the number of Uninsured Drivers and the State Unemployment Figures. The number of uninsured drivers grew when Nevada’s unemployment rate increased from 8 percent in November 2008 to 12.3 percent in November 2009
In March of 2010, the Nevada DMV introduced its “Nevada LIVE Program”. The “Liability Insurance Validation Electronically” or “LIVE” system features a new Web page for drivers and insurance agents to update policy information online. It also captures insurance information at registration, renewal and reinstatement, instantly confirming coverage with the registered driver’s insurance company.
The Nevada DMV says that the program is, “a win for everyone – except the uninsured motorist.”
The Nevada LIVE program is currently active and producing results.
When an uninsured driver is involved in an accident, the costs for personal injury, property damage and medical bills are paid for by the higher insurance premiums paid by responsible, law abiding community citizens. In addition to the rising cost of insurance for those who obey the mandatory insurance laws. The Nevada LIVE program is reducing the number of uninsured drivers on Nevada roadways.
Driving without auto insurance can have additional and serious financial consequences. Penalties for driving without insurance or violating the state’s mandatory insurance law include:

Suspension of Registration and License Plates
$250.00 Nevada DMV Registration Reinstatement Fine
Suspension of Drivers’ License(s)
Additional Court Penalties if driver is involved in an accident

New license requirements for teens?

Getting a driver’s license has long been a rite of adolescent passage. But in Nevada, as in other states, a driver’s license has had little or no connection with attending or graduating from high school.

That may be changing.

The Clark County School Board on Wednesday will discuss whether to push for a new state law that will link driving to school work.

If you don’t get good grades, you don’t drive.

Penalties could be meted out not just to the underachieving students but also to their parents.

The implications in Clark County are significant. About a third of the class of 2009 failed to graduate.

The proposal under consideration at Wednesday’s work session would require “proof of high school enrollment including demonstrated attendance and evidence of passing grades” to get — and keep — a license until the age of 18.

A license would be “an annual privilege subject to renewal.”

And if a student were to skip school three times or more and become what is known as a “habitual truant,” his parents would have to go to “Saturday intervention sessions” to learn how to be better parents. Parents could also lose recreational licenses, such as hunting and fishing.

At the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles in Henderson on Monday, young drivers and potential drivers generally approved of the idea after reading the proposal.

Shane Marshall, 16, an incoming junior at Foothill High School in Henderson, said, “I’m totally for it.” Jordan Medina, 20, said, “If you go to school, you’re going to be more responsible.”

Kaitlynn Runyon, 17, an incoming senior at Basic High School in Henderson who is getting her driver’s license in two months, said her friends wouldn’t like the plan.

“The ones who are younger, I think, would completely disagree with it,” Runyon said. “Today’s generation is very lazy. So most children don’t go to school. Most children think they can just get passing grades so they can do whatever they want.”

And the “intervention sessions” for parents?

“Most children nowadays, they don’t come to school half the time and parents are allowing it,” Runyon said.

“A lot of my friends’ parents allow them to miss school,” she said. “Your parents are who you are supposed to look up to. In today’s generation, you don’t really see a lot of that.”

Older adults at the DMV seemed puzzled by the parental penalties.

One woman seemed outraged.

Cris Marshall, a 911 emergency call-taker and the aunt of Shane Marshall, said, “What? Say that again? That, I do not agree with. That part I do not believe is fair.”

Marshall, 49, said that if a student is habitually truant, it might be a job for Child Protective Services or some other agency. “Something is going on in their home life besides ‘I don’t want to go to school.’ ”

Habitual truancy in the School District is defined as three or more unexcused absences during the 180-day school year.

Joyce Haldeman, the district official whose staff drafted the plan, anticipated that the proposal would be “controversial,” but that she wanted it to be.

“Schools can’t do it by themselves, so we want to open a dialogue on valuing children going to school,” she said. “We want to make this a priority.”

