The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday released a sweeping 2026–2030 Strategic Plan that officials say will guide the agency through its most significant modernization effort in decades, with a focus on reducing wait times, upgrading technology and improving customer service statewide.
“This strategic plan will be our playbook for transforming NCDMV into an exceptional customer service organization,” said Commissioner Paul Tine. “Our guiding purpose is clear: safe and easy service, so every North Carolinian can get where they need to go.”
The roadmap outlines a multiyear effort to address longstanding challenges including outdated computer systems, staffing shortages, inconsistent office wait times and customer frustration. The DMV said the plan was shaped through six months of outreach to employees, elected leaders, auditors and the public.
Agency officials said several high-priority initiatives are already underway, including expanded Saturday hours, accelerated hiring for driver license examiners, improved online services and the rollout of a new statewide check-in and text-alert system that reduces outdoor lines and allows for more accurate tracking of wait times.
The DMV’s modernization push comes as new state data shows wait times have sharply improved across North Carolina this fall. Average waits have dropped from 2 hours and 11 minutes in July to 1 hour and 19 minutes by October.
Several northeastern North Carolina offices posted some of the strongest gains.
The Nags Head office, which averaged about 139 minutes in September, cut that number to 55 minutes last month — an 84-minute improvement and now near the statewide average.
In Elizabeth City, waits fell from roughly 72 minutes to 42 minutes over the same period. The Edenton office remained one of the fastest in the state at 14 minutes.
Tine, a former state legislator and Kitty Hawk business owner appointed in May by Gov. Josh Stein, told lawmakers at a hearing earlier this month that increased staffing and better processes are driving much of the improvement but noted the agency remains underfunded for the demands placed on it.
“We are issuing more licenses, seeing more people, doing more operations — but we still have the same funding we had before,” Tine said. “Actually, less.”
The strategic plan also commits the DMV to replacing its decades-old computer system, improving digital access to services, and enhancing employee training and retention programs.
Appointments at driver license offices may be made up to 90 days in advance, and walk-ins are accepted daily. Local availability continues to improve, with several openings reported at the Nags Head office through the end of the year.
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