CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles is making changes to its appointment system by requiring customers to confirm their appointments via text message or email before they show up at the DMV.
DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin says the move is being made to reduce the number of no-shows, which clog the system and slow things down. Goodwin said nearly one-third of people who made appointments in February didn't show up. Requiring confirmation is a step in the right direction, with appointments being booked about 90 days in advance, according to DMV officials.
DMV customers who schedule their office appointments online will receive a text message or email with a confirmation link. They will need to confirm their appointment within 15 minutes or it will be canceled. According to the DMV website, customers will receive a reminder text message or email four days before their appointment. All DMV customers must confirm their appointment within 24 hours of receiving the link or their appointment will be canceled.
NCDMV has experienced two technical outages for customers in the past week. On Tuesday, an outage with a third-party vendor that uploads and processes photos for new drivers licenses disrupted DMV service. DMV officials said there are some issues that are out of their control, such as Tuesday's brief outage. Still, some customers say it's yet another headache when dealing with the DMV.
“It'll be a couple of employees and a room full of people," Medhane Haile said. "They definitely need help."
Marty Homan, the DMV communications manager for NCDOT, says the agency is working hard to meet demand but without additional state funding, they can't hire enough employees.
"We need more positions and more offices to meet the need," Homan said.
NCDMV recently rolled out a pilot program that puts self-serve kiosks in Harris Teeter stores. Charlotte was one of the first three test markets, giving North Carolinians the option to renew their driver's license and permits without visiting a DMV office. By April, the state says drivers will be able to renew their vehicle registration and pay property taxes from the kiosks.
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