Driving in the US
 

Hello!

I’m hopefully moving to Nebraska in April and was wondering what the steps would be to obtain a driving permit? I have a license and have had it for 5 years (UK).

Do I have to apply for one at the DMV? And what are the best insurance companies to start with when I move?

Thanks!

Joshua

Re: Driving in the US
 

Unfortunately your GB driving licence is no good to you as a US resident as there is no reciprocal exchange process in place in any of the 50 states for GB licence holders. You'll need to obtain a Nebraska Learner's Permit from the DMV and start the testing process from scratch to obtain your Operator's License. These links should help get you started:

https://dmv.nebraska.gov/dl/new-nebr...vers-licensing

https://dmv.nebraska.gov/dl/learners-permit

Re: Driving in the US
 

You are starting from scratch. It isn't actually hard at all. You need to study briefly for a computer based test, pass that (took me three minutes) book the "test", wait a week or two for a slot, drive round the block, stop at a stop sign and you get a licence.

I drove to my test in my rental car.

Steve

Re: Driving in the US
 

Yeah when I sat my Kentucky test I would have had to try and fail it. The written portion was answer a few questions on a screen (What do you at a red light type stuff).

UK license doesn't count for anything, some insurers may consider it. There is a company called Sunrise group that does good rates for expats.

Re: Driving in the US
 

Driving test is straight forward. My suggestion is go for a rural DMV... Shouldn't be too hard in NE.

Re: Driving in the US
 

Also make sure to take your I-94 and any other immigration documentation. Be prepared to ask for a supervisor or take any information showing your visa makes you eligible to obtain a driving license as many DMV staff are unaware.

Re: Driving in the US
 

The non-driving ("written"/ computer) part of the test varies from state to state, so you should check what Nebraska requires - New York, for example, mandates five hours of classroom education! Then download a copy of the Nebraska Drivers manual from the Nebraska DMV website, and read it carefully, paying attention to things like drink driving limits and penalties, speeds and stopping distances, warning signs (railroad, school, etc), and when to stop for a school bus* as these are areas that commonly over-represnted on the computer test.

* Passing a school bus, in either direction, that has stopped to allow children to board or alight us taken very seriously in the US - moreso than drink-driving, it would seem.

The actual road test is universally a joke in the US. Anyone with a British license should find the US state road tests extremely easy - just remember to stop at STOP signs and red lights, and try not to run over more than one pedestrian and you'll be fine. :nod: (I may have been joking about the last bit re the test, but then again looking at the standard of driving I see every day, perhaps I wasn't joking. :unsure: )

I also used a rental car for my test, .... well actually it was an SUV! :lol:

Per Tom's advice, I agree, getting a test in a rural area will likely be easier than in a city. .... Some states/ locations don't take appointments for tests, you just show up and wait in line for a test.

Re: Driving in the US
 

Thanks for the advice! I’ll be living in Omaha so I will have to look for a rural DMV, shouldn’t be too hard I’m sure lol.

Re: Driving in the US
 

Been to Omaha more times than I can remember. It's a decent small city. But you're right, it doesn't take long to be in the country again. :)

Re: Driving in the US
 

When I took mine in Fl the clown in front of me rather than doing a 3 point turn outside the office decided to mount the pavement /curb to turn around his huge F350 truck.
He was so pissed that he failed the test.

Re: Driving in the US
 

I didn't do one at all. Or anything else actually. I did four right-turns (six if you count exiting/entering the parking lot).

Re: Driving in the US
 

My test official was so enamored of my English accent we literally just drove around and chatted for a bit and then she said I'd passed. I don't remember her even giving me any instructions! This was in Phoenix. Not hard to pass in Arizona...all the roads are in a grid.

Re: Driving in the US
 

My test was conducted by someone that looked, and smelt like Jim Morrison. I did about 6/8 right turns and stopped back in the parking lot and that was it..

You'll soon realize why the quality of driving in the US is significantly lower than back home!

Re: Driving in the US
 

You'd think the smell would have gone by now.

Re: Driving in the US
 

Two right turns, two left turns and a reverse into a coned off space.

Re: Driving in the US
 

:lol:

The tie-dye shirt was a dead giveaway. It was also an electric car, and it was also in Boulder so it shouldn't really have been a major surprise in hindsight.

Re: Driving in the US
 

Mine involved a 3 point turn that I was told could take more points if needed.

Re: Driving in the US
 

I had mine recently and was asked to parallel park - he informed me not to worry about hitting the curb, he'll pass me as long as I don't mount it!

Seems like standards to pass the driving test are much higher in the UK!

Re: Driving in the US
 

I feel cheated here in Washington. Went out on my driving test last January during heavy snowfall, icy roads, too. Had to reverse around a corner, hill start, three-point turn, parallel park, couple of roundabouts (no sweat to a Brit but others had problems), and change lanes on the freeway. Also had to park on a hill and turn the wheels the right way. And use hand signals too.

