Why I hate the DMV

Going to the DMV is a rite experienced by everyone who drives. As you get older, it gets easier because you can renew your drivers license online (you're just getting older and uglier so what's the difference) and I've used that option a lot. When I got married a few years ago I had to go to the DMV in person (gasp) to show my face and marriage license. It was relatively painless and I only had to wait in line for about 30 minutes.

Thanks to Uncle Sam, a new policy has been instated whereby you have to show proof of citizenship of the good old U S of A so you have to provide a birth certificate or passport. Now Uncle Sam is something of a jokester because that little bit of information is left out of the license renewal reminder. So you might get two visits to the DMV for the price of one!

I went on a Friday at 10:00 am, thinking about how smart I was for going early but when I arrived at my local office, I was confronted with a waiting room that seats about 100 (which was full) and a line that snaked out of the building, down the sidewalk and around the side of the building. In Texas in July, it's about 90+ outside at 10:00 in the morning so waiting in the heat wasn't very appealing. I decided to drive to the next town over and try that DMV. I figured that the line would be shorter since the town was pretty small. WRONG The line was out the door and down the sidewalk at that location, too.


Thanks Google images for the picture!

About the time I had resigned myself to the fact that I'd be waiting in the heat for a couple of hours, Mr. Wonderful called me and informed me that I did not have to renew my license in the county that I lived in. I could do it anywhere! He also told me that the DMV in the little town by our house in the woods isn't usually busy and that I should try there. That's just what I did. I threw some clothes in the car, loaded up the pooch and took off towards Redneckville. An hour later I was rolling up to the DMV ready to tackle the crowds. The following events were amazing to me...

There were approximately 7 cars in the parking lot (including the highway patrol trooper cars). I went inside the office and there were 6 people in the waiting room! SIX!!! I asked the friendly attendant where the number slip machine was so that I could get my place in line and I was told that I just needed to wait. They didn't have a number machine! I walked towards the chairs so I could sit while I waited and the nice attendant informed me that I simply needed to wait in line in front of the counter. I was so flustered at the simplicity of the whole deal that I immediately began asking every person "in line" in the entire waiting room if I was cutting in front of them. I was assured that no, they were waiting for other things and I only had one person in front of me. ONE!!!! Exactly 3 minutes later, I was in front of another friendly attendant signing papers and having my picture taken.

Now I must admit, I've never encountered a surly attendant at the DMV in all my thousands of years of going there so I'm not saying that they're mean. But the attendants at the DMV in Redneckville were the nicest people ever! I wanted to run out and buy them a latte or something! It was the easiest, quickest process I've ever had. I catch myself talking down Redneckville because there isn't anywhere good to eat and nowhere to shop and nothing to do for entertainment but let me tell ya, they've got the best dang DMV in the whole state of Texas! I'm never going anywhere else from now on. Thanks to the friendly, efficient DMV peeps of Redneckville, I love ya!