NJ Car Inspections: From Hours of Waiting to Just Minutes

• Remember waiting hours for NJ car inspections
• Tailpipe tests, long lines, and cranky kids — it was brutal
• Here’s how things have changed today

NJ Car Inspections: Then vs. Now

Do you remember back in the '80s when getting your car inspected in New Jersey was an almost all-day project?

Not too long ago, I realized that the inspection sticker on my car was about to expire (have you checked yours lately?) and I went to the inspection station in Mays Landing.

Side note: What the hell is this artwork at that inspection station? I've been asking that question for decades and no one seems to know...

Anyway, the number of employees there seemed to barely outnumber the number of people waiting. I was there with one other car and I was in and out in about ten minutes — and I even had a nice conversation about Pabst Blue Ribbon beer with one of the workers, but that's another story.

While I was there, that got me thinking about when I was a kid.

• READ MORE: Black and White License Plates in NJ? Here’s How to Get One

The ’80s and ’90: Full-day Waits

Back in the 80s and even into the early 90s, I remember when my parents needed to get one of their cars inspected, we had to make the long drive from Williamstown up to Deptford.

When you got to the inspection station, there would be 30 or 40 or 50 cars waiting in line.... and you would sit there..... for an hour.......... and then another hour.............. and then when you finally got to the front of the line, you had to flash your headlights and turn on your turn signals and honk your horn and then they stuck that thing in your tailpipe to make sure you weren't polluting the air even though your car just idled for two hours polluting the air. And the worst was when your car failed inspection and you would get that giant red sticker on your windshield and when you got your car fixed, you had to wait in line all over again.

To make matters worse, there was a large pig farm really close to the Deptford inspection station and it smelled awful, especially if it was really hot and humid. Oof.

And keep in mind, this was in an era where, as a kid, you literally had nothing to do. There were no cell phones with YouTube videos, no DVD players in cars, no internet. You had to just sit there, sweat if it was summer, and talk to your parents the entire time.

It was brutal.

• READ MORE: How is it Legal? The Most New Jersey License Plate Ever

Changes Over Time

Thankfully, years ago, the state changed the rules so lots of cars don't need to get inspected every year. Not to mention, cars are a lot safer now. And the workers at the inspection station seem to be a lot friendlier.

And the pig farm in Deptford is long gone.