Teens Camp Out Early At DMV In Order To Take Driver's Test

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Department of Motor Vehicle's reputation for long lines goes a step further in Minnesota, with dozens of cars waiting to get into various road test service centers hours before they open.

Each vehicle has a soon-to-be-driver waiting to take his or her road test. Each find it as the simpler option than trying to schedule an appointment. Some arrived at 4 a.m. Some arrived at midnight.

"I've tried a lot of other days like Tuesdays, Fridays and Mondays, but it's never really worked out," Vanda Wang said while waiting at the Arden Hills station. "Other times I come at five in the morning but usually they don't take walk ins at that time, because there's [sic] probably been a lot of other cars that have taken the spot."

Showing up early makes scheduling a little more predictable, especially for families who cannot drive far to take the test. WCCO has heard from Twin Cities families who have driven to Hutchinson, Cambridge and Mankato because metro-area centers were booked for months.

On two separate occasions, WCCO requested appointment availability from the Driver and Vehicle Services, spanning an 80-mile radius from Minneapolis.

The dates requested were for May 30 and June 5, 2019.

At the end of May, the next available appointment in Hutchinson was for Aug. 22. The following week, it changed to Sept. 19. A DVS spokesperson said part of that delay is due to Hutchinson administering road tests just one day a week.

Timing can fluctuate for the better. At first, the Anoka station didn't show availability until Aug. 29. A week later, a window opened for June 7.

The Department of Public Safety, which operates DVS, declined the opportunity for an on-camera interview with WCCO to explain what proactive steps it's taking, if any, to mitigate the delays. Through email statements, it confirmed a pattern we saw firsthand: appointment availability can vary by the day, and sometimes within the day.

One of the most popular test centers is in Eagan. At the end of May, a DVS spokesperson said it had an opening for June 3. When WCCO called the Eagan station on June 4, the availability got pushed back to September 13th. After following up with DVS on June 5, it said the next availability moved again, to June 12.

DVS says the issue is supply and demand: There are more requests to take road tests than the number of instructors who can administer them. In its statement, DVS gave four pieces of advice:

• Plan ahead. Drivers can book spots online up to two months ahead, and up to six months ahead by phone.
• Be flexible with your test location
• Keep checking for openings, as there are bound to be cancellations.
• Be prepared, to avoid having to go through the process again.