NC DMV needs more driver’s license office workers, state auditor says
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- State auditor finds DMV staffing insufficient to meet North Carolina population growth.
- House and Senate propose funding to convert temporary DMV jobs into permanent roles.
- DMV seeks 85 new hires to reduce wait times and improve service across key regions.
State Auditor Dave Boliek has become the latest state official to conclude that the Division of Motor Vehicles doesn’t have enough employees to adequately serve the people of North Carolina.
The DMV’s driver’s license offices have been plagued by long lines and wait times, and Boliek made an audit of the agency part of his platform when he was elected as a Republican last fall. The state auditor’s office is still working on that report.
But Boliek said Monday that with Republican lawmakers negotiating a budget for the coming two years, he and his team decided to release their findings about staffing early.
“Our data-driven analysis indicates that current DMV workforce levels are insufficient to meet the needs of North Carolinians,” Boliek said in a statement. “To provide citizens the service level they expect and deserve, the DMV must have more employees in its offices.”
Former DMV commissioner Wayne Goodwin, a Democrat, said as much last summer. North Carolina’s population had grown by about 2.4 million people since 2003, Goodwin noted, but during that time the DMV had been authorized to open only three new driver’s license offices and hire no additional driver’s license examiners.
This winter, the DMV asked for permission to hire 61 additional people to fill holes at its driver’s license offices statewide, particularly in the Triangle and Charlotte areas. It also asked to create another 24 positions to open new offices in fast-growing Brunswick and Cabarrus counties and to expand the office in South Durham.
Democratic Gov. Josh Stein echoed those requests in his proposed state budget, and the House included those 85 positions in the version of the budget it approved last month.
The Senate’s version of the budget approved in April includes no new DMV positions. But a new spending bill made public by the Senate on Monday includes 61 positions to bring current offices up to full staffing.
General Assembly determines how many should work at DMV
Boliek’s statement Monday does not specify the number of additional employees he thinks are needed at the DMV. But he makes clear that some increase is necessary to meet public demand and reduce wait times at driver’s license offices.
The General Assembly sets the number of people who can work in DMV driver’s license offices and provides money for salaries and benefits. The number of full-time employees is capped at 568.
The DMV says it needs 629 employees to fully staff its 115 offices statewide. That includes examiners to run the computer terminals and someone to meet customers at the door or outside to make sure they’re in the right place and have the documents they need.
The DMV gets a pool of money to hire temporary employees at driver’s license offices. But those workers don’t receive benefits and work under 11-month contracts, so turnover and vacancies are high.
The auditor’s office found that 68% of temporary license examiner jobs were empty.
“Giving the DMV commissioner flexibility to convert temporary positions to permanent roles and adjusting pay scales based on local labor market conditions may help attract and retain qualified examiners,” it concluded.
Both the House and now the Senate have proposed allowing the DMV to convert temporary positions to permanent ones and would provide additional money for salaries.
Paul Tine, appointed by Stein to replace Goodwin this spring, says hiring more workers is only part of a broader strategy to change the culture at the DMV and improve customer service.
“We recognize the need for operational improvements at DMV and appreciate the Auditor’s support for additional resources,” Tine said in a written statement Monday. “We look forward to reviewing the full audit report and continuing our collaboration with the Governor, Auditor, and Legislature to enhance services for North Carolina’s citizens and businesses.”
This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 6:41 PM with the headline "NC DMV needs more driver’s license office workers, state auditor says."
