The Garland Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office has been open since last Monday and has already seen a good amount of traffic coming from all over Sampson County and even from citizens that live outside of it.
That’s exactly the case for Sreeja Kandukuri, who lives in Cary and found the DMV by searching online with her father, Janardhan.
“We were just looking at the website for different DMVs to find one that’s open with a low wait time and we were just kind of following a path and on the way that’s how we found Garland,” she said.
Despite not being familiar with the area, the convenience of being able to get in and out in a quick manner was something Sreeja was a fan of. “A lot of the DMVs are very crowded. Especially if you don’t go very early in the morning, it’s very hard, so it was very nice to find this place.”
“I like the town too,” her father Janardhan said with a smile.
Brian Short, a Garland resident that is originally from New Jersey, gave his regards to his town finally gaining a DMV office.
“I was in need of an ID and it was very much easier. A lot easier. It’s a great culture and a great surrounding,” he said.
He pointed out the fact that having the office in Garland makes it easier compared to driving over to the DMV located in Clinton, especially for those that don’t have a license to get over to the city. He also said having the new business was “a big step up.”
“It’s a new business and a new step up for our community and if we’re going to make it grow, we’re going to pull it together,” Short explained.
Carolyn Parker, the owner of the Carolyn’s Flower Garden, came in to the office to procure her Real ID for travel purposes, shared her thoughts on Garland having its own DMV office. “I’m very excited about the DMV,” she said. “We don’t have to go to Clinton, we don’t have to go to Elizabethtown, it’s right here in our hometown and it just adds a little bit. I’m just looking forward to coming over to get the star on my license.”
The Garland DMV is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The office will be closed on New Year’s Day for the holiday on Thursday. For any additional questions, you can visit the NCDOT website and search through the online services.