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.
I agree that the wait time at the DMV has been an issue for a long time. However, it is particularly bad right now because so many people have waited until the last minute to get their Real ID. We’ve had plenty of warning about this deadline and now it’s here.
The best way to do things is in bite size portions. There is 365 days in a year. When scheduling people it should not be done by the driver and it should be done strategically. All violators former lapse folks should be scheduled for the beginning of the years prior to their expiration and that can be run through the computer. Student driver’s in highschool should do all the paperwork online prior to coming for the exam. Exam kiosk at colleges year round could be run by DMV volunteers who have been trained by paid retired DMV worker. The logo of a lizard on driver’s license has to go don’t know what that’s about but not a good idea don’t like it. The interesting design see through is great. The blizzard not so much.
There should be a direct phone line that is secure and debugged from fraud. Kiosk are not the answer because illegal folks are infiltrating keep id areas banks,hotels, utility call centers. The best thing that NC must do is to use moris code key that people use when making business transaction the stat should not be telling folks to use their SSN for any transaction. All fifty states should create a moris code ….–. and give it to only citizens so that they can do transactions such as license, birth certificates and medical records no more using the same SSN that folks are stealing everyday and folks are getting moree and more crafty at doing this. A moris code will also prevent foreign countries to use American SSN. Another problem is that foreign people are using death records to get SSN most likely. Morris code will kill two birds with one stone. Birth certificates should be Morris code. The main thing is to cut down on the time spent verifying folks. Stagger the remaining folks who have no points and no accidents and schedule them by their last name have them verified prior to coming in starting a year from the date of their renewal.
Hope these ideas help
Moneek Jackson
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