North Carolina DMV Wait Times Fall More Than 25 Minutes in October

Wait times at North Carolina DMV offices dropped over 25 minutes in October when compared with September. Officials at the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles say a hiring effort across the state, new laws that expanded web-based transactions, and operational changes made the difference.

The agency brought in 64 workers after an August audit revealed that long waits stemmed from too few staff members, tired workers, and aging computer systems. Senate Bill 245 opened up web options. Drivers can now renew or upgrade licenses from home.

"It's really having everybody rolling in the same direction," said Marty Homan, communications director for the DMV, according to WFMY News 2. "The audit came out in support of having more employees, the legislature funded more employees, the governor signed the bill, so everybody's pulling in the same direction and we're starting to make progress."

High Point and Lexington posted the sharpest gains in the Triad area. Both cut waits by over an hour between September and October.

Greensboro offices had uneven results. The East branch on East Market St. went from 1 hour 30 minutes in September down to about 1 hour in October. That's a 30-minute improvement. The West location on Coliseum Blvd. dropped just four minutes. Visitors there still wait nearly two hours.

Some patrons experienced quicker trips. Eretta Fairley visited Greensboro West on Tuesday and found things moved faster than before.

"Usually the wait line is out that door," Fairley said. "But today, we walked in, and got seated, and got a number, and we were out of there in less than 10 minutes."

Theophilus Johnson praised the updated walk-in process. "It's a lot better because it used to be so crowded," he said.

The DMV rolled out text-based check-ins. Customers sign in, step out, then receive a text when their turn arrives. This setup reduces crowding outside buildings while letting people run errands nearby.

Teen drivers can now move from a Level 2 Limited Provisional License to a Level 3 Full Provisional License without visiting an office. This change should eliminate thousands of appointments per year.

Homan admitted conditions haven't reached ideal yet. But each day brings improvement, and changes keep pushing performance forward.