Sunday, March 04, 2001
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

COLUMN: Road Warrior

DMV lines yield business success for entrepreneurs

For some Southern Nevadans it would be the perfect torture: getting up early each morning only to spend the day in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety.

For Jay Jarvis and Johneric Stensrud, it's become the perfect business.

As the owners and operators of DMV Line Busters, they will, for between $35 and $45, register your vehicle, cheerfully braving the lines and enduring the boredom so you don't have to.

"I stand in line," Jarvis said, repeating what must now be a personal mantra. "I stand in line for my customers."

Jarvis and Stensrud don't mind if some Southern Nevadans would prefer most anything over a day at the motor vehicle department. In fact, they attribute the early success of their business to Las Vegans' aversion to the long waits at the agency's offices.

"I haven't talked to one person who has had a pleasant experience with the DMV -- not one," Stensrud said as he waited for his number to be called at the West Flamingo branch on a recent morning. "People get really upset when they think about going to the DMV."

It was the duo's own bad experience trying to register several vehicles for a business they've since sold that gave them the idea for DMV Line Busters.

It was more than 18 months ago, when the department was struggling with its new computer system and customers were waiting six or seven hours for service. Neither man could afford to dedicate an entire day to registering the vehicles and they couldn't find anyone who was willing to do it for them.

Now, even though the department is declaring that wait times average less than an hour at all but one branch, Jarvis and Stensrud say it's not threatening their livelihood.

"I wouldn't call them a liar, but I disagree with that," Stensrud said of the motor vehicle department's statistics.

Kevin Malone, spokesman for the agency, said it's important to remember that the statistics reflect the average of all transactions.

"That is an average," he said. "You have handicapped transactions where they wait like 10 minutes, then you have registrations where they wait more than an hour."

More like two hours according to Jarvis.

"It can vary," he said. "The minimum on a good day is two hours or two and a half -- that's the shortest. The maximum ... ." He finished the sentence with a laugh.

Then, probably remembering that his business depends on a good relationship with the agency, he added, "This isn't slamming the DMV because they have a ton of work to do and no one is happy when they come here."

In fact, Jarvis and Stensrud see their business as helping to make the motor vehicle department a happier place. The reason is that it allows those who don't have the time or the patience to stay away. They also believe registrations processed in bulk (they have registered up to 10 vehicles at a single sitting) by professionals who have the paperwork in order, helps increase efficiency.

"That's 10 people we've taken out of the line," Stensrud said.

The motor vehicle department doesn't see the business as providing any great benefit, but it doesn't oppose the venture either.

"We accommodate them," Malone said. "They're not a nuisance as long as they follow the rules."

The agency might be underestimating the impact the business is having. It may well substitute some of the crankiest customers -- at least those willing to pay good money not to be there -- with the prepared and amiable Jarvis and Stensrud.

By the time we finished talking it was 10 a.m. Jarvis, who had received his ticket at 8 a.m., checked the electronic sign to see how much longer he had to wait.

It showed his turn was fast approaching.

"It'll be two and a half hours," he said, estimating his wait. "That's awesome."

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