Driver Testing Station

Honestly, I never thought I would be giving a DMV of all places over 2 stars, but I am. This was the best DMV experience I have ever had — maybe Florida just had bad DMV processes…
I will first say two things: Yes, it is a DMV, its not Disneyland, so it wont be entertaining, but secondly the speed of this process of 90% reliant on YOU and your preparedness! I was in and out of this DMV location in LESS than an HOUR. I was transferring my out of state license to a TN license. Here are some points to make your process easier.
1. Sign in ONLINE — This is sooo important. I left the house around 8:25am (5 minutes before the office opened) and attempted to text ‘centennialdl’ to 310−494−2743 until I got a confirmation I was in line. This was confirmed around 8:33am. When you get there wait in the line that forms outside, this is the line to check in, once you are checked in, you are called in the order that you were checked in at — I got the number 7 when I checked in at 8:33am. Once I waited about 20 minutes in line, I checked in, barely sat down to wait/​fill out paperwork, and my number was called! I was shocked! To give you a reference of how helpful online sign in is, the lady behind me did NOT sign in online, and she was placed almost at the end of the waiting list of 45 people. SIGN IN ONLINE! Also, dont even bother trying after 10am, they usually cap off the sign ins and the amount of people they let in the office because they know it’ll take the rest of the afternoon to get through the waiting list. Here is the link:
This leads me to my next point…
2. Show up EARLY! Show up MID WEEK if you can. I went on a Thursday morning, and arrived at the DMV around 8:40am. There was already a line outside of the building, but it couldn’t have been anymore than 20 people. Of course there were people already inside, but the line that was outside didnt take too long. When I left around 9:30am, the line outside of course was longer… Early bird gets the worm.
3. Have ALL of your documents and then SOME. I got up to the front and had all my documents ready to hand in (Birth Certificate, Copy of SS Card, Passport, Current License, Proof of Residency (Comcast Bill), etc.) I will say when I got up there the woman at the info desk asked for TWO proof of residency, which I said I didn’t have because it didn’t state that online, and she let it pass, but just beware, not sure if she is that lenient always… Be over prepared! Once I was seen, it took about 5 – 7 minutes to do some misc paper work, eye test, photo, and I was done! Also, I will note that the staff was friendly and efficient, maybe they have made changes in the past few weeks, maybe it was a good day… I was out of there at exactly 9:30am!
Remember this experience differs for everyone, but hopefully this can help you prepare for what could easily be a simple and efficient process.

Tips on how to make it thru the process as efficiently as possible. I arrived at 8:30 and was done by 9:50a. I was #7 on the day. The information lady was working fast & efficiently. They were understaffed and the virtual line moves slow as molasses. The DMV explanation of the process is poor which is why I’m writing this.
For new drivers licenses with an existing out-​of-​state license.
1. Check required proof of residency & citizenship documentation online beforehand. I. e an online bank statement WITHOUT a teller stamp will not work. You can also print out a pre-​filled drivers license application although this does not really save much time at the DMV.
2. Sign in online, by text, or by phone even if you’re already physically in line when the DMV opens. DMV opens at 8:30 and the virtual signup starts a few minutes earlier. The physical line starts much earlier. Complete virtual sign in before 12p since they become «full» for the day around this time. I signed in online around 8:25 & was #7
3. Stand in the «check-​in» information line to make sure you have all your paperwork. This takes a while (~30−45min) so if you arrive earlier than 8:30 you can reduce this time or if you signup later just give yourself enough time for the physical checkin line. If needed, to not lose your virtual spot, you can request additional time via text in the virtual queue so you can physically checkin.
4. You should receive text updates when there are at least ~6 peeps in front of you. You can also request status updates via text at anytime. If I had signed up later in the morning I would just arrive when there are about 6 – 8 people in front of me. The virtual line goes so slow.
In-​state renewals (ie. Already have a valid TN DL) usually can skip the lines. Or just do it from home.
At the DMV you can check your place in line on their electronic board. You will see yourself listed by the last 4 digits of your phone # if you registered by text or phone. Otherwise if done via website they list your first & last name. Also they have an extra waiting room in the back.

