The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is blaming a six-week backlog of Motor Carrier Permits (MCP) on a broken printer and a software problem.
For weeks, truckers have been complaining that they have failed to receive the MCPs required to legally transport freight in the state of California even though they filled out and submitted the proper paperwork. Many of the truckers say that they’ve waited so long for permits that they feel that they are forced to choose between operating illegally and facing a large fine or shutting down their businesses until further notice.
At least 5,600 truckers have reportedly been impacted by the MCP backlog.
One California lawmaker, Assemblyman Jim Patterson, says that his phone has been ringing constantly because of truckers who are frustrated that they have filled out the proper paperwork but that they still haven’t received the permit that they need to operate legally.
After hearing numerous complaints from frustrated truckers, Patterson issued a statement warning the DMV to admit to the backlog and correct the problem:
“There are hundreds of thousands of commercial trucks operating in our state and they all need this permit to operate legally. Those who don’t have it risk being penalized. The DMV needs to come clean about this problem immediately and tell all of us what their plan is to accommodate these commercial drivers.”
Fox 40 reports that on Monday, April 8, the California DMV finally acknowledged there was at least a six week backlog on the MCPs. The DMV blamed the backlog on a software glitch and a broken printer.
The DMV says that the problem was corrected in early March and that if drivers still haven’t received their MCPs it could be because of late filing or errors in filing.
Patterson responded to the DMV by saying that he is tired of excuses. He says that many trucking companies operating hundreds of trucks still haven’t received their MCPs.
For more, see the report below.