6 Big Changes That (Again) Affect NJ Driver's Licenses, REAL ID

ACROSS NEW JERSEY – New Jersey has gotten closer than ever to issuing the REAL IDs that will bring big changes to your driver's licenses. Only now, it's all going to come a little later than state officials originally wanted.

New Jersey announced a plan Tuesday for how the REAL IDs will be issued – a program that will be rolled out beginning in June, about a month later than originally planned.

And with this roll out, the Motor Vehicle Commission is expecting a lot of long lines to get the new REAL ID driver's license with a gold star stuck to it.

The Motor Vehicle Commission, as a result, announced six major points that you'll need to know when you finally get one – and hopefull avoid trouble. See the list of points below.

What New Jersey officials want is an orderly transition that won't create too many of the inevitable long lines that have happened in the 40-plus states that have already issued REAL IDs.

“We’ve seen in other states that issuing REAL IDs causes dramatically longer lines, in some cases completely overwhelming motor vehicle agencies,” New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission Chief Administrator Sue Fulton. “We want to make sure that we are ready for our customer volume to double, triple, or even quadruple, when REAL ID starts.”

Fulton laid out what she said will "enhance" services and improve agency operations and computer systems. The MVC also plans to hire roughly 200 new employees.

“All of our changes are designed for us to function as smoothly and efficiently as possible once we begin issuing REAL IDs in the weeks ahead,” Fulton said. “Everything we are doing is designed to reduce lines and wait times, while improving the overall customer experience.”

REAL ID is the federal requirement for state-issued driver licenses and non-driver IDs to help prevent fraudulent identification. Either a REAL ID or a valid passport will be required to board commercial flights beginning October 1, 2020. Read more: REAL ID Guide For NJ: Do This Before Oct. 1, 2020 (UPDATED)

Since the current, standard-issue New Jersey driver license will no longer be accepted as identification to fly, it is expected that millions of New Jerseyans will opt for the REAL ID license.

HERE ARE THE SIX POINTS:

Online services revamped

The MVC website has been revamped, with easier navigation and better search. More importantly, customers can now do several transactions online that previously required an in-person visit. This change means thousands of customers can “skip the trip,” resulting in shorter lines inside the agency, Fulton said.

Driver license renewals

Renewals can be transacted online if eligible. Every four years, you must renew your NJ license, but you only need a new photo every eight years; if you don’t need a new photo, you can now renew online rather than by mail.

Driver license replacements

Replacements are available online. Until now, if your license was lost, stolen, or damaged, you needed to visit a motor vehicle agency to replace it. Now you can get a replacement via the MVC website. Registration replacements and renewals are now available online as well.

Signing up for REAL ID notification

The new MVC-owned microsite REALIDNJ.com not only provides information about REAL ID in New Jersey, but you can sign up to be notified if/when the state is beta-testing REAL ID issuance at an agency near you.

Agency systems and possible system failure

No one should be standing in line for hours because a system has gone down, said Fulton. “That’s why we’re replacing equipment and software in each of our 39 agencies,” she said.

So, over the next six months, MVC will complete the following:

• Replace All Agency Servers. Each agency has its own server, and they’re all technically at “end-of-life.” Between May 1 and October 1, 2019, every agency’s server will be replaced with a new one.
• Replace over 1200 PCs as well as keyboards and monitors throughout those 39 agencies.
• Install faster, more reliable driver testing software.
• Replace point-of-sale payment system - where outdated credit card scanners currently cause frequent outages. Implementing new cloud-based technology expands the ability to scan not only credit cards, but eventually licenses and QR codes that can link to and upload a customer’s completed application.
• Finish expanding our new queuing system, in which the customer gets a ticket, and follows overhead screens to the open window. This system tracks wait times for each stage of a transaction and allows managers to speed customer flow. The system is currently piloting in Trenton and Delanco, and will be expanded to all other agencies. Updates in Phase 2 (2020) will allow us to schedule REAL ID appointments.

Staffing and hours changes

On any given day, at any given time, an average of only 60 percent of agency “windows” (stations) are open. On Saturdays or late Tuesday nights, it’s fewer than 50 percent, Fulton said.

“Our overtime budget is five times what it was just four years ago – but we are still stretching too few employees over multiple shifts every day, just to cover all the hours,” said Fulton. “We have the most staff on hand during mid-mornings and mid-afternoons on weekdays – when the fewest customers come in.”

MVC will be filling open positions at an accelerated rate in an effort to achieve 100 percent of windows staffed, and will add 209 full-time and 80 part-time positions in the FY2020 budget. But even those changes will not staff every window, Fulton said.

To get to full staffing, MVC will consolidate its hours and move to one shift during the week rather than two, meaning all employees will be present at opening time, and until closing time.

Starting July 6, Motor Vehicle agencies will be open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MVC Saturday hours will be extended, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and will use part-time employees to staff the windows at 100 percent instead of 50 percent, to serve more customers in less time.

“As these new initiatives come online, we will be able to roll out REAL ID availability in beta testing, agency by agency, starting in June,” said Fulton. “As with most software roll-outs, we can’t predict how long the beta testing and debugging will last, but we will expand as quickly as we can without sacrificing customer service.”