If I could give a negative star rating I would. Signed up for online queue and told wait was 2 hour 42 min (which of itself is crazy) and that I need to check in within 2 hours to maintain spot in line (doesn’t make sense when wait is nearly 3 hours). Got to DMV 20 min before 2 hour time limit so I could check in. Ended up taking 45 min just to check so therefore lost my online spot in line and will end up waiting another 1.5 hours here. Absolutely the most inefficient government workers/​process I’ve seen! Used to live in Texas and never had issues like this with government services.

If I could give a zero, I would. Completely inefficient and severely lacking in any professionalism or compassion. Waited in line for 45 minutes for a slow, inept clerk to tell me that they would close in another 40 minutes, likely before I would be seen for a license. No announcement made, they do not seem to care. The clerk continued to move very slowly, talking about her own life with people instead of doing her job. Never have seen such a waste of state funds.

Terrible experience! Signed up with the join the line text feature, showed up on time, and brought all the correct documentation. The system kicked me out when I was at number 3 in line so the lady added me back in at number 30… an hour and a half difference. While I am still sitting here waiting, I talked to another guy that had the same things happen to him. WTF! If your system messes up, it’s your responsibility to fix the problems created. Customer service 101. Get it together!
There is one lady from the afternoon group that is trying to help… we will see…

this is a DMV. therefore, you can expect they will be understaffed and everyone there (employees and patrons alike) will be in a bad mood. BUT! here is the key to saving your own sanity… this location allows for virtual queuing! the inevitable 4hrs you will have to spend waiting can be spent in your pajamas in the comfort of your own home. =O
step 1: go to

step 2: click on «driver services» in the top left corner of the screen
step 3: choose your preferred DMV location
step 4: «join the line»
step 5: enter your info
you then get text alerts that let you know where you are in the queue and when you should head over to the office.
FYI… you should try to login as close to 8:30am as possible, if you want to be seen in the morning. and also, the queue moves veeeeeeeery slowly. i signed up at 9:05am and was #22 in the queue. i didn’t reach the front of the line until 12:35, but only ~20min of that 3.5hrs were spent physically at the DMV.

5 stars for the people who work there. Although there is along waiting line and things can take a few hours to get done, the working personnel are extremely helpful, kind, funny and patient.
Lot of the reviews stress about the waiting time, but I can’t see what the people working there can do. I was there for 4 hours and I didn’t see one of them take a break.
The city just needs to invest in a bigger DMV with more employees.

Wow. I signed in the online queue at 8am and there were 12 people in line ahead of me. It’s 11am and there are still 2 people in line in front of me. They will text you with updates. If I have to do it again I’ll sign in on the queue and wait to come in until I get a text telling me there are 2 people ahead of me. Don’t do this unless you have an entire day to kill.

