SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ–“It’s tough when it’s statewide, you know,” said a Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) employee stationed at the reception area directly inside the main entrance at the location in Dayton.
It was July 26, not long after the agency’s offices on Route 130 North opened at 8:00 a.m. for the day.
“Due to a statewide system issue [all Garden State Motor Vehicle Commission] MVC agencies are currently unable to process driver license transactions and road test scheduling,” reads a “closings/delays” announcement posted on the MVC website.
“The camera system for processing licenses and ID’s is currently down,” said a customer service representative, reached by phone at the agency’s call center, which she explained is not located at any of the agency’s locations but answers on behalf of the agency.
“The system includes the computers. They’re unable to do process anything regarding licenses or ID’s at this moment,” said the phone representative.
This reporter asked the representative if it was the cameras that were causing the downage.
“Yes unfortunately at this point [the cameras’] are still down.
Should I wait? Asked this reporter.
“I mean that choice is up to you. If you want to wait and see if they’ll come back up, or come back in another day,” responded the representative, confirming that the cameras might become operational at any time.
Inside the South Brunswick agency, an employee said the cause of the delay may have been due to the storm the night before. She cited the possibility of a “communication error from Trenton,” involving “the boards.”
One frustrated Millstone Township resident, who decided not to wait, said even if the system came back on, he would still have to wait for the 60 people who checked in before him to finish, before he could get his license.
“That’s how fucked up the state is,” he said, adding he’d driven to the Dayton agency for the fourth time in recent weeks to get his license renewed and still couldn’t get it done.
“He still hasn’t gotten served, and so [the second person] hasn’t been called yet, so I’m not going to wait for 62 people to get served once the computers start working.”
This reporter was number 56 and was told by a supervisor that the wait time once operations resumed was estimated to be about 90 minutes.
“On-line Services Due to a statewide system issue NJMVC.GOV on-line applications are currently unavailable,” read an additional announcement on the MVC website.
Update: “Systems have been restored however, there maybe a slight delay as agencies begin to restart applications,” stated the MVC website at 3:00 p.m on July 26.
