NJ Extends MVC Days, Halts Furloughs As Frustrations Mount

TRENTON, NJ — New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission offices will extend their hours to six days a week starting Monday and any staff furloughs will be suspended as the state deals with a monthslong backlog of work, Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday.

Murphy acknowledged the issues as frustrations mounted and lines stretched for the second day at motor vehicles offices across New Jersey, as service resumed after nearly four months of being closed.

"I completely understand the frustration felt by every customer forced to wait on long lines as we reopen and deal with the months and months of backlog caused by the pandemic," he said during his coronavirus pandemic briefing. "You're upset about this, so am I. ... We will do better."

Murphy said all motor vehicles commission staff will be exempted from the state's furloughs, which began June 29 as the state grapples with the impact of lost revenue due to the pandemic. Read more: NJ State Worker Furloughs Could Begin This Monday

In addition, the commission has rescinded its plans to be closed on Mondays through July and instead will be open six days a week (closing only on Sundays) beginning Monday.

"We need to have literally every hand on deck every day serving the public," Murphy said.

Tuesday's opening of motor vehicles offices — delayed a week because of continuing coronavirus concerns — was chaotic as most sites. In Eatontown, motorists parked on the side of Route 36 to get into the agency there. South Brunswick police were urging people to stay away. Read more: 3-Hour Waits, Lines As NJ's MVC Reopens; Will It Happen Again?

Across New Jersey, several centers shut down entirely to new customers on Tuesday, including in Lakewood, with other locations closing hours early. In Trenton, a fight broke out between customers. In Toms River, people waited for more than seven hours before they were finally turned away.

On Wednesday, state officials set limits on the number of customers that would be served. That didn't stop lines from snaking around buildings and into parking lots.

Marco Tejema of Elizabeth waited in line Tuesday in Rahway but said that office ended up being shut down due to fights. He was in Somerville on Wednesday, where lines backed up for the second day.

"This is an essential (service) and needs to be open," Tejema said. "It was stupid for them to shut it down." Read more: Second Day Of Long Lines, Somerville MVC Caps Limit: Video

The Hazlet office reached its maximum of 250 customers in two hours, and police urged people to stay away. Some people had camped out overnight, hoping to improve their chances of getting in for services. Read more: Hazlet MVC Reaches Capacity In Two Hours, Turns Away Crowd

They camped out in Lakewood, where the cap on customers was reached by 7 a.m., and in Toms River as well, bringing chairs to pass the hours before the office opened. The customer limit in Toms River was reached before 9 a.m. Read more: Frustration Again As Toms River, Lakewood MVC Offices Shut Lines

Andrew Bayles, who turned 17 on March 27 — just 12 days after the state's motor vehicle offices shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic — wasn't outside all night in Toms River, but got in line at 4:30 a.m. Wednsday in hopes of getting his license. His mother is a nurse, and he works at a marina, which has been open as an essential service. He's had to work out rides to work on many occasions, and the license will ease that stress.

"It's been so bad not being able to drive myself," Bayles said.

Matt Fisher of Morristown went back to the Randolph agency at 2:30 a.m. Wednsday after waiting all day Tuesday for his daughter to get her license. Instead of just sitting in a line that had started to form at midnight, he organized a numbering system that essentially matched the system agency workers used later in the morning, creating organization where chaos had reigned a day earlier. Read more: After MVC 'Fiasco', Morristown Man Takes Matters Into Own Hands

Sue Fulton, chief administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, on Tuesday acknowledged the issues and said the commission had sent extra management staff to the busiest agencies at 6 a.m.

"While we understand the frustration of our customers in this extremely challenging and difficult time, our employees are doing the best they can to keep everyone safe and work as efficiently as possible," Fulton said.

She urged residents to check the commission's website, NJMVC.gov, for transactions that can be done online, such as replacements, changes of address, and standard driver's license renewals. Any transaction that can be done online will not be available in-person, officials have said. (You can find the list here.)

"(Fulton) is committed to meeting the needs of our residents and motorists," Murphy said.

He also reminded residents that expiration dates on licenses, permits, registrations and inspections all were automatically extended in March when he first declared the public health emergency, because the offices were being shut down.

"The lines we saw yesterday were not unexpected," Murphy said. He urged residents to take into account the extensions on expiration dates and to wait a bit longer to go to the motor vehicle agencies if at all possible.

"We don't want anyone camping out," he said. "Please stay home and stay safe. Wait a few more days perhaps but please don't camp out."

He also urged people be polite to the office staff dealing with the crushing workload.

"We have a backlog that is months in the making," Murphy said. "Please have patience and respect for the folks who are serving you."

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