Tag Archives: MVD

Arizona License and ID cards are getting an updated look

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The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) will be releasing brand new driver license and ID cards this March. The new design will include several new security features that help prevent counterfeit reproductions or fraudulent use.

Attempted counterfeits of driver license and ID cards continue to be a concern for law enforcement, as well as personal information security. The advancement of security features in the card help prevent those counterfeit attempts from being successful.

The new design, which highlights several Arizona features, is a result of a new contract with Thales Group. Thales was selected through a procurement process as the new vendor, because of the company’s ability to provide the latest security features on driver license and ID cards.

New features of this card include:

  • 100% polycarbonate material that consists of multiple layers of plastic, fused together without adhesives, to form a solid structure impervious to tampering. The high durability of polycarbonate also provides the longest lifespan of any card, allowing for extended card life without compromise.
  • Laser-engraved information and black and white photo.
    “Dynaprint,” with two high-resolution images that appear based on the angle of the card, provides front-line authenticators with assurance that the card is genuine and strong protection against duplication or reproduction efforts.
  • Saguaro cactus and ponderosa pine tree images were selected to represent the diversity of Arizona terrain and communities.
  • “Secure Surface” is another security feature that incorporates a slightly raised surface and provides a subtle feel to part of the card. This is another quick authenticator for law enforcement and other authorities. It also helps reduce potential alterations or fraudulent cards.

The new cards will be available in mid-March, for both the Travel ID and the standard ID.

The current card design will continue to be issued for requests through Feb. 28, and will remain valid until the expiration date.

Visit azdot.gov for more information about the new card design.

Arizonans can now renew driver licenses online

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PHOENIX – Renewing a standard Arizona driver license and a commercial driver license can now be completed with a few clicks on a website.

As Governor Doug Ducey’s Executive Order on deferring standard driver license expiration dates ends on February 28, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is giving many Arizonans the ability to renew their driver license online. Previously, renewals could only be processed during an office visit.

“Most Arizonans with a standard driver license must renew their license when they turn 65 years of age and every five years thereafter,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “During the pandemic, ADOT wants to continue Governor Ducey’s efforts to help protect our most vulnerable and we’re pleased to be able to offer a contactless renewal option so people can continue making healthy choices.”

An in-office visit will be required to renew a standard Arizona driver license if an individual’s photo of record was taken more than 12 years prior to renewal, but most Arizonans will be able to renew their driver license without visiting an MVD office. Driver license-holders can log-in to their account at AZMVDNow.gov to see their eligibility for online renewal.

To renew a CDL online at AZMVDNow.gov, an individual’s address must remain the same, a valid primary document is on file with MVD and their current credential must be in good standing. CDL holders with a hazmat endorsement will not be able to renew their license online.

This new, streamlined renewal option was made possible, in large part, when MVD implemented a state-of-the-art computer operating system last spring. That change replaced an obsolete system that contained elements that were older than 35 years and no longer sustainable. The new system has made it possible for MVD to offer customers the ability to complete most services online at AZMVDNow.gov, eliminating the need to visit an MVD office for many Arizonans.

“We’ve all seen a lot of change over the last year, but this is something new that everyone can embrace,” MVD Director Eric Jorgensen said. “The website AZMVDNow.gov has added convenience for customers and made it easier for Arizonans to conduct their business with MVD. Adding driver license renewals to the long list of other services, like registration renewals, change of address and ordering a replacement license, will help keep Arizonans out of line and safely on the road.”

When renewing online, an individual’s official driver record will be updated with the new expiration date in the MVD system when the application and payment are submitted electronically.

When it comes time to renew a driver license, individuals can follow the below steps to renew online.

  • Go to AZMVDNow.gov and sign-in to your account. If you need to activate your account – everyone with an Arizona driver license has an account – follow those steps.
  • After logging in, select “Renew Now” in the “My Credential” section and follow the instructions.
  • Allow about 15 days for processing and mail delivery of your new driver license.

Buying or selling a used vehicle? Be prepared and be safe

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PHOENIX – Are you in the market for a new-to-you car? Thinking of selling your vehicle in a private-party sale?

Whether you’re a prospective buyer or a seller – or both – the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division wants consumers to know steps they can take to protect themselves when selling or purchasing a used vehicle.

First, go to AZMVDNow.gov and activate your AZ MVD Now account. Everything needed to complete a typical private-party sale of a vehicle can be completed at AZMVDNow.gov, even the transfer of a vehicle title via the convenient eTitle Transfer. Every person with an Arizona-issued driver license or vehicle registered in Arizona already has an account and more than 1.5 million accounts have been activated since AZMVDNow.gov launched last spring.

