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DVS is part of the Public Safety department.Д®ven as he pledged in March to reopen exam stations вЂњstrategically,вЂќ Harrington said вЂњconsolidating DVS locations for health and safety reasons during the pandemic proved to be an unplanned pilot for centrally locating staff.вЂќ Many of the smaller exam stations were open just one day a week, or sometimes even less, said John Harrington, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, in a March 2021 letter to the auditor.

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Prior to the shutdown, staff generally didnвЂ™t work full time in the many stations in smaller towns and cities, and they burned time traveling from the larger hubs to places like Roseau, Ely, Wheaton, Slayton, Gaylord and Albert Lea. But DVS also saved time and said it was able to run more drivers tests by consolidating to 15 locations, 14 of which ran road tests. To help clear the backlog when it reopened, DVS relied on roughly 1,800 hours of overtime by agency employees, an extraordinary effort from mid-May through June of 2020.

For reference, the auditor said the state conducted more than 136,000 Class D road tests in 2019. To make matters worse, when DVS closed its stations for two months in 2020 because of the pandemic, it also had to cancel more than 19,000 road tests for standard driverвЂ™s licenses, known as a Class D license. Controversy over consolidationДЄ March 2021 report from MinnesotaвЂ™s legislative auditor said DVS has long experienced вЂњpersistent staff shortagesвЂќ at exam stations, an issue that was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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While legislators made a few reforms to the license exam system, other longstanding issues - including staff shortages and test accessibility problems - havenвЂ™t been fully addressed. Farmers who hire seasonal drivers faced delays and extra costs, Herman said, and state legislators from the area said rural transit drivers were having a difficult time getting commercial licenses.Д®arlier this year, the Legislature voted to temporarily reopen all stations and approved nearly $5.2 million over the next two years for the task, saying the distance and time for rural residents to reach larger cities for drivers exams was unacceptable.Д«ut the future of the stations remains at a crossroads. It wasnвЂ™t just a pain for students, either. вЂњItвЂ™s definitely a three hour ordeal where youвЂ™re missing school,вЂќ Herman said. Ted Herman, a Freeborn County Commissioner, said students that once could be back in school within an hour after a road test in Albert Lea now had to drive to Austin, Mankato or Rochester. The state said the consolidation helped Minnesota churn out licenses more efficiently in a system that had been plagued by appointment backlogs, long waits and staffing shortages.Д«ut the move also drew criticism from officials throughout Greater Minnesota. Two months later, the Department of Vehicle Services restarted operations at 15 stations, and only few more have opened since, leaving more than 70 shuttered, mostly in rural areas of Minnesota. Over 110,000 drivers licenses or ID card expired during the Stay at Home Order, but expiration dates have been extended until two months after the peacetime emergence declaration ends.At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, Minnesota closed its 93 driverвЂ™s license exam stations. Offices will be implementing numerous guidelines in accordance with state and federal recommendations to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The department is emailing rescheduling instructions to those who had an exam canceled. The DPS-DVS is also rescheduling the more than 12,000 class D road tests canceled while exam stations were closed. Cloud, Brainerd, Duluth, Grand Rapids and Bemidji. Paul, Arden Hills, Anoka, Eagan, Plymouth, Rochester, Mankato, Fairmont (road test only, opening May 26), Marshall, Willmar, Detroit Lakes, St.

The DPS-DVS is reopening 16 exam stations and extending hours of operation at each location to offer dedicated time for road retests.

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PAUL - The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Services division (DPS-DVS) announced Friday afternoon that DVS offices and exam stations will reopen Tuesday, May 19.