TULSA, Okla. — Tony Nichols is a truck driver, and needs to get his commercial license renewed this month. He never expected standing room only delays.
"I took the day off. I have a doctor's appointment later so I thought today would be a good day to stop by and get this done but with the lines they have here it may not happen today," Nichols said.
Right now the Department of Public Safety has a team visiting every location in the state to assess wait times. They'll be making a recommendation, since staff tell 2 Works for You there's going to be strain on the system once Real ID, the new federal standard for identification, goes into effect.
DPS staff said wait times are always an issue. Some people have had to visit three to five times just to get a new ID or license.
Zane Everhart said that's challenging when trying to find work.
"Usually they'll ask you if you have an ID and since I don't have an ID I have to have a birth certificate and social security card so I went to the tag agency and they sent me here and then I waited all day. So it's just kind of challenging you know? I don't like it," he said.
The Department of Public Safety is in a continuous hiring cycle. They just graduated six people to serve offices across the state.
"It's definitely a concern. So I don't know. I'm not sure what they can do. I don't know if they just need more manpower, open longer hours... I'm not sure what would fix it," Nichols said.
In October, Oklahomans will learn what information is needed to apply for Real ID. Real ID goes into effect on April 30th.
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