If you’re a buyer, you’ll want to ensure that there are no surprises in the vehicle’s history. An unscrupulous seller might tamper with the odometer, sell a stolen vehicle, attempt to cover up water or collision damage that wasn’t properly repaired or not disclose a lien. ADOT offers a number of tools customers can use to gather information about a vehicle they’re interested in purchasing.

While buyers do most of their leg-work prior to purchase, the work for sellers in a private-party transaction comes after a price has been agreed upon. After receiving payment, a seller should sign-in to their account at AZMVDNow.gov and complete a “sold notice.” There is no cost to complete a sold notice and it can protect the seller if the car sold is involved in a crash or crime, is ticketed, or becomes abandoned, which carries a fine.

Transferring the title comes next and some titles can be transferred at AZMVDNow.gov via eTitle Transfer, saving a trip to an MVD office. A seller should be aware that if their vehicle was titled and owned in another state prior to moving to Arizona, it’s probable that the Arizona MVD will not have a copy of the vehicle title because it didn’t issue the title. In this case, the seller can sign the back of the title and have the signature notarized.

Before giving the car to the buyer, remove the license plate. The seller might be eligible to receive credit for registration fees previously paid on the vehicle, too.

Buying and selling a vehicle is a big purchase. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Take your time and consult this car-buying checklist to protect yourself.

Drive a big truck in the military? There may be a simpler path to a commercial driver license

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PHOENIX – Veterans of the U.S. military who operated large vehicles as part of their service may qualify for an Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division military skills test waiver when applying for a commercial driver license.

“The waiver is something that deserves more attention because it gives veterans who’ve honorably served this country more opportunities to use those skills once they return to civilian life,” said MVD Field Operations Administrator Mike Cryderman.

He added, “There’s a real need in this country for proficient commercial drivers, and the MVD is committed to assisting veterans with this kind of experience to appropriately get the credentials they need.”

The military skills test waiver applies to veterans who operated a military vehicle equivalent to a commercial vehicle within the last year. The waiver requires the applicant to describe what kind of vehicle he or she operated, such as fifth wheel, truck tractor/semi-trailer, truck trailer combination, or single vehicles that meet certain commercial weight specifications. It also requires the applicant to obtain a commanding officer’s certification that the applicant has commercial driving experience in the military.

Tony Bradley, President and CEO for the Arizona Trucking Association said, “The simple fact is that veterans make great employees and we should encourage every veteran with experience driving heavy equipment to take advantage of the military skills test waiver. By utilizing the skills test waiver these veterans can get credit for the skills they learned in the military and start earning money as a commercial truck driver or heavy equipment operator.”

Potential applicants can find the waiver form (Form 96-0680) at www.azdot.gov/MVD.

Public Safety Fee going into effect

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PHOENIX – Beginning December 1, Arizona motorists expecting vehicle registration renewals will see a new Public Safety Fee. The fee was established by state law to support public safety and Highway Patrol operations. The fee goes into effect for registrations due in January which can be paid as early as Dec. 1, and immediately for newly registered vehicles.

The fee will be collected during the vehicle-registration process administered by the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division. Arizona statute established the method for collecting the fee and sets the process for determining the amount based on a formula designed to support Highway Patrol operations.

Highway Patrol operations — among the most visible functions of the Arizona Department of Public Safety — include response to collisions on Arizona highways, enforcing state laws designed to keep the motoring public safe, arresting impaired drivers, assisting motorists in distress, air-rescue operations and patrolling more than 6,800 miles of highways.

Most motorists will pay $32 per vehicle, per year. Street-legal golf carts and primarily off-highway vehicles will pay $5. Those who register a vehicle annually or pay for a two- or five-year registration will pay the entire amount up front for each registered year.

The funds raised through the Public Safety Fee will not only provide necessary dollars for public safety, but will advance maintenance and construction of Arizona’s highway infrastructure, including the state’s Key Commerce Corridors that support economic development around the state.

Over the past decade, much of the Highway Patrol’s budget was considered part of the Arizona Highway User Revenue Fund, the gas-tax account that supports Arizona roadways, including law-enforcement support. The new $32 Public Safety Fee will allow gas-tax money to support roadway maintenance and construction, while providing a different source of funding for Highway Patrol operations.

For more information: www.azdot.gov/mvd.

For details on the enabling legislation, visit: https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/53leg/2R/laws/0265.pdf.

MVD gets award for improved customer service and innovation

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Getting Arizona out of line and safely on the road is getting widespread attention.

The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division has received the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) “Improvement through Efficiencies Service Award” for the MVD online insurance update and reinstatement functions introduced last year. Those transactions previously required a visit to an MVD or Authorized Third Party office.

