North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV) Commissioner Paul Tine said his agency’s 35-page five-year strategic plan, released on Tuesday, aims to change a myriad of issues plaguing the NCDMV over the past few years, including poor customer service.
“This strategic plan will be our playbook for transforming NCDMV into an exceptional customer service organization,” he said in a press release. “Our guiding purpose is clear: Safe and easy service, so every North Carolinian can get where they need to go.”
NCDMV noted the following statistics in their plan, including that they serve 9 million North Carolina credential holders (licenses and identification):
Customer service issues had been fueled by things like outdated technology, as people were unable to schedule appointments online. Those who successfully scheduled a time would sometimes have to travel a few hours away for the appointment, even taking time off work or using vacation time to wait in line only to be turned away.
There have been several hearings on these issues, including one in February, in which former Commissioner Wayne Goodwin was grilled by lawmakers, who called the DMV one of the most dysfunctional agencies in state government during his tenure.
Tine took over in May.
A 435-page audit released in August by North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek confirmed these findings. But, it also highlighted a lack of detailed metrics, low employee morale, and a fractured relationship between the DMV and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), with a recommendation that the two agencies separate from one another.
The plan noted the achievements that the agency has made so far, including a streamlined website, filling 64 new positions, the opening of four new offices (in Brunswick, Cabarrus, Sampson, and Wake counties), and deploying new scanners that will save up to 90 seconds per transaction — allowing about 100,000 more transactions each year.
Last month, Tine said NCDMV started working on improving the wait time process this summer while taking walk-ins all day and adopting a new queuing system.
“We developed a streamlined process to get you in the queue quickly and allow you to wait from anywhere,” he said. “We then text you a link where you can watch your place online from your phone. When it’s almost your turn, we send you a message to invite you back into the office, where you’ll have a short wait before you get service. This is a much better experience than waiting in line outside the office for an extended period of time exposed to the elements.”
The report also indicates that since online services have expanded, approximately 32,000 new renewals have been completed online rather than in offices. That’s due to Senate Bill 245, the “Expand Remote Drivers License Services” taking effect.
Democratic Gov. Josh Stein signed the bill into law on Sept. 30.
The law lets both REAL ID and non–REAL ID license holders renew online for a second consecutive time, reducing the need for in-person visits.
SEVEN PRIORITIES
The 2026-2030 strategic plan outlines seven priorities.
1. Build a streamlined digital experience: They want to make 70% of all transactions available to be completed online. Currently, it is at 61%. Additionally, 31% of transactions can currently be completed online, but the NCDMV has a goal of increasing it to 50%.
2. Improve physical offices, staffing, and service mix: They would like to increase service capacity across rural, urban, and suburban areas. Currently, 97% of residents live within 30 minutes of a physical NCDMV location. They hope to increase that to 99%. With that happening, NCDMV also has a goal of reducing the current wait time of 110 minutes to an average of 15 minutes.
3. Simplify the policies and rules: They stated that they would measure their success by using two key measures — reviewing and updating 100% of the administrative code. Also, 100% of the general statutes are to be reviewed with recommendations. Currently, both are being done at 0%.
4. Streamline processes and automate transactions: Two primary measures include reducing the 15-minute average in-person driver’s license transaction time to 12 minutes and resolving 75% of callers’ issues on the first call. The time for that is not currently being tracked.
5. Modernize and secure technology systems: The goal is to have 100% of core NCDMV systems operating on a new system within three years, replacing the 30-year-old legacy system.
6. Empower their entire team to be more customer-focused: Achieve a customer satisfaction score of 85%. Currently, that is not being tracked.
7. Create a great place to work: Achieve an employee satisfaction score of 75%, which is currently not being tracked; and increase the NCDMV employee voluntary retention rate from 90% to 95%.
The plan also noted that an NCDMV performance dashboard will go live in 2026.