DOT, DMV leaders testify in front of lawmakers about DMV challenges

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Are your wait times shorter at the DMV? Department leaders say they should be all across the state, and they want to make them even quicker.

North Carolina Department of Transportation officials testified one by one in front of lawmakers on Wednesday morning, talking about improvements and changes they’re trying to make to the Division of Motor Vehicles.

“Anytime you come into a new position, understanding where you are is one of the most difficult things, whether it’s right down at our offices, or one of our funding things,” DMV Commissioner Paul Tine said on Wednesday.

Since Commissioner Tine took the helm earlier this year, major changes have been happening.

The examiner vacancy rate is at 4.1 percent, down from 10.9 percent in April. Perhaps most noticeable for DMV customers, a recent state audit shows the average total wait time is at an hour and 31 minutes. That’s down from 2 hours and 11 minutes just a few months ago in July.

There are good things happening, but lawmakers are still skeptical about suggested additional changes.

“What I’m trying to figure out is, we have starved DMV, but yet our only proposal is kind of, to hire some more people?” Representative Allison Dahle said in Wednesday’s hearing.

DMV leaders said more staff will help them. But there’s more they need to do as well. They want to create a strategic mission by the end of this year. They also want to come up with a staffing plan. They are thinking about how to increase transparency, too, and want to create a dashboard where everyday North Carolinians can track their progress.

“I don’t do these types of plans, strategic plans, and put them on a shelf,” Tine said. “I use them in my management structure every day. This is how we’ll communicate with you all, the Governor’s office, the public.”

There has also been talk of making the DMV more independent from the Department of Transportation and giving it more autonomy. Lawmakers at one point suggested changing the way the commissioner is put in that role.

“In your audit, was there anything, any investigation, or look into, whether or not the position of commissioner would be better as an independent agency apart from DOT, and if that position should be an elected position rather than a political appointment?” Representative Harry Warren asked.

DMV leaders are transparent about this all being a work in progress. Lawmakers, though, say North Carolinians are the ones suffering, and so the changes need to be top of mind.