# Drivers License Issue - Has this happened to anyone?



## Johnny1973 (Aug 7, 2016)

Ok, so my Illinois Drivers License expires in 10 days. However, Uber won't let me log in and drive until I update my account with my renewed license. Confusing, since it has not expired yet, and at my account my Drivers License is still listed as "Active".

So I figured I would just renew my license a little early and upload it, and all should be fine. I go online and renew it, but because I did it online, I have to wait up to 15 days for the actual license to come in the mail. I upload the official receipt from the Illinois Secretary Of State, but Uber rejected it.

So apparently, Uber must need an actual license to be uploaded in order to be approved? So I won't be able to drive for up to 15 days until the actual license comes in the mail, which is not good. I emailed Uber Support with this issue, I'm still waiting for a response.

Anybody else ever have this issue, or have more knowledge as to what happened?

Thanks in advance!


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## Scott.Sul (Sep 9, 2015)

Remember that little postcard renewal-reminder you received in the mail about a 2-3 months ago?

In my world, I am aware of my license expiration date 8 years in advance. Therefore, I call up the licensing office when they send me a renewal reminder (about 60 days prior) and set up an appointment time. When I arrive at the licensing office, I'm next in line. In and out within 5 minutes. (Think your average daily Starbucks wait time)

I'm probably a lot older than you are and have already experienced those self-inflicted inconveniences. They can make life difficult.

I've always loved those signs in public offices... "Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine."


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## Johnny1973 (Aug 7, 2016)

Thanks for the input.

I was well aware that my license was expiring for the past few weeks. Never had a problem just going in to a Driver Service Facility and getting it renewed a day or so before my birthday (the renewal date). Sure, you might wait an hour or so, but never had a problem. The main issue was wondering why Uber put my account on hold even though my license isn't expired yet. I also assumed that renewing it online would yield me something I could print that Uber would accept while I waited for the actual license to arrive in the mail. After they rejected the official receipt, I realized I had most likely assumed wrong.

I should have just waited until Monday morning and just gotten the real thing in person, but in hopes of possibly being able to drive over the weekend, I went the online route. My mistake, apparently.

Thanks again for the input


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

When dealing with things such as this, the only thing that I assume is that Murphy is not far away from me.

I renew my driver's licence on the first day that I can go to the Registry to do so. If there is a thirty day window, I am there on Day One.

I can renew my hack licence forty-five days before it expires. I can download the forms from the Taxicab Commission website. I can go retrieve the documentation that I must submit as well as getting the physical and seeing the notary any time. If my licence expires, say, 30 November, I am in the Hack Office with a complete application and all documentation on 16 October (or the next business day, if a weekend).

My taxi registration expires at the end of June. I can renew it as early as 16 May. I am at my cab company offices on 16 May to fill out the forms and hand in the documentation.

As soon as I receive the notification to renew the registration on my UberX car or the private cars, I go online and do so (I wish that they would let me do that for the taxi). This renders unto you a receipt, which, for the UberX car, I save for tax purposes.


This has worked well for me. Every once in a while, something comes up that really is not a problem, I simply must show proof that the government has made yet another error. Once, they tried to hold up my taxi registration because they told me that I had not paid the Franchise Tax. As there still was plenty of time before it expired, I went to the bank, got a copy of the cheque that I used to pay said Franchise Tax, showed it to the Tax Authorities, they issued a document that cleared me, the renewal proceeded, I received the renewal in time. Another time, they tried to hold up my hack licence renewal because they told me that I had not paid my Property Tax. There was still plenty of time. I e-mailed my mortgage holder, they contacted the Tax Authorities, straightened out the matter, I called the Tax Authorities, they admitted that there had been an error, they issued a clearing document, the renewal proceeded, I received a renewed hack licence in plenty of time.

The point here is not to procrastinate on these things. While many of us do procrastinate, it can cause problems. Doing this like this as early as you can allows time for problems to develop and for you to address them. While your case involves only a delay in receiving the proper documentation, still, if you do these things early enough, you will have the proper documentation long before any deadline.

Consider this a lesson learned. Next time, be at the Registry of Motor Vehicles on Day One of the renewal window.


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## Ziggy (Feb 27, 2015)

There's a cost for procrastination ... in your case, the cost is not being able to drive Uber until you get the new license.

Some choose to procrastinate, I choose to dominate.

I'm cut from the same cloth as Another Uber Driver ... after 10+ years in US Air Force ... tardiness or procrastination is not an option. Similarly, I always arrive to my scheduled pickups 20-30 minutes early ... which generally results in a handsome tip from my pax, because they don't have to stress about the car being there or not being there.

Drivers in Austin are complaining that it's taking them a few days to get the mandatory fingerprints; I got my fingerprints as soon as the process was announced and got my TNC license the next day.

If you want a drivers license that "never" expires ... move to Arizona, their licenses are valid for 44 years (or until you turn 65). They'll even put an out of state address on the Arizona license ... since they have a lot of "snow birds" that flock to Arizona for the winter.


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## Flarpy (Apr 17, 2016)

I think the short answer is that Uber is either incompetent or covering their ass by suspending your account even before your license has expired. Good luck trying to get them to change that policy.


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## Johnny1973 (Aug 7, 2016)

Thanks everyone for all your input. 

I understand the "procrastination" comments, but again, I've simply never had a problem just going to the DMV a few days before it expires, wait in line, and get a new license. I've been doing it that way for years, and being 42 years old, I've done it many times. I'm close to both the Lombard and Naperville facilities (Illinois).

I simply did not expect Uber to put my account on hold two full weeks before my license even expired. A few times now, my insurance was ready to expire, but I was still able to drive up until the very last day, and then would upload the new insurance card. So I expected the same with the Drivers License. 

So I still sit here, unable to drive for Uber, while I'm still waiting for the actual license to arrive in the mail. As I stated earlier, Uber rejected the official renewal receipt from the Secretary Of State. My mistake for renewing online. I emailed Uber three days ago, asking why I couldn't drive on my current license considering it was still valid for the next 10 days. I still have not received a reply.


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## yojimboguy (Mar 2, 2016)

I had a similar experience with my vehicle registration. It was set to expire in a couple of weeks. I got the renewal online and sent Uber the online receipt, which had all the same data the actual registration would have once it arrived through the mail. But Uber rejected the receipt and deactivated me even though the old registration wasn't yet expired. Took me 3 days of emailing to get reactivated, and a couple of days later I uploaded a pic of the new registration.

And a month later they told me AGAIN that my registration was about to expire blah blah blah and I went through the same bullshit AGAIN even though they already had my new registration with an expiration date a year in the future.


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## Bill Collector (Dec 17, 2015)

I've never had problem with paper license (the one they give at DMV till the real one comes mail) being accepted by Uber.. Keep writing and escalate to supervisor.


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## Johnny1973 (Aug 7, 2016)

Finally was able to log back in today. Was trying everyday to log in, and getting nothing but an "update your documents: drivers license" every time. Then today by some weird chance, when I attempted a log-in, it prompted me to update the app (which happens often anyway).

After updating, I was finally able to log back in and drive. Strange. Maybe some weird glitch.

I then checked my email and Uber did finally get back to me, but they said everything was fine on their end since my license wasn't expired yet. They suggested re-install the app and a few other suggestions, but was irrelevant at that point because I was already able to log back in by then. 

Thanks everyone for all the input


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