License-Seekers Who Miss Their Road Test Appointment Face $20 "No-Show" Fee

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesotans who fail to show up for their driver's license road test will face a $20 penalty fee under a new law that takes effect Monday, Nov. 1.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety announced Thursday that the new law is in response to an increase of "no shows," that take road tests from other people who are waiting for an appointment.

The DPS says customers can cancel their appointments more than 24 hours before their appointment to avoid the fee. The fee is collected when the customer applies for their driver's license.

According to the DPS, "an average of 15.5% of people failed to show up for their road test from July-Sept. of this year." Within the three month period, almost 6,000 people could have taken their road tests had appointments been canceled, the DPS reported.

Class D and CDL skill test ( July-Sept.)

July:  Appointments: 12,249      No-shows: 1,919
Aug:  Appointments: 15,034      No-shows: 2,196
Sept: Appointments: 11,402      No-shows: 1,879

"We hope we don't have to collect any fees. Our preference is to administer every test available," said Pong Xiong, director of the Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Services division (DPS-DVS). "There are thousands of customers who could take a test each month if they keep their scheduled appointment or cancel so another customer can make a road test appointment."

The DPS says the no-show fee applies to any missed skills test appointment scheduled on or after Nov. 1. Customers will be notified about the possibility of a no-show fee when they make an appointment.

To schedule, cancel or change an appointment online, visit drive.mn.gov