If all states were this cooperative about driver licenses
When the mister side of this editorial duo opened the mail recently, he received an unexpected “birthday greeting,” from Washington State. It was that dreaded time again, time for a renewing of the driver license. The “gift” the state’s Department of Licensing was a ‘free pass’ from having to come into a licensing agency, take a number, and wait forever to get a typically horrible driver license photo.
No, none of that for him. Simply fire up the old computer, log onto a secure web site, and with a few pecks on the keyboard and a $25 charge against a credit or debit card, he was good to go. However, in sniffing around the the dark corners of the state’s website, he came away glad he wasn’t applying for a new driver’s license for the first time as a fulltimer.
Under the Homeland Security Act, everything has tightened up. What do you mean, don’t have a utility bill for proof of residency? And yes, you must have a valid street address (to be verified against a postal service database). Happily the site didn’t indicate that applicants would have to provide proof of birth marks or moles in delicate body locations . . .
Surprisingly though, one RV fulltimer, commenting on the Escapee’s Club fulltimers’ forum mentioned a rather pleasant experience they had with that same state. The couple recently sold their stix and brix home and took to the road. All their mail is handled through a ‘mail drop facility,’ and they were afraid they didn’t have the required documentation to obtain license renewals. With intestinal fortitude that exceeds that of many, they penned a letter to the licensing department, pleading their case. The response they received was refreshing:
“Thank you for your inquiry. Since this is a renewal for both you and your wife, we do not require you to prove your address with documentation. We also allow some flexibility for RVing. Please don’t be too concerned. When you return to Washington this summer and set up temporary residence at an RV park you can provide to us their address and a valid mailing address for you. We will verify the address to make sure it is a valid USPS address and you will be good to go. It would not hurt to bring your lease agreement from the park, a business card from them, as well, and your RV’s registration and of course your licenses. Never can be too sure. Happy traveling and see you soon!”
This from a bureaucrat? Hang onto that letter folks. Having worked for that self-same agency some years back, this letter from ‘the old outfit’ just doesn’t fit the mold I was squeezed into. But more power to ‘em. Maybe all the states will adopt a friendly attitude toward fulltimers.
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June 22nd, 2008 at 4:59 am
[…] If all states were this cooperative about driver licenses When the mister side of this editorial duo opened the mail recently, he received an unexpected “birthday greeting,” from Washington State. It was that dreaded time again, time for a renewing of the driver license. The “gift” the state’s Department of Licensing was a ‘free pass’ from having to come into a licensing […] […]
June 25th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
[…] One of the very few downsides of fulltiming is dealing with government officials about licenses and other documentation. So many officials have an inflexible attitude and just don’t understand the special circumstances of fulltime RVers. That’s why this article will make you smile! Click here. […]
July 16th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
[…] If all states were this cooperative about driver licenses When the mister side of this editorial duo opened the mail recently, he received an unexpected “birthday greeting,” from Washington State. It was that dreaded time again, time for a renewing of the driver license. The “gift” the state’s Department of Licensing was a ‘free pass’ from having to come into a licensing […] […]
August 3rd, 2008 at 2:00 am
[…] If all states were this cooperative about driver licenses When the mister side of this editorial duo opened the mail recently, he received an unexpected “birthday greeting,” from Washington State. It was that dreaded time again, time for a renewing of the driver license. The “gift” the state’s Department of Licensing was a ‘free pass’ from having to come into a licensing […] […]
August 23rd, 2008 at 1:01 pm
[…] If all states were this cooperative about driver licenses When the mister side of this editorial duo opened the mail recently, he received an unexpected “birthday greeting,” from Washington State. It was that dreaded time again, time for a renewing of the driver license. The “gift” the state’s Department of Licensing was a ‘free pass’ from having to come into a licensing […] […]
September 13th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
[…] If all states were this cooperative about driver licenses When the mister side of this editorial duo opened the mail recently, he received an unexpected “birthday greeting,” from Washington State. It was that dreaded time again, time for a renewing of the driver license. The “gift” the state’s Department of Licensing was a ‘free pass’ from having to come into a licensing […] […]
September 16th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
[…] If all states were this cooperative about driver licenses When the mister side of this editorial duo opened the mail recently, he received an unexpected “birthday greeting,” from Washington State. It was that dreaded time again, time for a renewing of the driver license. The “gift” the state’s Department of Licensing was a ‘free pass’ from having to come into a licensing […] […]
September 16th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
[…] If all states were this cooperative about driver licenses When the mister side of this editorial duo opened the mail recently, he received an unexpected “birthday greeting,” from Washington State. It was that dreaded time again, time for a renewing of the driver license. The “gift” the state’s Department of Licensing was a ‘free pass’ from having to come into a licensing […] […]
September 17th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
[…] If all states were this cooperative about driver licenses When the mister side of this editorial duo opened the mail recently, he received an unexpected “birthday greeting,” from Washington State. It was that dreaded time again, time for a renewing of the driver license. The “gift” the state’s Department of Licensing was a ‘free pass’ from having to come into a licensing […] Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)please wait… RV News Subscribe to RSS feed […]
September 20th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
[…] If all states were this cooperative about driver licenses When the mister side of this editorial duo opened the mail recently, he received an unexpected “birthday greeting,” from Washington State. It was that dreaded time again, time for a renewing of the driver license. The “gift” the state’s Department of Licensing was a ‘free pass’ from having to come into a licensing […] Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)please wait… Share and Enjoy: […]
October 5th, 2008 at 11:53 am
[…] If all states were this cooperative about driver licenses When the mister side of this editorial duo opened the mail recently, he received an unexpected “birthday greeting,” from Washington State. It was that dreaded time again, time for a renewing of the driver license. The “gift” the state’s Department of Licensing was a ‘free pass’ from having to come into a licensing […] […]
October 11th, 2008 at 1:51 am
[…] If all states were this cooperative about driver licenses When the mister side of this editorial duo opened the mail recently, he received an unexpected “birthday greeting,” from Washington State. It was that dreaded time again, time for a renewing of the driver license. The “gift” the state’s Department of Licensing was a ‘free pass’ from having to come into a licensing […] […]