Haldeman, the district’s associate superintendent for community and government relations, brings a parent’s perspective to her job. She has five grown children who attended public schools.

There are “uncomfortable elements” in the proposal, Haldeman said, such as Saturday better-parenting classes and the revocation of, as the proposal terms it, “certain state recreational licenses.”

She noted that in the request for the bill, the district is only proposing the idea, not offering final statutory language.

Haldeman said she wasn’t aware of any other state with a law that contains the elements proposed here.

Little-known facts about the Nevada DMV

We've received a flurry of questions for the folks at the Department of Motor Vehicles the past couple months. Since in the past week they have twice delayed their legislative hearing regarding the controversial Real ID, we figured they might have some extra time on their hands. So we threw the following noncontroversial questions their way.

Rae is observant ... and inquisitive: I'm curious about the new license plate renewal stickers (green for 2011). Some stickers for 2011 show the month/year as 03-11, while others show just the month 03 in larger numbers with 2011 down the side. I have never noticed two different types of stickers before, why the difference?

Good catch. Last year, law enforcement officials asked the Department of Motor Vehicles to increase the size of the month to make it easier to see. They aren't worried about the year because the tags are different colors.

Speaking of tagging, Mark's are peeling off: I have about 15 registration tags on my license plate and it looks like it would be easy to steal my newest one. What is the best way to take your older tags off your plates?

Try a substance like Goo Gone, which takes off ultra-sticky things, like, say for example, the orange stickers that parking enforcement places on your window.

The DMV doesn't believe it's necessary because those tags were designed to come off in tiny pieces so they would be difficult to steal.

Others have worried about it; one reader said he uses a razor blade to cut his sticker so that it would be tough to peel off.

That's fine too, says Tom Jacobs, spokesman for the DMV.

Tony has a couple questions regarding license plates: Several members of my extended family have an informal and ongoing contest to see who can spot the most recently issued license plate; currently we're up to "WLK." There are, however, several hundred "ZAA" plates which are totally out of sequence. Why would the DMV issue these outside of the normal progression?

All of the plates are manufactured in sequential order and shipped out in mass quantities to the state's different offices. This is where your game gets messed up. How the plates end up on the street depends on how busy the offices are, Jacobs said.

For example, the Henderson office might tear through their plates and issue plates starting with "999," while the Mesquite office is much slower and could still be on the plates starting with "123." Slower offices have the older plates.

And the second: When exactly did we switch from raised letters to the new flat design? I've seen a "TUT" that has raised letters and plates after "TUV" are all flat, but we are still looking for the mysterious "TUU" to see which design it utilizes.

The flat plates were introduced in October 2004; the "United We Stand" plate was the first one manufactured with the new lettering. The flat lettering rather than embossed are less expensive because they are produced digitally and on slightly thinner aluminum. They are also environmentally friendly because the DMV had to manufacture batches of personalized plates, such as UNLV, the rodeo or Lake Tahoe. Now they are done to order, which cuts down on waste.

As far as the "TUU," there could very well be both raised and flat plates with those letters.

Brian gets the final question: I have seen quite a few plates that have lost the light blue color. Some are starting to look like the old plates (I believe it was the big horn, but I'm not sure). Now with these new design plates, when they fade like they are, who is going to have to foot the charges on replacing them? It's bad enough that we Nevadans get hosed on the cost of registering the car, but I don't see how it is our fault that they are fading.

Actually, if your plates get to the point where they are so faded they are unreadable, the owner of the vehicle is responsible for replacing them.

They cost 50 cents apiece, a buck a set, Jacobs said. That is what the DMV pays Nevada Prison Industries to manufacture them.

As a side note, the big horn plates should not be on the street anymore. They were replaced by the Sunset editions. As of 2003, it is illegal to have the big horns affixed to your vehicle, Jacobs said.

Source : http://www.lvrj.com/news/little-known-facts-about-the-nevada-dmv-92846114.html