JACKSONVILLE, Fla – The road test in Duval County is back to its traditional form for potential drivers hoping to get their license.
Fhadel Stevenson just passed the test to hit Florida roads alone, but how he and thousands of others had to take it over the last two years looked very different.
Traditionally, the instructor would sit in the front seat next to the driver for the road test, telling them what to do. But because of the pandemic, instructors spent the last 20 months giving those same instructions outside the car sometimes using walkie-talkies to communicate with the driver.
“It was more comfortable and you weren’t as nervous,” Stevenson said. “It was different because they told us what to do and you had to do it without someone right next to you watching everything you do.”
The Gateway Branch location was the only place to take the test during the pandemic.
Duval County Tax Collector Jim Overton said there were a few other requirements for this unique method.
“The person in the car had to be a driver age 21 or older so that was a real challenge for the people taking the test,” Overton said. “They had to bring somebody with them.”
There are 7 locations offering road tests:
- The Gateway Branch (910 West 44th Street)
- Sites in Hogan (7120 Hogan Road)
- Mandarin (10035 San Jose Blvd)
- Neptune Beach (1505 Atlantic Blvd)
- North Main Street (12961-210 North Main Street)
- Roosevelt (6331 Roosevelt Blvd STE 10)
- Westside (8299 -10 W Beaver Street)
Although the Gateway location on West 44th Street is open right now, it will be moving in a few months to Soutel Drive.
