Once synonymous with excruciatingly long wait times, DOL offices are becoming more customer-friendly these days thanks to more online options. Things like changing your address, replacing a lost or stolen card, obtaining a copy of your driving record or even renewing your license can now be handled via the web, removing hundreds of thousands of people from DOL lines throughout the state. Yes, that's right: hundreds of thousands. This has already produced a noticeable drop in office wait times.
And wait times are likely to keep right on decreasing as a result of House Bill 1635, which passed the Legislature this year. It authorizes driver training schools and public schools to administer both the written and driving portions of the driver licensing exam. This change frees up DOL staff to handle more customers at the counter, rather than be out on the roads administering driving tests. According to a DOL spokesperson, the driver training schools should be able to begin administering the exams in spring or summer of next year.
Shorter lines and faster service were exactly what Rep. Dave Upthegrove was going for when he sponsored HB 1635. The DOL office with the longest wait times in the state serves the Highline portion of his district, and he has personally experienced the agony of standing in line there. Now even the wait time at that location has decreased, according to the KIRO FM report.
At this rate, a trip to the DOL may soon be downright fun.
