BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Hundreds are joining the line for DMV services in Bentonville after the closure of another Benton County office.
Waiting in line for the DMV is a universal experience that many share. Hayley Wilbur said it's especially so this summer as many have had to go to the Bentonville DMV after tornado damage hit the Rogers location.
"I've heard nothing but horror stories about coming here," Wilbur said.
Wilbur said she'd taken the day off to register her vehicle and with a full office, some still said it was a slow day in comparison to earlier this summer.
"Today is a very chill day compared to what it's been like at the end of last month. I guess it was, you know, you had to get a number, and then you were waiting here for six hours," Wilbur said.
Across the 134 DMV offices in the state of Arkansas, Bentonville is one of the busiest. Scott Hardin of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration said the Benton County DMV in Bentonville office is "consistently either the busiest or the second busiest office in the state."
This month is especially busy though. Hardin explained that the longer wait times at the Benton County office stem from the Rogers office's temporary closure. In the path of the Memorial Day weekend tornadoes, the Rogers office had sustained roof and flooding damage. It will reopen on Aug. 7.
"On any given day, Bentonville may do four or 500 transactions. There are days in which, you know, we're pushing 1,000 transactions now, or 900+ transactions. So just to put it in perspective, you really see almost double the traffic in some scenarios," Hardin said.
Hardin said that the state was working to help alleviate the situation. He added that workers from the closed Rogers office temporarily joined their Bentonville coworkers.
"Technically, they work till 4:30 and they're getting out of there at six, 6:30 some nights— just taking care of the people that are there with business to complete," Hardin added.
Hardin said that they'll be performing air tests in the Rogers facility to even consider moving in employees. The state hopes to open the office and offer its DMV services by early August. That means a few more weeks of taking a ticket, finding a seat, and waiting in line.
"These are things that we have to do as adults. You know, it has to be done whether it takes us two hours or six hours," Wilbur said.
In an executive order, due to widespread damage from the tornadoes, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders did extend the deadline for Benton County residents to get their personal property assessed, pay a fee for a duplicate driver's license, pay for an expedited vehicle title, and won't get a penalty for failing to register or renew their vehicle registration on time.
Hardin also reminded that some DMV services can be done from the comfort of your home. To find a full list and receive help with those DMV services, you can visit their website.
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