Long wait times create DMV headaches; state officials say they need more employees

Headaches continue for Triangle drivers looking for an appointment at the DMV.

Walk-ins are still seeing hours-long wait times at locations in Raleigh and Durham -- with most appointments booked up for months. Per the DMV website , the earliest available appointment in Wake, Durham or Orange County is currently in early December.

"It's just extremely frustrating. I mean, it takes so much time," said Chris Haines, a Clayton resident who tried walking in to the West Raleigh DMV on Avent Ferry Road on Friday.

Haines said he waited for hours in Clayton on Thursday in an attempt to get his license renewed,. He's also tried for several months to find an appointment but to no avail.

"They're doing what they can do, and I understand that. But it's just -- it's not servicing the people of North Carolina really well," he said.

SEE ALSO | NC DMV offices work to clear backlog, add weekend day for people to get driver's license

16 DMV offices throughout North Carolina will resume Saturday walk-in services as hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians had to wait for weeks to get a driver's license.

North Carolina DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin said it all comes down to the number of staff they have at their disposal -- and that they're doing the best they can with the resources currently afforded them.

"We need more people," Goodwin said. "It's not simply snapping one's fingers to create positions or snapping one's fingers to open new offices. This this is something that's going to take, I believe, a high priority approach."

Goodwin said more services have gone digital and that the DMV is adding hours to dozens of locations, as well as kiosks, in an effort to cut back on wait times. Still, it's been a struggle keeping pace with North Carolina's growth.

"2.3 million new people in the last 20 years alone. And we have relatively about the same staff," he said.

The number of people the DMV is authorized to hire is capped by state legislators, and currently sits at 568. Despite attempts to get funding for more hires last year, the DMV said it was denied. Those 568 employees currently staff 115 offices statewide -- an average of roughly 5 per location.

"No matter where you are in life, no matter who you are, where you live, what you do, where you're from, everybody has to interact with the DMV. And so we all have a stake," said Goodwin.

ABC11 reached out Friday to legislative leaders about the need for more DMV staffers but has not heard back.

SEE ALSO | New driver's licenses, IDs will look -- and feel -- different, DMV says

The revamp is part of a security effort to combat fraud, the NC DMV said.