DMV review finds familiar problems. Here’s what NC auditor thinks could fix them.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Audit urges DMV separation from NCDOT for budget and strategic control.
- Staff shortages and outdated systems hinder DMV service amid population growth.
- Reforms include performance dashboard, staffing plan and premium service options.
The Division of Motor Vehicles needs more autonomy and control over its operations and budget if it’s going to better serve the people of North Carolina, according to a report released Monday by State Auditor Dave Boliek.
Boliek recommends the DMV be removed from the Department of Transportation and become a separate agency or authority with “direct control over its budget, strategic planning and operations.” Over the years, the agency’s needs for workers, new technology and other improvements have not been a high enough priority for the larger transportation department, he said.
“Governance structures have contributed and will continue to contribute to customer and operational challenges, modernization delays, employee burnout and negative impacts on North Carolina’s economy,” he said during a press conference.
More autonomy for the DMV is one of five primary recommendations in the 435-page audit report, which Boliek and a team of 20 began when he took office last winter. The report also includes dozens of specific ideas for improving customer service at an agency plagued by long lines and wait times and a lack of appointments at driver’s license offices.
Boliek, a Republican, made an audit of the DMV part of his platform when he was elected last fall. In June, while state lawmakers were working on a budget, he released the first of his office’s findings: The DMV doesn’t have enough workers to adequately serve a growing state.
“To provide citizens the service level they expect and deserve, the DMV must have more employees in its offices,” Boliek said in a statement as Republicans negotiated the budget.
In that respect, Boliek echoed former DMV commissioner Wayne Goodwin, a Democrat, who said a year ago that the agency’s staffing had not keep up with the state’s population growth. The General Assembly had not authorized the DMV to hire any additional driver’s license examiners since 2003, even as the state grew by about 2 1/2 million residents.
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. Democratic Gov. Josh Stein passed along that request, and last week lawmakers included it in a spending bill they sent to Stein.
NCDOT and DMV agree with most of the audit
NCDOT Secretary Joey Hopkins and DMV commissioner Paul Tine agree with most of what the audit calls for, according to a letter they wrote to Boliek last month. The letter also outlines some of the ways the DMV is already working on its main recommendations.
They include:
- Develop a strategic plan for the DMV, with clear goals and performance measures such as wait times, staffing and customer satisfaction. The DMV expects to complete its plan by Dec. 1.
- Develop a plan to determine how many employees the DMV needs and how they should be compensated to better retain them. The DMV says that will be part of the larger strategic plan.
- Build and maintain a public dashboard that tracks how the DMV is performing, including wait times, customer satisfaction and use of online services. The DMV says the dashboard will be part of the strategic plan.
- Identify ways to improve “customer experience and service delivery.” These could include providing incentives to do business online; allowing private driving schools to administer road tests; and creating a “fast pass,” with which customers could pay extra for expedited service.
Boliek likened that last idea to toll roads or the TSA’s PreCheck program at airports.
“We charge a premium on all kinds of things,” he said. “And I think now is the time to explore that.”
NCDOT opposes making DMV a standalone agency
NCDOT and the DMV part ways with Boliek on his recommendation to spin off the agency. The DMV and NCDOT support each other in a shared mission to improve highway safety, Hopkins and Tine wrote, and are intertwined in a way that would be difficult and expensive to pull apart.
Hopkins and Tine also note that the DMV generates $2.2 billion in revenue that is a big chunk of NCDOT’s budget.
“The current structure ensures significant and substantive oversight of this critical funding source,” they wrote.
They recommend lawmakers consider funding the DMV with a percentage of the fees it generates, ensuring that the agency keeps up with population growth and is insulated from the budget process.
Longstanding problems that grew worse in recent years
The audit report identifies performance problems that would be familiar to people who have done business with the DMV in recent years.
It found that the average DMV visit exceeds 1 hours and 15 minutes, and that nearly 14% of customers spend more than 2 1/2 hours there. Those times don’t include time spent waiting outside before a customer has checked in.
It also found that nearly half of DMV customers are bypassing the closest driver’s license office in a quest to find an available appointment or a shorter line.
The agency’s problems, including outdated computer systems, are longstanding, Boliek said, but customer service has significantly declined in the last five years. Among the challenges for the agency was the COVID-19 pandemic that shuttered offices for months and the state’s decision to move the headquarters from Raleigh to Rocky Mount, which resulted in significant turnover.
“They lost a lot of experienced people that just weren’t willing to move to Rocky Mount,” Boliek said.
Boliek said he’s confident that the problems of the DMV are getting needed attention from the governor, lawmakers and the agency itself. But he pledged to keep on them and not let the findings and recommendations of the auditor’s report gather dust.
“I’m a dog with a bone,” he said. “We are going to continue to shine a light on the DMV and put this forward, front and center, on the front burner until it’s fixed.”
This story was originally published August 4, 2025 at 3:19 PM with the headline "DMV review finds familiar problems. Here’s what NC auditor thinks could fix them.."
