March 7, 2005

The Fast Lane

Almost three years ago, I wrote the following in a column published by the Nashville City Paper regarding the agonizingly long lines at Tennessee's driver's license testing centers:

The state now allows people to renew their license online, but not everyone has Internet access. Installing two or three PCs and Internet access in the driver's license office in each of Tennessee's 95 counties would cost around $250,000, probably less if the state leaned on Dell for a grant. IBM set up online renewals for Arizona, in return keeping about a buck from each renewal.

License kiosks cut red tape
Tennesseans who have lost their driver’s licenses can use three self-service kiosks in the Nashville area to replace their license within one day. The two Nashville locations are at the driver license examining stations at 624 Hart Lane and 1601 Murfreesboro Pike, and a third is at the examining station in Gallatin.

Melissa McDonald, public information officer with the Tennessee Department of Safety (TDOS), said renewals can also be done online, but in contrast to the kiosks, it will take a few days to get a license replacement mailed to one’s home. "More than 50 percent of driver’s license transaction each year are renewals," McDonald said.

Last year, the number of licenses processed online increased by about 22 percent. ... People using the kiosk are getting new photos on their licenses, while online renewal will result in the re-use of the old picture. TDOS is trying to cut down on the time people spend at the examining stations ...

UPDATE: By the way, you can get a replacement license, change your address or renew your Tennessee DL online here. I hadn't gotten a new license with my new address on it recently and I have moved twice since June of 2002. I changed my address and ordered a replacement license online last night. It took about five minutes and cost $8. The service even gives you the option of preventing the release of your DL info to individuals or businesses who aren't you. There are a lot of things wrong with Tennessee state government. This service isn't one of them.