Ok, I realize it’s the DMV, but this particular location is absolutely terrible. They took away nearly 5 hours of my life which I can never get back.
I’m new to Tennessee, so I’m not too familiar with the process here. I had to go to the full-​service location to acquire a new Tennessee driver’s license, otherwise I would have gone to the satellite location near my house. When I arrived I went straight inside to the counter, where I was immediately told to go back outside and wait in line. After 5 minutes of that, and seeing others in line filling out paperwork, I dared to go back inside and ask if there was a form I needed. Only then did the woman at the counter give me a form. She also told me to go online with my phone and get into the virtual queue. At 11:00am, I had 33 people in line ahead of me, which somehow equated to a projected 4 hour and 20 minute wait. What the heck??? If there were 100 people ahead of me I could understand, but how long does it possibly take to process a driver’s license application?
I stood in the line outside for about an hour and a half until the head DMV lady came out to «inform» the masses. She then said that we didn’t have to wait in line unless we wanted to wait for seating to free up inside. Otherwise, we were free to just wander off and get status updates via text message. Hmm, that would have been nice to know from the beginning. Perhaps a sign of some sort would be helpful. At this point, the older gentleman who I’d been chatting up realized he wasn’t in the virtual queue, which required Internet access.
— Woman: «I asked you if you had a phone, and you said Yes.»
— Man: «I have a phone, but not one with Internet. You didn’t ask me that.»
He was simply told he would be in the back of the queue and to return at 4:30pm and try then. I wouldn’t have taken that nearly as well as he did. Luckily, we caught sight of The Wicked Sand Witch food truck nearby, so I headed over there to grab a cheeseburger. By the time I was done, there was still another 2 hours to wait. Sigh.
The DMV facility doesn’t close until 5:00pm, but they stopped letting people in line at 12:30pm because anyone coming after that wouldn’t be helped by closing time. Everyone else who drove all the way over here was turned away at the door, because God forbid a government employee work past 5:00pm. The person I felt most sorry for was the elderly, disabled Navy vet (with an awesome red, white, and blue cane) who arrived at 3:00pm, having taken the bus all the way there. He had no Internet at home, so the only way for him to discover the process, get in line, and/​or figure out what documents he needed was to physically come to the facility. After a lengthy and heated «discussion» with the branch manager, he waited for his bus outside with some paperwork and the knowledge that he’d have to return at 7:00am the next day.
Other people in line were clearly new to this country and spoke very little English. They had even more trouble than we did. There was an 85-​year-​old woman who left because she physically could not stand or sit in the same place for 4 hours. There was a Hispanic gentleman who had no idea if he was in the correct line, since he just needed an ID card and the line just said it was for driver’s licenses. There was an older man who was there to get his handgun license, which unbeknownst to him meant he had to wait in the same 4 – 5 hour line as the driver’s license people. Basically, every single person waiting in line was confused, angry, and frustrated at the lack of information and instructions available.
This entire process was absolutely astonishing. I’d willingly stand in multi-​hour lines for good barbecue, AC/​DC tickets, or maybe a rollercoaster, but this is just stupid. I saw several older Unilocal reviews saying that this place is efficient. I’m sorry, but it’s not. Maybe it used to be a few years ago, but it’s definitely not efficient now. I’d rather carve out my eyeballs with a rusty spoon than go back here ever again!

The workers are busy and mostly try to be friendly. But — the state has both failed to fund adequate levels of service and requires excessive and obscure documentation. I missed the requirement for a form (1010 form) from my son’s school and was mystified by the requirement for 2 pieces of mail from the last 90 days. Don’t forget to be sure the mail has a postmark.

The location had been open for over an hour but the line went out the door and around the building. For some reason there were a lot of women wearing head scarfs… seemed odd to me. Tennessee can do better than this.

Took a number, waited for over 2 hours and was still miles behind other people. I had to leave because I was going to run late for another appointment. Awful, crowded, under-​staffed, smelly.

It was only after I visited another office that dispenses drivers licenses (which was much better, btw!) that I realized that my benchmark for Davidson County DMV, my visit to the gem on Centennial Blvd, had not been reviewed!
I’d been hedging about this. I moved from another state to Nashville, and really didn’t want to visit the DMV at all. But, alas, eventually my license was set to expire and some sort of action had to be taken. I needed to either drive home and get it taken care of, or spend an afternoon changing my state residency. I found myself with an afternoon without much work to do one day and took the opportunity to go take care of this.
:Le sigh: At least it was a nice day. I brought myself and my documentation to the giant line that led out of the door. And stood behind a lovely young woman with a neck tattoo who needed to get a new ID because her boyfriend’s car got stolen with it inside or something similar to that. In any case, I digress. Because I was ‘out of state’ I needed a bunch of documentation of my new residency and I had to visit a «full service driving center». Make sure you gather all of this up from the online list before you bounce in there. If you make it through the entire line, they will send you home and you’ll have to repeat the entire experience with all of your documents. They have started to prevent this, however, as a gentleman checked off all of my documents before I actually entered the building.
All in all, it took me four hours to earn my new residency and the woman at the counter was very nice and even laughed with me a little bit at some drama that was happening in the waiting room. At least my picture was good.
I’ve heard the lines aren’t as bad if you catch them when they open in the morning, so maybe that’s an idea.

I’ve been to the DMV (in another state) once before and had no problems. I don’t like writing bad reviews but I had a horrible experience. I’m new to the state and had to get a Tennessee license. I arrived with the correct forms of documentation but right off the bat I was treated with disrespect. I understand working at the DMV must be stressful, but there is no excuse to make me feel like I am stupid, my questions are bothering you (I asked about car registration and title change and where I could go for that), and in general just annoyed to be helping me. Like I said, I understand working at the DMV is probably a stressful job, and the two women helping me today could’ve been having a bad day (the other employees didn’t seem as miserable), but I will avoid this location and look for other DMV’s in the area next time.
On a side note, I got my car inspected around the corner on Westbelt Dr. for $ 9 and the two women that helped me over there were very sweet and provided me with addresses on where I could go to renew my registration.

