PHOENIX – Taking a road test to get a driver license can be filled with worry for some people. But one thing that won’t cause anxiety is scheduling the test because it’s among the many online service features available from Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.

Online scheduling for road test appointments has been available for some time, and it’s proven to benefit customers in several ways.

“Online appointments take the guesswork out of when you can take a road test,” said MVD Stakeholder Relations Manager Jennifer Bowser-Richards. “Customers simply go to ServiceArizona.com to make their appointment knowing that when they arrive at an MVD location, they will be assured of getting the test done. There’s no more going to an office and hoping that an appointment is available. It saves our customers from taking needless trips and keeps wait times shorter so we can get Arizonans out of line and safely on the road.”

This innovation began in 2016 and results from implementation of the Arizona Management System championed by Governor Doug Ducey. MVD employees are encouraged every day to find ways to improve customer service, and changes like this have helped lower the average door-to-door time to less than 30 minutes at urban offices.

To make an online road test appointment click on the “MVD Office Appointments” tab at ServiceArizona.com.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is making two significant improvements to ease the process for testing drivers before they get on the road.

The first change is eliminating random MVD road tests for people who get driver education at private driving schools. The second means better road testing options for customers in the northern portions of metro Phoenix.

“These changes keep MVD ahead of the curve and help us with our vision of getting people out of line and safely on the road,” MVD Director Eric Jorgensen said.

Graduates of private, third-party driving schools already must complete a final evaluation to receive the Training Completion Certificate they present when applying for driver licenses, so eliminating random MVD road tests creates time to serve other customers and makes offices more efficient.

MVD will use other methods to verify that schools are complying with instruction standards.

Another shift in road testing will improve customer service in the northern metro Phoenix area.

Because of tight appointment schedules and a crowded site, road testing has been phased out at the Northwest Phoenix Office in Deer Valley. Customers are now being asked to make appointments through ServiceArizona.com at either the Glendale or Scottsdale locations where the MVD has made improvements to increase capacity and lower wait times.

“The Northwest Office testing site is obsolete, and Glendale and Scottsdale have more capacity,” Jorgensen said. “Making this improvement means more tests can be done, and the process is quicker, safer and less stressful for the customer.”

The change will have other benefits. MVD uses a parking test to evaluate driver control and safety behind the wheel prior to the road test. Customers prefer the three-point test, which the Northwest Phoenix Office wasn’t able to accommodate due to lot size and layout.

These improvements also mean staff in the Northwest Phoenix Office have more flexibility to complete other customer transactions, reducing office wait times.

For an interactive map of all MVD locations, please visit the ADOT website.

PHOENIX – To speed up the behind-the-wheel testing process and better assess driver safety, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division has implemented a new scoring system for the preliminary portion of the road test that will save time and allow for more road tests per day.

Many Arizona drivers will remember having three attempts to parallel park or perform a three-point turn with a straight “pass” or “fail” grading system. Now, the person taking the test has one attempt to park with the grading based on a point system.

“What we need to know is whether the driver can properly maneuver the vehicle,” said Motor Vehicle Division Director Eric Jorgensen. “We adjusted the test to obtain that information in one attempt and it has resulted in a time savings of three to four minutes per test.”

A time savings of three or four minutes cuts down on the number of minutes another customer has to wait to take the road test. It adds up to a couple of hours over the period of a day at busier MVD offices, allowing for more road tests to be given.

With the new grading scale, the person taking the road test will accumulate points for each infraction during the vehicle maneuverability test. Some infractions include not parking within the box, hard braking or difficulty maneuvering the vehicle and changing direction of travel once the vehicle pulls into the space. If the person accumulates eight or more points, they will not pass the maneuverability test and fail the entire road test. Most infractions are worth two points.

MVD staff provides the test-taker with clear instructions on the vehicle maneuverability test and what constitutes infractions, before the parking exam begins, to ensure the person knows exactly what’s expected.

For more information about the Motor Vehicle Division, visit azdot.gov/mvd.