FARGO — People rushing to get their driver's license credentials up to date when North Dakota reopened this week following a COVID-19 shutdown managed to jam up phone lines meant for prioritized services only.
However, that demand has eased some, as the state made adjustments on the fly, according to State Drivers License Division Director Brad Schaffer.
On a typical day, the division handles about 500 calls.
On Monday, May 11, when it reopened during the pandemic under North Dakota Smart Restart, more than 3,500 calls flooded in.
“The phone lines couldn’t even handle that,” Schaffer said.
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The drivers license division has had experience dealing with high demand for services.
Last summer, customers who showed up for walk-in service in Fargo were sometimes waiting as long as four hours to be seen. To eliminate those long wait-times, the state has been encouraging customers to make appointments for some time now.
To deal with the current backlog, the division put its focus on several areas, including rescheduling road tests and written permit tests set for March and April that had to be postponed due to the pandemic, along with out-of-state transfers who need ID cards in order to vote.
Those prioritized on-site services would only be available by calling for an appointment.
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Instead, the state was swamped with calls on other matters.
Many people wanted to renew their driver’s licenses or motor vehicle license tabs, that despite expiring March 1, are still valid under an emergency declaration from Gov. Doug Burgum.
They apparently missed that announcement about expiration dates being waived, Schaffer said.
The driver’s license division is relying on call-in appointments because its current online system isn’t able to recognize the new post-shutdown priorities, Schaffer said.
Schaffer said they’ve received more than 500 such email requests, which their team pledges to respond to within three to five days.
By Wednesday, call volume decreased to around 1,500, which he said was more manageable.
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Once the backlog of road and written tests is taken care of, the driver’s license division will start taking appointments for other matters, including REAL ID.
The deadline for implementation of that new federally required form of identification has been pushed back a year, to Oct. 1, 2021, due to the pandemic.
“We’re going to take care of everybody, but we just ask for patience during this process and just understanding of the priority,” Schaffer said.
People coming in for tests and other services, along with those providing them, undergo a temperature check as a way of screening for COVID-19.
They’re required to practice social distancing and wear a mask when in a vehicle.
“If the person doesn’t want to do that, then we will not test them,” he said.
Most driver license services in Fargo are being performed at a temporary location in the Village West Mall at 4101 13th Ave. S.
The district office at 503 38th Street South in Fargo has been undergoing an expansion and renovation since August 2019.
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