RALEIGH – The following are highlights from this week at the N.C. Department of Transportation. The stories below are also featured in
NCDOT Now, the department's weekly newscast.
Regular Road Tests Resumes for 15-to-17-Year-Olds
The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles has
resumed regular road tests for some drivers – thanks to improving health conditions in North Carolina. This ends the contactless road test program that had been required for 15-to-17-year-old drivers seeking their Level 3 Full Provisional license.
Drivers who had scheduled a contactless road test should proceed with that appointment but be aware they will instead be taking a road test in regular traffic conditions, instead of in parking lots where the contactless roads tests were being conducted. Other 15-to-17-year-old drivers can make a test
appointment online. Drivers 18 and over will continue to pursue their license through the road test waiver program, with that information also
online.
Saturday Hours Resume at 16 Locations, Hours Expand at 25 Offices
To assist more customers, the DMV is bringing back Saturday hours at select driver license offices in the state. The DMV is also expanding its weekday hours at some offices.
Starting May 15, walk-in customers will be accepted at 16 locations from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Then, starting May 17, offices that had expanded hours from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays before the pandemic will resume that same schedule.
To find a list of these
locations and their services go to the DMV website.
Replacement of Older License Plates Suspended
A world-wide shortage of aluminum is forcing the DMV to
indefinitely suspend its program to replace license plates that are older than six years.
The suspension is in place to ensure there’s enough material to produce first-time plates. More than 640,000 replacement plates were produced in the first four months of the year, with another 1.4 million projected to be needed for the rest of 2021.
There’s no timetable for when the issuance of the replacement plates will resume, but if the suspension continues until late this year, it’s likely the rest of phase one of the replacement program will be handled in 2022.