TOMS RIVER, NJ – If you turned 17 after March 16th, 2020, you haven’t been able to take your driving test in New Jersey and subsequently, have not received your driver’s license. This is a problem many teens who just hit the big 1-7 are facing right now, but hope has arrived. Governor Phil Murphy
Motor Vehicle Commission Administrator Sue Fulton said June 29th is the agency’s current target date for restarting road tests.
“June 29, as the Governor referenced, is our target date to start road tests and reissuing new licenses and permits, along with other transactions like out-of-state transfers and walk-in registrations. This June 29 date can also be considered a reopening,” Fulton said. “New Jersey teenagers and other new drivers have been waiting a long time to get the driver licenses they’ve been looking forward to, and we’re keenly aware of the road testing backlog.”
Fulton said there will be an expansion in testing facilities and the number of examiners once the MVC restarts.
“With the help of some New Jersey colleges, we have been able to add 11 road test courses on a temporary basis, and we’re reassigning over 100 safety specialists from our bus inspection units to serve as road test examiners. And yes, they are fully trained as road test examiners. That’s the safety specialist title. This is going to enable us to do an additional 10,800 road tests per week,” Fulton said “An additional 10,800; our previous average was 5,800, so we are tripling our capacity. We’re going to use these added locations and examiners solely for those whose road tests were canceled during the shutdown. If your road test appointment was cancelled, you will be contacted by MVC and provided a secure link to get a new appointment. We’ve run the numbers, and this will allow us to get entirely caught up with road testing within 60 days, give or take.”