DMV Delays Threaten Farm Productivity

When I was in college at Virginia Tech, my friends and I used to camp out for football tickets. These days, my friends are camping out to get into the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

I recently talked with a farmer who needed to get North Carolina driver’s licenses for her H-2A workers, each of whom had a valid driver’s license from Mexico. Those licenses should be accepted if the workers were ever stopped by law enforcement, but they were advised it would be better to have a U.S. license. The farmer called the local DMV and was told it would be more than 90 days before she could get an appointment. Three months is a lifetime in farming, and harvest season would be over by then.

Shortly after that conversation, I was talking with a friend whose children needed to take their driving exam. They arrived at the DMV office at 4:30 a.m. on a Wednesday. The office opened at 7:00 a.m., and the first 20 people in line were seen before the office officially started taking appointments at 8:00 a.m. Those who didn’t make the cut could stay in line until Noon or come back another day. He and his children were in spots 6, 7 and 8, so they made it inside, but there were around 45 people left behind.

I called the farmer to let her know about this option. She and her workers went to the DMV at 6:30 a.m. with chairs. Her husband brought food and hats. At 4:30 p.m., they left with North Carolina driver’s licenses for the workers. It was a ten-hour workday without a minute spent in the field.

My friend had to return to the DMV with one of their children. They arrived on a Saturday morning at 4:30 a.m., and there were at least 30 people in front of them. Some had arrived as early as 2:20 a.m. My friend got in at 10:00 a.m. with around 60 people still waiting in line. The appointment took an hour.

Frustration All Around

In all cases, my friends said DMV staff showed excellent customer service, constantly giving updates and keeping the line moving as best they could. Some even provided water to people waiting. 

This is not a new issue. Our DMV offices are understaffed and many have outdated technology. Also, some services that could once be handled online must now be done in person due to stricter requirements for document verification. 

A few years ago, I needed to update my driver’s license. Appointments at my local DMV were booked for three months. I checked every DMV office in the state and finally got an appointment two months later, 90 minutes away.

DMV and state legislators have recognized the issue, but by the time a solution comes, it could be too late for farmers trying to get their farm workers a driver’s license for this season.