One of the rights of passage for American teens is a trip to a testing center to take the exam that if passed allows them to obtain a driver’s license. It is a visit that involves equal amounts of anticipation and trepidation. It many instances, unfortunately, it also requires a substantial investment of time. The wait, many Tennesseans can tell you, is often epic. Gov. Bill Haslam and the Department of Safety want to reduce it. A lot of folk would be mighty pleased if they can.
The governor gets points for even tackling the problem. Wait times have been a problem for years and earlier efforts to shorten them have floundered. Haslam, however, is resolute. He mentioned the lengthy waits in his State of the State talk in March. Now, his administration has a plan to reduce the average time in driver service centers from about 50 minutes to less than 30 minutes. Good luck with that.
There are physical problems and semantic problems to be overcome. Even the current wait times are problematic. Officials admit the current average of 51 minutes does not always include the time individuals wait before reaching a center’s front counter to be issued a number. That’s when the state starts counting wait time.
Sometimes, though, it can take an hour or more to reach the counter. Clearly, the total time it can take or obtain or renew a license or transact other business can be lengthy.
Officials hope to reduce waits by extending center hours, streamlining administration and oversight, and upgrading computer systems. The effort will be complicated by increasing workloads at the centers.