TRENTON — Effective July 31, state Motor Vehicle Commission offices will be closed on Mondays and hours will be extended on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays — a way for the state to save $4 million annually in overtime and office costs for Mondays while extending hours on the most popular days of the week for customers. The 43 offices...
A file photo of the DMV in Edison. TRENTON — Effective July 31, state Motor Vehicle Commission offices will be closed on Mondays and hours will be extended on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays — a way for the state to save $4 million annually in overtime and office costs for Mondays while extending hours on the most popular days of the week for customers.
The 43 offices where New Jersey drivers go for licenses and registration and other services are currently open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.
Beginning July 31, hours will be extended to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
"Customers like later hours, they like Saturday hours because they don’t have to take off from work — we’re very sensitive to that," MVC Chief Administrator Raymond P. Martinez said during a news conference today.
"Monday was our lowest-volume day. Saturdays tend to be the highest concentration."
Even being open for only four hours on Saturdays, MVC agencies conducted 20,000 more transactions annually on those days than the next closest day.
In addition, walk-in services offered at select agencies for suspension and surcharge matters will be provided weekdays only beginning July 31.
The changes do not affect the hours at the state’s vehicle inspection centers.
In another cost-cutting move, the state has opted to eliminate mechanical inspections for vehicles, a decision that is expected to save $12 million annually.
The move was expected to take place on July 1, but the state is still negotiating with Parsons, the vendor that provides the inspections, and no new date has been set for when the mechanical inspections will be dropped.
Emissions testing will continue to be done on vehicles.
Martinez said that even with the elimination of mechanical inspections, motorists could still be ticketed by police for having a cracked windshield, bald tires or blinkers and brake lights that don’t work.
"Ultimately, maintaining your vehicle is a personal responsibility," he said. "People don’t wait two years to make sure that their tires are good or that their windshield is not cracked or that their brakes are working."
More coverage:
• N.J. Motor Vehicle Commission to merge two locations into Randolph building
• N.J. Motor Vehicle Commission plans $40M to $60M fee increase
• Furloughs bring statewide closure of Motor Vehicle Commission offices