State opening vehicle inspection station in Brooklyn Center with other sites across state to follow

Under Minnesota law, motorists driving salvage vehicles must have them inspected to ensure their wheels are safe to drive and to renew their license tabs.

But the Department of Public Safety's Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) division has not made it easy for drivers to get the task done.

The state runs nine inspection stations, but nearly all of them are overbooked and understaffed, and DVS hasn't been able to keep up. Now it's adding locations to catch up.

"Do we have more demand than we can meet? Absolutely," said Greg Loper director of the DVS Inspection Program. "That is why we are adding a lot more inspection stations."

DVS increased inspection availability in Marshall, Minn., from once a month to five days a week when it expanded its exam station in December. Next up is Brooklyn Center, where DVS recently signed a lease to set up shop in a former tire retailer. The building on Xerxes Avenue across from the former Brookdale Shopping Center has five bays, which will double capacity in the metro area, Loper said. DVS can only inspect two vehicles at a time at its only metro facility in South St. Paul.

The Brooklyn Center location is expected to open by late summer. In the coming months, DVS is looking to add locations in Rochester, Mankato, Fergus Falls and Bemidji, plus extend hours in Duluth and St. Cloud, Loper said.

"This is something that is going to serve the citizens of Minnesota," Loper said.

Demand has ballooned since 2020 when the pandemic made it harder to get new and used cars, and prices soared. Loper said that combination had drivers turning their attention to salvage vehicles or those that have been declared a total loss by insurance companies following crashes or damage caused by weather and subsequently repaired.

Inspectors checked out more than 1,200 salvage vehicles during the first two weeks of March, up from 730 during the same timeframe last year. The 20-minute inspections cost $35, but are not the same as the emission inspections of yesteryear, Loper said.

"We make sure it was repaired with legal parts," Loper said. "Customers can have confidence the repairs were done legally."

Inspections are required before drivers with salvage vehicles can renew their license tabs. With appointments tough to get, there is some grace, however.

"If you renew once, you won't be able to renew a second time," Loper said, who added that DVS will work with drivers who can't get in. "We try to allow them to get that done."

With funds from the legislature, DVS also is hiring inspectors, with eight positions open across the state.

New buses for MVTA's Connect

The Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) has five new Braun ProMaster vehicles now in use on its on-demand ride service, Connect.

The agency said the vehicles have eight seats, two wheelchair holders, bike racks and the smell of a new bus.

"We are excited to bring you all these new vehicles to improve the Connect Rider experience," the agency said.