I recently took my 19 year old son to take his behind the wheel driving test. We arrived at the DMV pretty early so we thought we’d sit outside for awhile at the area where people pull up to take their behind the wheel test. This is the area where the examiners will ask the driver to use their hand signals, put their blinkers on, brake lights, hazard lights, honk your horn, etc. Then off they would go.
My perspective when watching the DMV examiners
While sitting there watching, I noticed that these DMV driving examiners were not the nicest people. I mean, they don’t need to be over-friendly, but damn, at least act like you enjoy your job a little bit. Say hello, smile, introduce yourself, etc. I understand that they don’t have to, and that’s why they don’t do it, but maybe kindness should be in their policy.
Then I remember, these are government workers. They are miserable and underpaid state workers. But I again rationalize my thoughts and tell myself that none of that makes an excuse to be an ass****. I want In-N-Out Burger type people, I want a smile and good service. I don’t want McDonalds or Jack-in the-Box service. I don’t want people acting like I am bothering them. Unfortunately, this is what you get when dealing with the DMV.
The two horrible behind the wheel examiners
This day there were two different women examiners. I told my son that it most likely didn’t matter which one he got because they both seemed like bit****. It’s easy to understand the way these DMV examiners think. They know there is no benefit to them if they are nice. If they are unfriendly and have a rude demeanor, what the hell is anyone going to do about it. They know that they can be rude without crossing certain boundaries which can get them fired. Being unfriendly is not something that will make them lose their job.
My experience with a rude DMV road examiner
After checking in inside, me and my son were to pull our car around the building to that area. There were two lines, and we went into the left lane. I was sitting there in the passenger seat with my window rolled down. After sitting their for a minute, one of the DMV examiners tells me with a stern and authoritative voice “What are you here for?” I reply “My son is taking the behind the wheel test.” She replies back with an even more rude and authoritative voice “You’re in the wrong line.”
Normally, this would be viewed as a helpful person. But, I am old enough and have enough experience in life to know that the tone you use when talking to somebody is very important. This is especially true when talking to an individual that is older than you. It’s called respect. If this was not my sons behind the wheel test, I would have unloaded on this girl, but I brushed it off and didn’t let it bother me at all.
Why are some DMV behind the wheel examiners rude?
Maybe they don’t want to get stepped on. They don’t want to show any weakness. What I mean by that is, maybe they think that if they are nice people will try to take advantage of them. It’s difficult for me to understand this, but it is a possibility. I mean, how is anyone going to take advantage of a DMV examiner? The examiner is either going to pass or fail the driver on their road test based on their performance.
It’s funny, but these DMV behind the wheel examiners seemed to want to give the demeanor like as if they are police officers. You know, a person of authority. They would walk out the door of the DMV with a clipboard in their hand like they are the man. They would have a strut that said “Don’t mess with me.” When they would approach a vehicle, they would start talking to them like they are a police officer that just pulled over a car.
Really surprised the hell out of me. Do they know that they are just DMV behind the wheel examiners? I’m not belittling the job, because it is a serious job, but do they really need to push this false sense of authoritativeness? By the way, my son ended up failing the test, but he’ll be back soon again for another try. He said that when the test ended, the girl just said “You failed,” handed him a piece of paper and got out the car. As he tried to ask her a few questions, she just ignored him.
What to do if you need to file a complaint against a DMV road test examiner
First off, I did not file a complaint against the DMV road examiner. What am I going to file a complaint about? That I didn’t like the tone of the woman? That they didn’t smile and were not nice? All that would do is give them something to joke and laugh about. It would not be a valid complaint.
If someone were to file a complaint on a DMV examiner or any other DMV worker, they would have to make sure that it is a good reason. This means that an examiner failed them on their road test due to discrimination or some other violation of their civil rights. How one would prove something like this is beyond me. Unless the DMV worker said racial slurs or something like that.
The DMV in every state will have their own process as to which someone can file a complaint against a DMV worker. If at the DMV, the easiest thing to do would be to ask for a supervisor, and let them know about your situation. They may give a complaint form to fill out.
If at home, googling something like “File complaint against (Your state) DMV employee” should give you all the information that you need to file a complaint. Every state will do things different. Some states have a phone number that you can call. Other states have a form that you can fill out and email to them. No matter how things are done, if you feel you were discriminated against or had any of your civil rights violated, you owe it to yourself and others to report that DMV worker. Again, if you had a grumpy DMV worker with no sense of humor, the complaint will most likely be invalid.
