The Department of Motor Vehicles is closed until February 18th for upgrades and training
A OPINION by Steven Sprague,
Yes. With all of New York’s Department of Motor Vehicles office closing for an intensive upgrading of systems this week, I’m taking the opportunity so say “thanks” for the work DMV’s do and the amazing ability to endure an estimated 243-million customers like me.
So many things we do routinely rely on what amounts to unseen magic and, because it’s unseen, it’s seldom appreciated. When you check mail on the cell phone, you don’t stop to thank the programmers and chip makers who made that possible. But you DO grumble and cuss when it falters or hesitates.
I developed an unexpected respect and admiration for what happens at the DMV in my last career that I’d like to share while we wait for reopening on the 18th.
My last job in the Nation’s Capital was with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) HQ. I started in February 2003. Three months later, Section 1012 of The Patriot Act required a regulation calling for security background checks on all commercial drivers who sought hazardous material (“hazmat”) endorsements on their state-issued licenses.
In that first job as Chief of Highway Infrastructure Security, implementation of that rule fell to me. When my phone was listed in the rule in the Federal Register, I instantly became the evil perpetrator to more than 2 million commercial drivers.
I also became the villain to virtually every state or territory DMV boss because the rule gave them all less than six months to change the way they cleared drivers for hazmat. Under normal circumstances, it would take 3 years to implement those clearances.
All states and U.S. territories subscribe to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA). It’s AAMVA which works to normalize all those agencies so drivers don’t need a new license every time they cross a state line. I eventually got the implementation date pushed back to reasonable but there were =– shall we say, awkward – moments.
At one point, I was invited to speak to a gathering of state administrators but warned that the boss of that state wanted to have some fun introducing me. I prepared for it. When he stepped up to do that, he was wearing a baseball umpire’s chest protector and face mask. When I stepped in, I unbuttoned the shirt to show my Superman tee beneath.
Ultimately, we worked it out but I was overwhelmed with AAMVA’s process and efficiency, it’s dedicated leadership and the guidance and help they provided, certainly to TSA but especially to each individual agency. I also had the opportunity to deal directly with many of the states’ agency staff.
I remember reaching out to one western DMV chief to personally explain why TSA insisted that the hazmat endorsement be recertified every five years. I tried to apologize for the extra work because his state issued lifetime licenses. Unexpectedly, he thanked me, saying “I’ve been trying to tell them you can’t issue a lifetime license!”
Obviously, we got the hazmat procedures in place but, as you may have read in previous columns, AAMVA and each of the DMV’s were again critical in implementing Real ID. I’m certain that whatever is keeping the local offices closed these few days will improve things in ways we may never see but really need.
So, I invite you to join with me to appreciate what they do and how they do it. In all my official and personal dealings over all these years, I’ve seldom seen a DMV office that’s OVERstaffed, so prepare for a possible wait but keep a “thanks’ at the ready.
