By Doug Nick / ADOT Communications

If you’re familiar with the term “Catch-22,” you know that it means a no-win situation.

Since the phrase came from a satirical book about the military during World War II, it kind of makes sense that veterans would be pretty familiar with it. Some vets are more familiar with it than others, perhaps none more than homeless vets.

Frankly, it’s exceptionally sad that of all people, some veterans, the men and women who’ve bravely served this nation in uniform, continue to pay a price after coming home.

The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division wants to do its part to help these deserving people. In fact, it’s an honor to be able to help in any way.

That’s why all MVD employees are grateful that a new state law allows the agency to waive certain fees to allow homeless vets to get a driver license or ID card for free.

It’s basically impossible to apply for a job or many of the available social services without a valid ID. If you have an ID, you can apply for a job, make money and find a permanent place to live. But if you don’t have the money to get an ID, you can’t apply for the job and make that money. The circle is endless. It’s a Catch-22. But not anymore.

To qualify for the waiver, the MVD will verify the customer’s status as a veteran. In addition, the customer must provide a statement on U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs letterhead or a statement on the letterhead of a verified provider of homeless services that the customer has been homeless within the past 60 days.

Arizona law relies on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition of homeless as lacking a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. This includes a location not meant for human habitation, or a temporary or emergency shelter.

Several other fees, including those for a license suspension or revocation, a road test for drivers moving to Arizona from another state, among others, may also be waived.

We can’t do enough for our veterans, but we can do this to help get them back on their feet and show we care about their service.

By Laurie Merrill / ADOT Communications

As if the hairdos and outfits weren’t enough to date this era, driver license tests have also come a long way since this Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division photo was snapped decades ago. If, like me, you learned to drive in the days before computers, this photo of people sitting at classroom-style desks, complete with pencil holders, will look familiar.

Today, would-be licensees who take the 30-question, multiple-choice test do so at a computer using a touch screen. Audio assist is available.

In an even larger technological leap, teenagers hoping to get their learners permits are flocking to the Permit Test @ Home, a new online option that ADOT introduced earlier this year.

Some things don’t change. The way we take the tests reflects the electronic revolution, but the content still stems directly from the Arizona Driver License Manual. Serious studying is still required.

By Doug Nick / ADOT Communications

Fifteen years and six months.

Ask any parent and they will tell you that’s exactly the amount of time it takes for them to get gray hair, because that’s how old your kid has to be in order to get a learners’ permit.

This is a modern phenomenon, of course. Back in the day, parents didn’t have to think about this.

George Washington had a dad, and the father of the Father of our Country didn’t have to worry about his son George falling off his horse at the tender age of 10 or whatever. Nope, li'l Georgie just rode Ol' Paint without any thought of having a permit and instead used his brainpower to invent America.

Julius Caesar, remember him? His mom never gave one thought to Jules taking the chariot for a spin when he was a lad. Instead, she spent her time in the kitchen inventing a great salad…

But today, well, we have paperwork because getting behind the wheel is kind of a big deal. No, it’s actually a REALLY BIG deal, and we want every driver to be well-informed about driving laws and procedures during the learning process that happens before getting an actual Driver License. But we also want to make the process for getting the Learners’ Permit more efficient.

It’s called the Permit Test @ Home, and it will mean one less reason to drive to the MVD to take a written test, which means Junior can take the test in your family room and spend more time doing homework. Yea!

The Permit Test @ Home is available to parents by setting up a free personal AZ MVD Now account, which you find at ServiceArizona.com. The parent or guardian will then register their teen for the Permit Test @ Home and agree to the terms. Parents must certify that they will proctor the exam fairly, which, as you will see in a moment comes with the added motivation of the survival instinct. For teens under the age of 18, the application must be signed by a parent or guardian who is responsible for damage caused by negligence or the willful misconduct of the child. Also, state law requires that any child with a permit may only drive with a licensed driver in the front seat. That’s a pretty strong motivation for the licensed driver, who is usually dear ol’ mom or dad, to ensure the permit holder has faithfully learned enough to pass the test.

Oh, we should also mention that one thing hasn’t changed: to get an actual Driver License at the age of at least 16, potential drivers will still have to take a road skills course. That’s in a car, not a horse… or a chariot. Times change, and so does MVD.

By Doug Nick / ADOT Communications

If you’re a wise person, you plan ahead.

It’s good advice for most things, especially events like retirement, a major purchase or that once-in-a-lifetime vacation.

