North Carolina Auditor Reveals Systemic DMV Challenges, Recommends Separation from Transportation Department

The North Carolina Office of the State Auditor has released a detailed audit revealing significant challenges within the state's Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), including worsening customer service, increased wait times, and low employee morale. Average wait times have increased by 15.5% since 2019, with nearly 14% of visits exceeding 2.5 hours, exacerbated by understaffing, as only 505 of 710 driver license examiner positions are filled. The audit attributes many issues to structural challenges caused by the DMV's integration within the Department of Transportation (DOT), highlighting the DMV's limited budgetary autonomy and exclusion from key modernization efforts despite generating roughly 30% of DOT's revenue. State Auditor Dave Boliek called for the DMV to be separated from the DOT to improve efficiency and service delivery, emphasizing the economic impact of the current deficiencies. However, DMV Commissioner Paul Tine and DOT Secretary Joey Hopkins oppose the split, arguing that reallocating resources for such a separation could delay urgent improvements. Governor Josh Stein has proposed raising pay for examiners to attract more workers, aiming to address staffing shortages and reduce wait times.