PennDOT and the USPS can suck the piss from a dead rat (a moving rant)

The BBQ Pit
1

So after months of careful planning, I finally move to Pennsylvania. It involved a four-day road trip schlepping a trailer full of all my worldly possessions. This is not the purpose of this rant.

The night I get to PA, I go online to the Pennsylvania state website to find out what I need to do to get a driver’s license. See, I’m an honest citizen, and have no desire to get a ticket for not doing that. Besides, we’d decided that I’d take an extra week or so off to take care of these details so I don’t have to deal with it later, like when I’m working. The .pdf document that explains the requirements for a driver’s license doesn’t work. I’m thinking, “What could you possibly need for a driver’s license? My Texas license?” WRONG!

Tuesday morning, I went down to the nice PennDOT building in Harrisburg. The nice PennDOT driver’s license guy asked me if “I had everything I needed for a driver’s license?” I explained that the document on their website was broken, and that I thought I had everything I needed. Boy, was I ever mistaken.

This is what I needed:

[ul]
[li]My Texas driver’s license[/li][li]My birth certificate (although my dependent military ID will substitute for this requirement)[/li][li]My Social Security card (which was never updated when I got married, but my marriage certificate will take care of this)[/li][li]My marriage certificate (And watch the guy look at me sideways because it’s from Mississippi and not Pennsylvania)[/li][li]A utility bill with my new address on it (or something else that shows my intentions to live there)[/li][li]A copy of my lease.[/li][/ul]

Six, count 'em, six different pieces of information to get a fucking driver’s license! Some of which (like my birth certificate) can take up to three months to get, if I had to do that.

I know, I know. The (misplaced) logic is that requiring all this stuff will prevent “terrorists” from being able to obtain a Pennsylvania driver’s license. But c’mon. Terrorists can and do get utilities and leases. And they can and do get married. And they can and do get any of this other stuff. The only thing this new requirement does is to make it that much harder to actually comply with the law and change your driver’s license. Now I have no incentive to do that.

Plus, there’s this nice catch-22. I can’t do certain things till I get a driver’s license in PA. I can’t enroll in school, get a library card, register my car (which I have 20 days to do), register to vote, or open a bank account, because I don’t have official proof of PA address.

And don’t get me started on the Post Office. They have this nifty service where I can update my mailing address online and have my mail forwarded. I set it up, did what I was supposed to do. I found an e-mail telling me that it’d been cancelled because I hadn’t responded to an e-mail that had been sent six hours before. And they nicked me for a buck, too. The purpose of the e-mail response, btw, is “for security reasons”. I don’t remember having to jump through this many hoops to change my address.

And these requirements are for “security” reasons. The government is trying to make some things tougher to do to prevent “terrorists” from getting ID and changing their address. All it’s doing is making it more difficult for everyone to do these things. I mean, for chrissakes, I’m trying to comply with the law, and I have to show so many documents that to me, it’s not worth it anymore.

I think I’ll write my local representative to complain. But I doubt he’ll pay any attention to me, because I don’t have proof that I live in his district.

:mad:

Robin

2

You have to do that to change your car tags? With the recent move to Tennessee, I actually did my car tags before my license - just showed up with the Georgia title in hand, told them my new address and paid the cash (cash, because although I have a checking account with a local bank, the checks have my Georgia address on them…meaning they can’t accept them).

All in all, the switch to Tennessee was a joke. Getting my license switched from Mississippi to Georgia was crazy when I had to do that - I had to prove that I was a citizen, which meant getting a certified copy of my birth certificate, along with all the proof of residency stuff. And that was pre- 9/11.

I would have thought that for things like a library card or a bank account, a copy of your lease and maybe a utility bill could serve as proof that you are establishing residency.

3

You can’t open a bank account without proof of residency?

Well, that’s weird. I’ve never had to prove it, and my mother opened an account here a month before she even moved…using my adress. Is that actualy a rule that I’ve just never had enforced on me?

4

I went to get a NC driver’s license last week. (Yes, it’s been three months–I’ve been busy, OK?) I had my KY license, my SS card, a paycheck with my new address on it, and $10; this was judged sufficient at the door, and I was told to wait in line.

When I was finally called an hour later, they examined my documents more closely and found that both my license and my SS card list my middle initial (A) rather than my middle name (Alan). Thus, they needed either my birth certificate or my passport to prove to them what my middle name was. (My UK student ID, which I still had on me and contained the relevant info, was not sufficient.)

To their credit, they did say I wouldn’t have to stand in line when I went back next time.

Dr. J

5

I’d just like to say that I find “…suck the piss out of a dead rat” to be most piquant and I cannot wait to use it. Thanks, MsRobyn!

6

PennDOT is evil. It has always been evil.

I’ve been hearing about PennDOT evil since I was able to form memories.

7

I’ve tried to open accounts in other states with ID from another state and couldn’t do it. It’s not the ID, it’s the local address (since I have been able to do business with a temporary DL WITH a local address.)
As for the registration, I’ve not been able to find anything on the PA website to confirm this, but I’m assuming that since the DL process has been restricted, that a PA license is required for auto registration.

essvee, you’re very welcome. :slight_smile:

Robin

8

This is why American bureaucracy burns my butt. All I needed to get my MD driver’s license was my marriage certificate to prove my name change, my Alberta driver’s license, and a piece of mail from the bank or utility to prove residence.

Going from province to province in Canada was never even that much of a bother. Proof of residence and your old driver’s license were good enough.

9

[hijack] Now that that’s done, are you gonna change your username? You’re not exactly north now. :slight_smile:

PS: It was easier in Canada because there’s hardly any people there. You know, like Iowa.

[/hijack]

10

I agree with the PennDOT being evil references.

[comicbookguy]

Worst bureaucracy ever!

[/comicbookguy]

I hear PennDOT road crews are going to lay off half of their workers soon. Some contractor invented a shovel that can stand up all by itself.

11

When I moved to PA I was shocked at how crappy the DOT was handled up here. Since I’ve been here for about 8 years now I have figured out how to navigate through it all, but it’s still a major hassle.

PennDOT really does suck.

12

Welcome to PA Ms. Robyn :slight_smile:

PENNDOT’s insane hunger for documentation isn’t new. It was the same way when I got my driver’s lic. 10 years ago. (It’s not a new let’s stop terrorism thing). And I wasn’t even moving in from out of state, just finally old enough to drive. Two state acceptable forms of ID (at least one with a picture), and proof of residence. And of course, all of the information on all of these papers had better match, or you’ll need supporting documentation to explain why they don’t.
Although the last time I checked, you didn’t need a PA drivers lic. to registar a car in PA, or to change the address on the registration. Just an address, a form and a check (from out of state, you may need to have a PA inspection done, depending on the state you came from)

PENNDOT has put years of research into prefecting a highly annoying system, and they are very very good at it. (Unfortunately, what they aren’t good at is building and maintaining a road system)

I hope that the rest of your move-related paperwork goes smoothly. And I hope you and your family are very happy in PA.

Best Wishes
Pandora

13

I had to go through something like this when I upgraded from my learner’s permit. The law in VA changed in March; they now require two picture IDs to obtain a license or change an existing one. My birth certificate and Social Security card went missing quite a few years ago but I had obtained a new copy of my certificate for $10 and they accepted a pay stub for my SSN.