BY REP. TODD CARVER

This week’s article isn’t about a particular piece of legislation but an issue which confronts many people in North Carolina. The Division of Motor Vehicles has been a source of frustration for many people for a very long time. Before I start down this path, I want to take a moment to say this is not about the people at the DMV. I have worked with several examiners and a few DMV Inspectors. I found them to always be people who did their best to apply and enforce the law uniformly. So I hope this is clear. I am not writing this to throw rocks at the people who work at the DMV, but rather to pose some questions about the tools we give them to do their job.

This past week I had North Carolina State Auditor Dave Bolick come by my office for a 30-minute conversation. We spent most of that time discussing the DMV. The reason we spent so much time on the issue is because it is the No. 1 issue I have been asked to help with since going to Raleigh. Most of the complaints revolve around getting an appointment and the waiting times associated with the Mooresville office. I had already asked for an appointment with the Mooresville DMV office manager prior to meeting with Bolick. I experienced this firsthand when I was trying to help one of my relatives get an appointment in the first part of the year.

The list of reasons we find ourselves in the current mess is lengthy. The imposing deadline for obtaining a  “Real ID” has created an increased demand on the system with more people than usual trying to get their new federally accepted ID. The DMV also has experienced a leadership change. The short version of story is that the old commissioner is no longer there, and a new one is trying to get things started. Anytime an organization has a leadership change it creates uncertainty, and the DMV is a place where consistent steady leadership is needed.

As the Auditor and I were talking, one thing became very apparent. The DMV needs some independent study, which it is getting. The Auditor’s Office is doing a job task analysis to determine how many customers each customer service agent can and should be servicing in a given time period. Bolick told me this work had not been conducted in the past. It is key to determining how many people can be helped in an hourly and daily basis. No one can say if the DMV is adequately staffed until this analysis is completed.

We also discussed some solutions I think would help shorten the lines at the DMV across the state. Allowing commercial applications and renewals to be completed online would speed up the process. Allowing examiners to conduct virtual appointments in offices where there are lower volumes could help clear some of the backlog at busier locations. Conducting online virtual appointments later in the evening would allow people to make an appointment after normal working hours.

These are just a few of the possible solutions we discussed in our meeting. I realize we are never going to make the DMV a fun place to go or an outing to get excited about, but we must ask questions and be willing to challenge the status quo. Not making a change and simply hoping for a better result would be the definition of insanity.

No one, including the people who work at the DMV, wants more insanity.

Rep. Todd Carver represents the 95th District in the N.C. House.