Vision screenings required by the legislature, federal Real ID enforcement, and a new law making 15-year-olds eligible for permits all hit at once.
Maddierae Wells got her permit last year, the week before she turned 16. She went to the licensing office near the Kentucky Horse Park. It was crowded and she and her mother, Amanda Lynn Wells, had to wait. When it came time for Maddierae to take her road skills test last week, the family searched for openings beyond Fayette county using the statewide online scheduling portal.
"I'd say it was a pretty easy process," said Maddierae. "I scheduled it myself at first in Prestonsburg and we didn't end up doing that. So it's really easy to like reschedule and do another."
They ended up booking a slot in Richmond. In the time between Maddierae's first permit appointment and her driving test, the state has worked to shorten wait times and reduce the load on individual licensing offices.
In a March Team Kentucky Update, Governor Andy Beshear explained some of the changes: the state has contracted 125 full-time staff, opened a fifth office in Louisville, and launched a text check-in system. Average walk-in wait times dropped from 49 minutes to 12, and appointment wait times dropped from 25 minutes to 10.
Amanda says she noticed the difference. The Wells family arrived early, at 10:15, for Maddierae's 10:30 appointment.
"Once we pulled in, a gentleman came right up to the vehicle and was ready to start right then and there," said Amanda. "We were like, 'Oh, we don't have to wait?' She was totally done with her tests and everything within 15 minutes."
Amanda took her driver test in 1993, before the switch to regional offices. She met a state trooper at the local headquarters in Pikeville and drove alongside other cars through the town for the road test.
Maddierae took her test on a closed, off-road course behind the Richmond Mall.
"I heard that the turnabout was like the worst part and that I needed to practice it a bunch," said Maddierae. "But the guy was really nice. He was just like, 'Don't be nervous. It's okay. Just take your time.'"
While wait times have improved, appointment slots can fill up quickly, especially in larger cities. Amanda and Maddierae made a habit of checking the site daily. Test slots are listed three weeks out.