WaIt time at DMV surges

Maine Beacon - Wait times at many of Maine’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles have skyrocketed in recent weeks, as a perfect storm of staff vacancies, increased traffic and new REAL ID requirements have forced 2,244 Mainers to wait in line for over 100 minutes since the beginning of July, according to data provided by the BMV. Anecdotal reports have some waiting much longer.


Compared to the same time period last year, the office of Maine’s Secretary of State says the state’s BMV branches have seen an additional 8,000 customers since July 1, when they began issuing Real IDs. While the state’s move to comply with the federal REAL ID law is a significant factor in that spike, average wait times are also being exasperated in part due to branches operating with more than 15 percent of their staff positions vacant, which is emblematic of the broader trend across state agencies, whose workers report significant problems with recruiting and retaining staff, owing in part to non-competitive wages.