North Carolina's teen license process is a circus
New drivers have to jump through hoop after hoop and fee after fee...that is IF one can get an appointment
Something has to change with the NC DMV’s appointment system and the way driver's licenses are obtained by new drivers in North Carolina.
Anyone who has gone through this process, especially with their teenager, has likely found it to be frustrating. As a parent who has a teen trying to get their license in North Carolina, I have to say the process is a total circus.
New drivers have to jump through hoop after hoop and fee after fee. and that is only IF one can get an appointment at each of the multiple stages.
When the North Carolina Graduated Driver’s License Law was first adopted in 1997, it was simple with 12 months being required to get a license.
It’s not simple anymore. Not by a long shot and the state’s graduated license system is a fine example of rent-seeking behavior.
First, trying to suss out what's entailed at each level on the DMV website through its maze of looping links akin to trying to read car repair instructions in Chinese.
Second, the only bit that is 100% clear is you will be ponying up cash for each level.
The state currently has a graduated licensing system: Level One, Level Two, and Level Three.
Levels One and Two cost $21,50 each. Level Three is a bargain at $5.50, but your kid isn't done yet and still has to convert that Level Three to a Class C license when they turn 18. The DMV's fee schedule puts the Class C cost at $5.50.
However, before a teen even gets to Level One, they first need a Driving Eligibility Certificate and a Driver's Education Certificate from an "approved" driver education/instruction course.
Once your kid gets that certificate, they have to take it to their high school's main office and get it stamped, after which the individual has 30 days to get their Level One permit. If that doesn't happen, the individual has to get a newly issued certificate and a new stamp from their school.
All of what’s been stated so far is if things are operating as usual, however, things have not been usual since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and everything shut down - including the DMV.
That shutdown caused a big backlog of teen drivers needing to get their driver's education requirements and various permit levels.
Lawmakers at the General Assembly intervened, dropping the Level One permit requirements to six months and 60 hours under SL 2021-24.
In 2023 that law was revamped to nine months under SL 2023-13.
Beginning on Jan. 1, 2024, North Carolina drivers with Level One permits will be required to have nine months and log 60 hours of driving time before getting their Level Two permits.
Here's the rub: Teens who began their Level One under the six-month law were not grandfathered in the law changing the time frame to nine months.
That meant my son would have to wait an additional three months if he didn't get his Level Two processed by the end of 2023.
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My son was one of the six-month law teens seeking their Level Two permit. His driver's education class had been delayed due to the pandemic and he ended up getting his permit on June 27, 2023, and he was already 16 at that time.
With six months to complete his 60 hours, that put his Level Two appointment at the very end of December.
For the record, we had to schedule an appointment at the DMV office in Wilson County to get his Level One permit. From where we live in Wake County, it was over an hour's drive.
From the moment my son was eligible to schedule his Level Two permit appointment, I sat on the DMV website scouring Wake County and all surrounding counties trying to find a slot. And from that very first moment, all slots were booked in Wake County as well as the surrounding counties.
Multiple attempts to check the DMV's site for openings over two months failed.
I knew the law was changing in 2024 and with zero openings, we started to panic a bit.
As Thanksgiving rapidly approached, our panic doubled and I ended up contacting a legislator with the law-change problem in hopes they could help - and they did.
We owe a big thanks to Rep. Erin Paré (R-Wake) and her legislative assistant Sarah Wetherby. Paré's office managed to get us an appointment on the very last possible day the DMV would be operating in 2023 on Dec. 28.
For those wondering about my son's Level Two outcome, he passed his road test with flying colors.
I spent a lot of time training my son before he even got to the driver's education class - which was a bad joke.
During his district-provided driver’s education, my kid spent more time behind a computer screen (10 hours min.) than he did for behind-the-wheel training (6 hours split with another student).
We opted for the state-paid/district driver's education course through the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) because the cost of doing private lessons was prohibitively expensive.
Turns out WCPSS only uses one vendor, Jordan Driving School.
That single vendor contract did not help matters when the pandemic backed up driver's education courses by at least a year, forcing the district to prioritize student enrollment by their age.
Jordan Driving School's single vendor contract is very lucrative.
In the most recent budget for WCPSS, driver's education spending is listed as $3,308,539.
That figure includes state funding for driver's education at $139,223 and ESSER funds of $46,587. See page 99 of the budget for a breakdown of the state funding, which lists the current state allotment as $199.55 per student. Page 141 has more details on the ESSER funds.
Under the 2022 budget, spending on driver's education was $3,447,762, not including driver's education "fleet vehicle" costs of $260,450
It is worth noting that the NC DMV announced changes in its appointment policies in mid-February 2023.
Beginning May 1, appointments, which can be booked at skiptheline.ncdot.gov, will only be available in the mornings through the 11 a.m. hour. After noon, all customer services statewide will be provided on a walk-in basis.
“We've heard from the public that they want more walk-in availability, so that's what we're aiming to deliver," said NCDMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin. “DMV introduced the ability to schedule appointments during the pandemic, but I believe now is the time to better maximize potential efficiencies by allowing for more walk-in capability, given that data indicates up to 25 percent of appointments are no-shows."
Well, Mr. Goodwin, “no-shows” for appointments were not our experience.
When we arrived for our 9:30 a.m. appointment, we were half an hour early and there was a line of at least 60 people deep flowing out the front door and down the block.
Inside the building, at least 30 people were already checked in and waiting, among them were four others besides ourselves who were there with an appointment.
While we were there, at around 10:00 a.m., the staff had to start turning walk-ins away with an official telling them the office was “booked” for the day and only had three staff members working due to it being a holiday week.
What made matters worse was that around that same time, a staffer announced that the credit card system had “gone down statewide” for NC government entities. This forced those waiting in line to run out and try to get cash since only exact cash payments could be accepted, per the DMV official.
To reiterate the beginning of this article, something has to change with NC DMV’s appointment system and the way driver's licenses are obtained by new drivers in North Carolina.