“In Arizona, the Motor Vehicle Division has been leading the way in making sure government serves its customers more efficiently and effectively,” said Governor Doug Ducey. “The dedicated employees of MVD have embraced the principles of the Arizona Management System to eliminate waste and maximize productivity. The results are stunning. Customers are spending half the time in MVD offices waiting than they did just a few years ago. That success belongs to the employees of MVD, and Arizonans are seeing the benefit.”

MVD Director Eric Jorgensen said, “It’s an honor to be recognized for our successes, but the real winners here are the MVD customers who continue to have more options for doing business more conveniently online. We have a terrific team of MVD employees who have embraced the culture of everyday improvement through the Arizona Management System and I’m proud that they’re getting this recognition.”

The Insurance Update is free and allows customers to electronically provide information regarding their insurance coverage directly to MVD. Insurance companies are given seven days by law to update policy information when changes such as cancellations or renewals occur. On those occasions when there may be a lag in that reporting time from an insurance provider, this online option will help customers with valid insurance to immediately update their MVD record and avoid a suspension.

The update tool is easy to use and asks for information that is found directly on an insurance card.

In addition to the Insurance Update, the Reinstatement Function allows customers to reinstate vehicle insurance that had been previously canceled or lapsed. The function determines eligibility for reinstatement, makes real-time updates to the MVD customer database upon completion, allows the customer to pay the $50 fee for each vehicle reinstatement, and provides a receipt confirmation that indicates the registration has been reinstated.

AAMVA was founded in 1933 and supports motor vehicle and law enforcement agencies in North America through programs and services focusing on safe drivers and vehicles, identity security, motor carrier services and technology solutions.

For more information: www.azdot.gov/mvd and www.aamva.org

Getting a new license plate? No need to bring the old one back

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PHOENIX – Buying a vehicle that needs a new license plate, or upgrading to a specialty or personalized plate? The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is reminding motorists that you don’t need to return an old license plate to the MVD.

“We’re working very hard to get Arizonans out of line and safely on the road, and part of that is letting people know it’s okay to keep an old license plate instead of taking time out of a busy day to go to an MVD office,” said MVD Stakeholder Relations Manager Jennifer Bowser-Richards. “The only exception occurs if a plate is mutilated or illegible. In that case, the law requires a vehicle owner to get a new plate,” she noted.

She added, “Customers do have the option of transferring their current plate when they buy a different vehicle, but quite often if it involves merely a standard plate, people will just want to get rid of it. We want to make sure they know an office visit isn’t needed to do that. We also urge people who may not want to keep a plate to put it in their recycling bin as opposed to simply throwing it in the trash.”

For more information on plates and placards, visit azdot.gov/mvd

ADOT detectives nab dealer for selling vehicle with false odometer reading

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PHOENIX – A Gilbert man who manages a used car dealership has been arrested for selling a vehicle with a false odometer reading in addition to other violations by detectives with the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General.

Mikel Martinez, 37, manager of Auto Link of Arizona, had recently sold a 2013 Chevrolet E2500 Cargo Van stating that it had 159,000 miles on it. Unbeknownst to the buyer, the vehicle had actually racked up over 303,000 miles.

The buyer originally came to OIG because Martinez had not provided the title or registration for the van. Martinez had also informed her that she was being financed through BHFC Financial Services; however, when the buyer contacted the company, it had no record of her.

ADOT’s Office of Inspector General took up the case and opened an investigation that led detectives to discover that the vehicle mileage on the title had been altered from when it was first titled to Auto Link of Arizona.

When Martinez was called in to OIG headquarters regarding the odometer tampering, detectives discovered that in addition to altering the mileage, Martinez removed the letter “C” designation on the vehicle’s title. A letter “C” indicates the true mileage of the vehicle is unknown. It was also discovered that he had a fictitious dealer plate on his vehicle that was made of laminated paper.

Martinez was arrested and booked at the Fourth Avenue Jail on Sept. 21 and is currently facing counts of fraudulent schemes, forgery, tampering with a public record, displaying a fictitious plate and odometer fraud.

While ADOT’s Office of Inspector General stands ready to assist those who’ve fallen victim to fraud, ADOT has car-buying tips that can be found on the agency’s website at azdot.gov/CarBuyingTips.

Beware of odometer fraud.

Check the odometer reading on the vehicle instrument cluster and compare it to what is listed on the back of the title from the seller and any odometer information contained in any vehicle history reports or repair invoices. Also check the title to see if the actual mileage is listed (Box A).
A typical vehicle is driven about 15,000 miles per year. If the odometer mileage of a vehicle shows much less than that average annual usage, it could be an indicator that the odometer has been rolled back, and worth further inspection.
Have a trusted mechanic check the odometer for signs of tampering and for wear on the vehicle to see if it’s in line with the displayed mileage. A mechanic can also check the vehicle computer for mileage.

