Senior Reporter
kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
From Couva in central Trinidad, Penal in the South and Santa Flora in the South-West, motorists converged at the Licensing Office in San Fernando on Sunday afternoon, drawn by urgency and fear of mounting penalties. By then, the line had already stretched nearly 600 metres, crawling from Princess Margaret Street to the Balisier Avenue compound.
For many, the wait had become an endurance test. Drivers arrived with meals in hand, preparing for hours, sometimes days, of uncertainty.
Some were making their second attempt after being turned away last week.
Others spoke of a shadow economy forming outside the gates, where places in the queue were reportedly sold for between $300 and $400.
Inside the compound, staff acknowledged the frustration but pointed to a familiar constraint – inadequate manpower.
Dave Small travelled from Santa Flora with a truck belonging to his South Oropouche employer. He joined the line at 11.30 pm outside Skinner Park and remained there overnight, alone in his vehicle among dozens of others. When the line began to move at 6 am yesterday, he estimated he would reach the inspection bay around 1.30 pm.
“I just sit in the vehicle. I might nod off a little bit, but I have things to eat. I might go on the internet… do something to make it up,” Small said while waiting inside the yard.
It was his second attempt in less than a week.
Last Wednesday, he arrived in the area around 2 am and did not reach the office until close to midday. By 3.25 pm, he was nearing the inspection bay when services were halted for the day.
He acknowledged that motorists themselves share some responsibility for the congestion, noting that many fail to check their documents until the last minute.
With increased fines now in force, he said, the rush has become inevitable.
Nathaniel Washington adopted a different strategy. He arrived around 5.45 pm on Sunday, parked his car beneath the overpass along the Rienzi Kirton Highway, returned home to Couva, and came back at midnight to hold his place. By 10 am, he had entered the Licensing Office and was inching closer to the inspection bay to complete a vehicle transfer.
Stressed by the wait, Washington said the system needed faster service and more inspection bays.
Washington and other motorists said the demand has fuelled an informal trade in queue positions.
According to him, several vehicles would hold places overnight, then vacate them in the morning for paying drivers.
“It is stressful because there is a lot of commotion going on, a lot of skipping in line, and money. Money does talk.”
Washington believes the recent increase in traffic fines has driven the surge, pushing motorists to urgently regularise their documents.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation confirmed an increase in vehicle ownership transfers, attributing it largely to motorists who failed to complete transfers within the legally required timeframe.
The Ministry reiterated that vehicle ownership transfers must be completed promptly under the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act to avoid congestion, delays and legal consequences.
While motorists complained about the pace of inspections, which can take up to 15 minutes per vehicle, staff told Guardian Media that staffing shortages are the primary constraint. They said that although 19 employees are required to manage inspections, only six were on duty.
As for the reported sale of queue positions, staff said any such activity occurs outside the compound and falls under police jurisdiction.
Calls to Transport Commissioner Clive Clarke yesterday were unsuccessful.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Transport issued a notice advising that trucks and trailers bearing T-registration, with a Maximum Gross Weight of 3,200 kilogrammes and over, may now pay for and conduct vehicle inspections at Vehicle Management Corporation (VMCOTT) facilities in Beetham Gardens, Port-of-Spain; Union Hall, San Fernando; and Scarborough, Tobago.