The space he selected for the parallel parking was "empty" because it had been used by the local residents to dump the snow they'd cleared from their driveways. So when we got back to the test center he fashioned a space for me to parallel park in with some old cones he found in the back of the office.

Re: Driving in the US
 

Also driving standards after passing the test. I wonder if those things are related? :unsure:

Re: Driving in the US
 

I am sure everyone is correct but just a word to the wise about being complacent! I had no road test (NJ) but failed the first time I sat the online test thinking it was going to be easy I only did brief reading....you have to get 40 right out of 50 and I had a heap of stopping and parking distances and points questions! (yes you get more points for not observing school buses than first drinking offence!) Good luck!

Re: Driving in the US
 

Thank you for confirming what I said in post #7, above. :)

Re: Driving in the US
 

Thank you all for the advice so far! I’ve drove around Omaha before and up to South Dakota (one very long, straight road). It didn’t seem too hard! Just gotta get used to the other side of the road.

Is there any way you can drive a car up until your test date? Like on an international driving permit?

Thanks!

Re: Driving in the US
 

I failed mine twice in NJ:) At least I now know that most DUI's are down to Beer not Whiskey. I've also discovered that a Stop sign actually means slow down a little, dont stop for anyone and you will be publically flogged if caught using an indicator or leaving the fastlane of the freeway more than 200 yds before you want to get off.

Re: Driving in the US
 

An IDP is just a translation of your licence, therefore wholly unnecessary in the US so save your money.

Your British licence is good for however long the Nebraska law on drivers licenses says after you move to Nebraska, which is usually 30-90 days (varies by state), so you should work on getting your test set up ASAP after you arrive.

ETA: Here you go, Nebraska only gives you 30 days.

That said, in practice (i) if a cop stops you they don't have access to any data that proves when you arrived, because there is no such database, and (ii) many people are slack about swapping to a new license when they move between states, and cops have better things to do than ticket people for not having swapped their license quickly enough. So even if you haven't met the Nebraska deadline for getting a local license, just be sure to carry the paperwork that shows that you are working on getting a Nebraska license and it is highly unlikely that you'd have a problem even if the police did stop you.

Re: Driving in the US
 

Heading the opposite way I have done Omaha to Kansas City driving mostly empty country roads (on purpose). You can drive for a long time without seeing anything but a few barns.

Re: Driving in the US
 

I don't know if Florida is getting tough on their driving tests, or it was just the centre I went to.

I had to drive around the car park, observing stop signs, drive into a parking space, explain how I would park on a hill, reverse out, drive on the roads in the adjacent industrial park, including observing stop signs, avoiding pedestrians, reverse 50 yards using the correct procedure, 3 point turn, and maybe some other maneuvers I've since forgotten about. Approximately 15-20 minutes.

Still easier than the UK test (and I took my UK test over 30 years ago when it was 'easier').

Had no problem with the theory test, after reading the FL DMV book the night before.

Re: Driving in the US
 

Been living here in Omaha for 6 months and driving on my British (“international”) licence. Got pulled over by the police a few months ago and he didn’t even flinch, or ask any probing questions, as to why I didn’t have a Nebraskan or US permit. Reading all the above makes me think I should probably do something about that...but just to reiterate that there is no immediate panic when you first arrive. You will have more important things to do in the first few days such as, for example, locating your nearest off licence. ;)

Re: Driving in the US
 

It's all fine and dandy, .... until you get involved in an accident, then there may be very probing questions asked about whether your license is valid. Annnd if you are driving without a valid license then you might find that your insurance isn't valid. :eek:

It is a common falacy that just because the federal government says that a foreign license is valid for upto 12 months for a visitor, that the same time period applies when you become a US resident. It doesn't!.

Re: Driving in the US
 

Valid point(s) @Pulaski!

Re: Driving in the US
 

Welcome to BE, BTW. :wave:

I hope that you stay around as we are under-represented in the plain states.

Re: Driving in the US
 

Agreed, getting away with it due to administrative incompetence imho and experience is rarely if ever an excuse when you are before authority i.e. Judge or trying to validate your Insurance coverage. Those who flout the rules in place make it harder for all others to comply.

As the variety of experiences demonstrate the application is arbitrary. Good luck if you want to rely on that :fingerscrossed:

My own humble experiences include failing the NJ test one time (as someone else posted it is detailed!). I then passed the CA test and with such a high result so I was informed that I was not required to do the driving portion of the test! Whether this was arbitrary discretion or some other rule I will never know. My advice pick a quiet DMV where the staff seem like they are happy (are they ever). Oh and always book an appointment:rofl:

Once when involved in a minor collision I received a traffic ticket from an Officer whose entire justification was: "When I was in Scotland last year they didn't accept my US license so I'm not accepting yours!"

Needless to say it was quashed when explained to the Judge and demonstrated that I was only a visitor to the US at the time and thus my UK license was valid.