Back in 2003 the NJ DMV underwent a major overhaul and have been focusing on providing better service.  They also changed their name from the Division of Motor Vehicles to the Motor Vehicle Commission.  They were serious about change!! 

When I moved back to NJ in 2003 I had to switch my license and registration over from North Carolina.  (I actually didn’t switch everything over until 2004)  I also had to get my car inspected.  When I went to the MVC in Lodi, I planned on spending at least 4 hours getting these tasks done.  Well in less than 1.5 hours I got it ALL done…new license, new registration, and even got my Explorer inspected!  I was quite impressed, but thought it was a fluke!

The inspection of your car lasts for 2 years in NJ, so this year I had to bring it back.  It took me under 30 minutes at the Paramus inspection station.  When I arrived there I had to take a ticket at the gate and there was a sign that said, “Wait Time: 30 Minutes”.  I would assume they are using this to track how long it takes each person to get processed.  I can tell that they are certainly not sacrificing quality with their speedy service as they FAILED me for not having a NON-SLIP surface on my Emergency/Parking Brake pedal.  So I had to go buy one and get re-inspected.  In the past you could go through a partial inspection, but that is no longer the case.  I had to go through the whole process all over again!

I finally took care of this on Tuesday and the process was so quick i barely had time to flip through the magazine that I brought with me.  The complete inspection including wait time was 17 minutes!!  Crazy!

I am glad that things changed with the MVC that has enabled it to no longer be a place that I dread!

-Allen