DMV: Wait time shortened with 43 new employees

RALEIGH, N.C. (WITN) - Long waiting times at the DMV could be a thing of the past after nearly 100 people were hired this year.

The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles announced that they recently hired 43 new driver license examiners after the five-week training period was completed. This is added to the other 53 who graduated from the same program this summer.

“Since June, we have added nearly 100 driver license examiners to offices across our great state,” said DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin, “but that’s not enough. We still have more work to do to attract, hire, train, and keep our employees in this challenging labor market.”

Tips to improve your DMV Experience

While DMV continues work to address its staffing shortage, they offer the following ways to speed things up:

Renew early – Don’t wait until the last minute to renew your driver license or ID card. DMV sends a reminder card to the address on file six months before the expiration date. Customers can renew at any time during this six-month window.
Renew online – In most cases, unless they renewed online last time, customers can renew their credential online.
Make an appointment – If you must go to a driver license office in-person, DMV recommends making an appointment. Appointments can be scheduled up to 90 days in advance at skiptheline.ncdot.gov. Again, don’t wait until the last minute. It is not uncommon for the soonest available appointment to be several weeks out.
Limited walk-in availability – Most driver licenses offices are able to serve a limited number of walk-ins around scheduled appointments, but this varies day to day because of staffing. There are 35 locations that serve walk-ins only from 7-8 a.m. each day.
Be prepared – Check the DMV website to make sure you bring the required documentation for your desired service. One frequently forgotten item is a printed document proving liability insurance.
REAL ID – Customers have more time to get their REAL ID as the federal implementation date requiring a REAL ID to fly commercially or to visit federal, military, and nuclear facilities has been moved back two years to May 7, 2025.

The DMV tells WITN that all currently posted DMV jobs can be found here. New positions may be added daily and the application periods typically last for up to a week. In some cases, multiple people can be hired from a single posting, and new hiring and retention bonuses.