Department of Safety Implements Steps to Improve Wait Times at Shelby County Driver Services Center

MEMPHIS --- The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security announced immediate steps it is taking to improve wait times at driver services centers in Shelby County. The measures are the result of an ongoing evaluation of the centers in Shelby County.

“We are very aware of the lengthy wait times at most of our driver services centers in Shelby County,” Commissioner Bill Gibbons said. “This is unacceptable, and we sent in a special team to evaluate the situations surrounding the centers in Shelby County and recommend ways to improve service. Some of those recommendations require longer-term planning, but there are several things we can do to immediately improve service,” Gibbons added.

The immediate actions include:

·         Due to the high volume of citizens seeking to reinstate revoked or suspended driver licenses in Shelby County during this time of year, the Hickory Ridge Driver License Reinstatement Center will open for additional Saturday hours, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., on March 22 and 29, April 4, 11, and 26. (The special Saturday hours will not take place on Easter weekend.) These extra hours of service are for reinstatement services only.

·         The department has initiated a system in which customers who cannot be served on the day they visit centers due to high volume will be placed on a list and may return to that center at 8:30 a.m. the following business day for priority service.

·         Job offers have been made to fill all vacant full-time positions at driver services centers in Shelby County and are contingent on background checks now being conducted. This includes staffing additional personnel to avoid shortages at centers where employees may be on leave.

·         On a pilot basis, the department will install a virtual queuing system at a driver services center in Shelby County. This type of system will allow customers to begin their wait times by joining a virtual line from an internet-based computer or smart phone or by calling a toll-free number from a cell phone. The service provides the customer a specific time to visit the center to be serviced with little to no wait. This service is expected to be installed by July 1.

·         Management of each center will be responsible for helping service customers while in line to determine whether they have the proper paperwork and other requirements to complete their transactions, or whether they may be able to use the self-service kiosks or iPad kiosks for quicker service.

“While these actions alone won’t solve all the problems in Shelby County, they should help reduce the congestion at the reinstatement center and improve customer service at the other centers.” Gibbons said.

Additionally, Driver Services administration is completing a comprehensive evaluation of the staffing needs at all of the centers in Shelby County and may make adjustments to staffs in the near future.

The statewide average wait time for this year through February 28 was 23 minutes.

In Shelby County, the year-to-date average wait time through the end of February at the Shelby Drive Driver Services Center was 44 minutes; Summer Avenue was 44.3 minutes; Millington was 12.4 minutes; and Hickory Ridge Driver License Reinstatement Center was 39.3 minutes. Wait time is calculated from the time a customer is given a wait number until the time that number is called to be served.

Citizens do not need to visit driver services centers for simple transactions, such as renewing or replacing a driver license. Licenses may be renewed and replaced, and addresses may be changed online at www.tn.gov.

Another alternative location for renewals and replacements is the Shelby County Clerk’s Office at 150 Washington Avenue in downtown Memphis.

The department also has several self-service kiosks located across Shelby County – more than any other county in Tennessee – where citizens may renew or replace licenses. These machines process the request, take the photo, and accept payment with a credit or debit card.  In addition to the Shelby Drive and Summer Avenue Driver Services Centers and the Hickory Ridge Driver License Reinstatement Center, self-service kiosks in Shelby County are located at:

·         Memphis Benjamin Hooks Public Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue, Memphis

·         Memphis Police Department Appling Farms Station, 6850 Appling Farms Parkway, Memphis

·         Memphis Police Department Tillman Station, 426 Tillman Street, Memphis

·         Memphis Police Department Mt. Moriah Station, 2602 Mt. Moriah Road, Memphis

·         Shelby County Clerk’s Mullins Station location, 1075 Mullins Station, Suite W‐103, Memphis

·         Germantown City Hall, 1930 South Germantown Road, Germantown

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s (www.TN.Gov/safety) mission is 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.