What’s funny to me, is that there is now four of us who have reviewed the Nashville drIver testing center. Four Unilocalers have forced themselves to write a review for what basically should be called hell on earth.
But, to my surprise, this DMV is run rather efficiently. My girlfriend and I were in and out within 30 minutes. Which, if you have ever been to a DMV in Florida, is amazing. I’m use to spending all day waiting around, so I was stoked when we were out in under 30 minutes.
The biggest pain in the ass is waiting in line outside, before they open. But, we work up early and got there 45 minutes before they opened the doors, to ensure we weren’t sitting around there all day.
If only they served ice cream while you were waiting.

I mean, honestly, how many stars can you give the DMV?
They were definitely efficient. I was in and out of there in under an hour. Yes! Under an HOUR! «How do you do this???» one may ask. Good question. Here’s how you avoid pulling out your hair at the DMV:
1. Call ahead and ask exactly what papers/​forms of ID you will need to bring.
2. Bring all of those things. Seriously, all of them. Extra if you want, because I think I brought 8 forms of ID and 6 forms of proof of address. Spare no expense. Take no chances.
3. Do not forget a book/​magazine. Just in case.
4. Arrive EARLY. Not 2 minutes. I’d say 20 minutes. I arrived at 7:45am, they opened at 8:30. That was by accident, but I was #3 in line. Beat that.
5. Drink lots of coffee before going in (not too much where you have to pee, but just enough to stay hydrated and a little bit jittery).
6. Pay attention to your number. Since it’s early, see #5.
Good. Luck.

Renew your drivers license on-​line or suffer the wait time of government so called organization and waiting In-​line.
I hold a CDL, (commercial drivers license) that can’t be renewed online so it was in-​line for me.
It must take a special type of person to work at the DMV, these people field every question in the book and attitudes too.
The lady that greeted me and everyone else walking in was fairly pleasant and very informative, between greeting people walking in, giving them the proper paperwork, not only drivers licenses, but, concealed firearm permits and fielding every other question you can imagine all while she is queuing the line for taking the pictures and the actually printing of licenses.
Smile Pretty she said to the person sitting in the picture seat as she gave me the clipboard with 3 sheets to be filled out and my number to stand in line. Number A-​41, looking at the Now Serving Boards, there are A, B, C, D, E and F numbers being called. The A line was at # A-​20.
While filling out my paperwork in triplicate, every once in awhile the busy lady at the front counter would look up from her many duties and announce loudly, STOP, Nobody Else can come in until some seats open up, please wait outside. Everyone must take a seat, even if you are not sitting with the person that you came in with, this is the Fire Marshall’s Code.
So, within two hours, I was called up and my paperwork was scrutinized, of course I did not have a copy of this and need a copy of that. Thankfully, I had my briefcase in the car with tax papers and my car title or I would have walked away without my renewal and have to return to this vortex of Red Tape.
Now that my paperwork was in order, It’s back to the Cue for my picture, the line moved right along and within minutes I was called, the lady says sign here, the computer sign pad was having trouble and I noticed some people attempted 10 time to get their signature to their satisfaction, I scribbled on the pad and said thank you, like I could read what I had written.
Smile Pretty and SNAP, of course this may be the worst picture ever taken of me. Just a few minutes more and I was out the door with my New Drivers License.
As the State’s gift to you, they make your license expire on your Birthday, be thankful that you don’t have to visit the DMV every year.

I went to the Driver Testing Station one afternoon to get a new license, and was out of there within an hour and half. That may not sound like anything to celebrate, but I was expecting it to take much longer. They’ve worked out a pretty good system for moving people along as quickly as possible: a customer walks in, tells the receptionist what he’s there for, and then she gives him a number and the necessary forms to fill out while he’s waiting.
The waiting area was crowded but calm, and when my number finally came up, the clerk who helped me was friendly and efficient. As long as you go to the station with all the necessary documents, it seems like you should be able to get your business taken care of within two hours, even in the middle of the afternoon. I’d recommend bringing a book or crossword puzzle with you, and trying to get there as early in the day as possible.