Department of Safety & Homeland Security Makes More Options Available for Citizens, Improves Driver Services in Shelby County

NASHVILLE --- The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security announced today that it is making more options available for citizens of Shelby County who need to renew or replace driver licenses, and is merging staff and services at two centers as part of an overall effort to improve effectiveness and efficiency with the state’s driver license services.

The express center that provides limited driver services located at 3040 Walnut Grove in midtown Memphis will merge with the full-service center located at 3200 East Shelby Drive effective February 19, 2013.  The last day of driver services at the Walnut Grove facility will be Friday, February 15. Funding for staff has never been provided for this center, which provides renewal and replacement driver licenses, processes handgun carry permits, and issues driving records only.  Employees from the Shelby Drive facility have temporarily staffed it for years. This merger will allow the department to fully staff the Shelby Drive center, which is a state-of-the-art facility.

While the Walnut Grove facility will no longer be available, the number of locations in Shelby County where citizens may renew or replace driver licenses is actually increasing. Shelby County is home to seven new self-service kiosks that citizens may use to renew or replace driver licenses.  Two of these kiosks are located within one mile of the Walnut Grove facility. One self-service kiosk is currently located inside the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue. The other kiosk will be installed on February 7 at the Memphis Police Department’s Tillman Station precinct, 426 Tillman Street. Both locations are open seven days a week.

"We are focused on the needs of our customers. We want to provide them more choices in obtaining standard driver license services and reduce the wait times in our centers for citizens who choose that option. We will now have a fully staffed center on Shelby Drive with much better service. With our new, separate kiosk facilities across the county, we are expanding from five locations to nine locations where citizens can get their licenses renewed or replaced. And, of course, we encourage citizens eligible to renew without a new photograph to simply do so on-line or by mail," Commissioner Bill Gibbons said.

The Department of Labor and Workforce Development intends to relocate their Tennessee Career Center from 1295 Poplar to the Walnut Grove site. The center provides job placement and training opportunities for the unemployed.

The three full-service driver service centers in Shelby County are located at:

• East Shelby Drive Driver Service Center, 3200 East Shelby Drive, Memphis
• Summer Avenue Driver Service Center, 6340 Summer Avenue, Memphis
• Millington Driver Service Center, 5019 W. Union Road, Millington

In addition to kiosks and iPad technology available at the driver service centers, five new self-service kiosks will exist in Shelby County. Those kiosks are located at:

• Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue, Memphis
• Memphis Police Department Tillman Station, 426 Tillman Street, Memphis (February 7)
• Memphis Police Department Appling Farms Station, 6850 Appling Farms Parkway, Memphis
• Shelby County Clerk’s Office, 1075 Mullins Station, Suite W-103, Memphis
• Germantown City Hall, 1930 South Germantown Road, Germantown

The Shelby County Clerk has also partnered with the department at its downtown Memphis location to offer renewal and replacement driver licenses. It is located at:

• Shelby County Clerk’s Office, 150 Washington Avenue, Suite 103, Memphis

A reinstatement-only center, where citizens whose licenses have been suspended may get licenses reinstated, is located at:

• Shelby County Reinstatement Driver License Center, Hickory Ridge Mall, Suite 502, 6075 Winchester Road, Memphis

Citizens may also renew or replace driver licenses anytime online at www.tn.gov/safety.

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s mission is (www.TN.Gov/safety) to ensure that our state is a safe, secure place in which to live, work, and travel; enforce the law with integrity; and provide customer-focused services professionally and efficiently. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services.  

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