Let’s stop at “vacation” for a moment. For most, vacations involve some travel, and that may mean flying. And getting to your gate entails the ritual of providing identification that’s acceptable to the Transportation Security Administration.

Planning ahead is the wisest course, even if Oct. 1, 2020, is still a few years off.

When that date rolls around, the federal government will require your driver license or ID to be compliant with the federal REAL ID Act if you want to use it to enter a federally controlled facility such as an airport.

Under Arizona law, if you want a REAL ID-compliant driver license or ID, you need to specifically ask for it. At the Motor Vehicle Division, we call it the Voluntary Travel ID, and it’s a credential that has a yellow star in the upper right-hand corner.

You can easily get one when you renew your photo, get your first license or want to change from your current credential.

The cost is $25, and you’ll need to bring additional forms of ID and proof of residence to meet requirements of the federal law.

For example, you would need a valid passport or birth certificate or permanent resident card; a Social Security card or W-2 form; and two forms proving residency, such as a utility bill, bank statement or voter registration card. The video above has details.

These are just some examples. For a complete list, please visit azdot.gov/mvd. You can also go to tsa.gov for information from the TSA.

Oct. 1, 2020 seems far away, but it isn't too early to start planning. Having that great vacation is special; don’t let an ID problem slow you down.

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

New driver license reciprocity agreement between Arizona and the Republic of Korea will allow drivers on extended stays to avoid a driving test.

The reciprocity agreement will make doing business and studying in Arizona easier for Republic of Korea citizens. Arizonans living in the Republic of Korea will receive the same benefit.

The video above shows the signing ceremony with ADOT Director John Halikowski and Key Cheol Lee, the Republic of Korea consul general in Los Angeles.

The MVD website has more information on foreign reciprocity with other countries.

By Doug Nick / ADOT Communications

You know how football fans love to tailgate hours or even days before a big game?

That’s kind of what lining up at an Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division office used to be like in the early morning.

The only thing missing, was, well… fun.

We get that, so we made some changes.

A MVD Building

A few months ago in Tucson we started opening up MVD offices at 7:30 instead of 8 a.m. That allows us to be more flexible in how we schedule our employees. Some come in a bit earlier than others, and that means we can spread things out more evenly throughout the day.

This has worked so well in Tucson, we’re now doing it in the Phoenix area too – 15 offices in all. We wrote about it on 6/20/2017.

We’re moving customers through our locations more efficiently. That’s a big deal during peak times like early in the morning, the lunch hour and later in the day. Flexing schedules means fewer gaps when employees are at lunch or on a break and we can have more service windows open.

It also allows our staff people to catch up on many of the paperwork tasks that build up during the day. Taking care of those on an ongoing basis means there’s a lot less to go through at closing time, and we’ve reduced overtime costs significantly. That’s a huge savings to you, the taxpayer.

And because we’re making so many service improvements, we’re going to the next level in continually training our employees. To do that, our offices in Phoenix and Tucson will open at noon on the second Wednesday of every month, starting July 12th.

The expanded office hours combined with the modified schedule on the second Wednesday of each month provide an overall increase of six hours a month during which customers may receive services at an urban MVD office.

Of course we’d love to see you, but you may not need to visit at all. Remember, more than half of the things you need to do with MVD can be done online at ServiceArizona.com.

MVD: Getting you out of line and safely on the road.

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director

I’ve grown accustomed to your face ...

Sound familiar? It is a song from the Broadway musical “My Fair Lady.” The song could also represent ADOT’s efforts in the use of facial recognition software to fight identity theft in Arizona.

ADOT first implemented facial recognition technology in 2015 for use by our Motor Vehicle Division.  The technology allows our MVD personnel to look at a driver license photo and identify features on a person’s face. From there, the system can compare those features to every other photo in MVD’s database.

If there is a match in the system, there is now the potential problem of someone using another person’s identity to obtain a driver license or identification card. When that happens, MVD alerts ADOT’s Office of Inspector General to conduct an investigation. Our detectives, who have received FBI facial-recognition training, perform three levels of review to determine if identity theft has occurred. If the investigation proves fraudulent activity, law enforcement officials are notified and prosecution can take place.

I commend our employees at MVD and ADOT’s detectives for their efforts in protecting the people of Arizona. The use of facial recognition software is critical to our efforts to protect the identities of Arizona citizens and prevent fraud involving state-issued driver licenses and identified cards.

“I’ve Grown Accustomed to Your Face” should only be heard on stage, not here at ADOT.

This post originally appeared on ADOT Director John Halikowski's 
LinkedIn page. He has led the agency since 2009.