Use good judgment and ask lots of questions. There are no stupid questions when it comes to protecting yourself in a big purchase. Do this:

Ask for identification to make sure the seller is the owner listed on the title.
Ask to see vehicle maintenance records.
Check the VIN on the inside of the driver’s door frame and on the top of the dashboard to make sure they match.
Check for VIN tampering such as the door frame sticker peeled off and replaced, and altered rivets on the dashboard plaque.

The most important thing to do is to take time and not rush the process. If the seller is acting suspiciously, unwilling to show ID or records or trying to rush the process, walk away. Take the time to find the right purchase.

Seek help if you’ve been scammed. ADOT is here to help victims of fraud involving vehicle titles, registrations and driver licenses. Call our 24-hour fraud hotline at 877.712.2370 or email fraud@azdot.gov.

Beware of flood damage when buying a used vehicle

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PHOENIX – Recent storms have given Arizonans in the market for used cars even more reason to pay close attention to a vehicle’s condition and history, especially in private sales. Cars damaged by floodwaters such as those resulting from Hurricane Florence can sometimes find their way to Arizona to be sold.

If a vehicle is flood-damaged, the title should say “salvage” or “flood damage.” But scammers can and do fraudulently remove flood history from vehicle titles.

“We want to make sure potential buyers remain vigilant when looking at used vehicles and not sign anything until the vehicle has been checked over bumper to bumper,” said Willie Hall, detective sergeant with ADOT’s Office of Inspector General, which investigates fraud involving titles and vehicle sales. “Flood-damaged vehicles that have been repackaged and dressed up are a common scam after major weather events like what we’ve seen recently.”

Potential buyers should closely inspect vehicles and be prepared to walk away if things don’t smell right – quite literally in some cases.

· Check out all of the vehicle’s nooks and crannies. Look inside under the carpet and floor mats and examine the trunk for dirt, silt and mold. Check under the dashboard and other hard-to-reach places as well. Criminals usually don’t clean all of those places. Finally, take a good whiff in those areas. Water damage leaves a distinctive smell.
· Check the electrical and mechanical components. Water wreaks havoc on electrical systems, so check to see if any of those systems aren’t working quite right. Also check the engine for signs of rust or even random new parts. Get under the vehicle and check the suspension for water damage. Any of those things could be a sign that you’re in danger of buying a flood-damaged vehicle.

It’s always a good idea to have any used vehicle you’re looking at buying checked out by a trusted auto mechanic.

A vehicle identification number can be used to obtain the vehicle history through an online service that may charge a fee. This check can uncover a vehicle’s status as “salvage” or “non-repairable,” as well as maintenance problems, collisions, insurance claims and titles issued in other states.

For more information: azdot.gov/CarBuyingTips, 24-hour fraud hotline at 602-277-5684 or 877.712.2370 (outside Phoenix) or email fraud@azdot.gov.

The vision of the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is to “get Arizona out of line and safely on the road”. Dedicated MVD employees, Authorized Third Party providers and offering more services online help MVD achieve this vision.

Number of organ and tissue donors rise with assist from MVD

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PHOENIX – A recent change to how Arizona motorists can choose to be an organ and tissue donor at ServiceArizona.com has coincided with a nearly 20 percent increase in the number of people signing up for this important cause.

The increase was measured comparing sign-ups for donations between November, 2017 to July, 2018 to the same period the year before.

Since October 31, 2017, Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division customers have been able to register as donors when renewing a vehicle registration at ServiceArizona.com, which is the most common renewal method. Previously, that decision could only be made through ADOT MVD when a driver was getting a new or updated driver license or ID card.

Since October 31, 2017, Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division customers have been able to register as donors when renewing a vehicle registration at ServiceArizona.com, which is the most common renewal method. Previously, that decision could only be made through ADOT MVD when a driver was getting a new or updated driver license or ID card.

Because Arizona licenses are valid until the customer turns 65, and photo updates occur every 12 years, the chances for customers to make this selection were limited. By contrast, vehicle registration renewals for most occur every one to two years. Customers who renew online can click a link to Donate Life Arizona at the completion of the transaction.

“This was an easy decision for the MVD to make,” said MVD Stakeholder Relations Manager Jennifer Bowser Richards. “Organ and tissue donations save lives and it’s gratifying that making a simple change to our vehicle registration process has enabled more Arizonans to become donors.”

The vision of the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is to “get Arizona out of line and safely on the road”. Dedicated MVD employees, Authorized Third Party providers and offering more services online help MVD achieve this vision.