RALEIGH — North Carolina is expanding driver license staffing and office capacity as Gov. Josh Stein’s administration reports progress in reducing waits, an update on a statewide effort to improve one of state government’s most widely used services.
The governor highlighted the changes Sept. 28 at an expanded, relocated Charlotte office. His office said the statewide average wait fell to 23 minutes in August, an 86% decline from a year earlier.
The administration also reported that 64 additional examiner positions had been filled and that lawmakers authorized another 68 positions for the period from July 2026 through July 2027. Recruiting is underway, according to the governor’s office.
Those figures are administration-reported measures of staffing and service. The September announcement does not provide office-by-office wait-time results or explain how the statewide average was calculated. Governor’s update
The broader staffing strategy predates this week’s announcement. In November 2025, the Division of Motor Vehicles outlined a plan to increase staffing at 56 offices, keep service terminals staffed at 19 high-demand locations and expand hours at eight part-time offices.
That plan followed an analysis of 113 driver license offices. The agency examined where customers lived, how much staffing each location needed and whether existing buildings could accommodate additional service.
The department said nearly half of customers were bypassing their closest office. Its proposed response included shifting less than 10% of existing positions statewide from lower-demand locations and directing new hires toward offices with greater need.
The agency said implementation would be phased and changes reversed if they worsened customer service. NCDOT staffing announcement
The written staffing plan also identifies building capacity as a constraint: Additional examiners alone cannot resolve demand where offices lack enough space or terminals.
It calls for continued reassessment using wait times, customer surveys and online transaction use, with staffing adjusted as those measures change. The plan also directs DMV to evaluate opportunities for expansion as office leases come up for renewal. Examiner staffing plan
Editor’s note:
This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.