Five States That Streamlined the DMV Experience

Five States That Streamlined the DMV Experience

Every state requires motor vehicles to be registered and titled with the state's transportation agency or department of motor vehicles. Whether residents are buying a car, moving to another state, or renewing their vehicle registrations before they expire, vehicle's registration certificates and driver's licenses are essential. They must be on hand whenever someone is behind the wheel. With the modernization and digitization of online processes, why would residents spend time in line at the DMV when they can register and renew online at their convenience?

Learn about five states making it easier than ever before for residents to renew licenses and vehicle registrations online, resulting in shorter lines at the office, more efficient revenue collection for the agency, and greater customer satisfaction overall.

Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) Driver Portal

In May 2019, Tyler Idaho and the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) launched a new resident portal (www.accessidaho.org/itd/driver) featuring online driver's license renewals and replacements, suspension reinstatement, and driver’s license records. This portal quickly became a critical business channel in the spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic unfolded, DMV office closures and limited service hours were implemented across Idaho, driving an immediate surge in online DMV service use. In the spring of 2020, more than 7,000 driver's licenses and ID cards were being renewed or replaced online monthly. Additionally, online vehicle registrations doubled due to the access limitations of walk-in DMV appointments.

Building on this resident demand and momentum, Tyler Idaho and ITD implemented additional features to the portal in October 2020, allowing users to expand their profile for renewing a vehicle license plate, ordering personalized license plates, checking the status of a vehicle license plate or title, and more. In 2021, Tyler Idaho and ITD expanded the portal to include electronic notifications for vehicle license renewals and Real ID/Star Card services to improve residents’ experiences further when conducting business with the DMV. In 2022, Tyler Idaho and ITD enhanced the service to allow residents to choose a plate type and verify the availability of a desired personalized plate number. Residents can purchase their custom vanity plate if the vehicle has a current title and registration in good standing.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's Online Renewal Services

In collaboration with Tyler Kentucky, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) launched a service to steer Kentucky into a new era of driver licensing – online renewal of drivers and motorcycle licenses (dlrenewal.ky.gov). With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing office closures throughout the Commonwealth, the KYTC and Tyler Kentucky fast-tracked online renewal processes to serve Kentucky residents better. 

With the KYTC's secure online driver portal, Kentucky residents can now skip the trip to the DMV and renew their driver's license, motorcycle license, combination driver/motorcycle license, or ID card online up to six months before it expires. Since its implementation in 2021, the portal has completed more than 209,671 renewals on behalf of the KYTC. In 2022 alone, the online portal is achieving an average of 18,603 renewals per month.

The KYTC's online vehicle registration renewal (secure.kentucky.gov/kytc/renewal) offers the same convenience to citizens while offering similar benefits and success to the agency. This online service was implemented by Tyler Kentucky, on behalf of the KYTC, in 2015. Since the online service has been in use, it has completed more than 1.1 million vehicle renewals at the convenience of Kentucky citizens. In 2022 alone, the service is completing an average of 19,000 renewals per month. 

Louisiana's Virtual Motor Vehicle Services

In conjunction with Tyler Louisiana, the Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) implemented www.expresslane.org to provide citizens with easily accessible information and services to meet all their OMV needs – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The portal offers more than 20 services giving citizens the ability to renew driver's licenses, ID cards, vehicle registrations and much more online serving over 50,000 users each month.  Expresslane.org further simplifies interactions with state government and enhances the overall citizen experience.

Maine's Rapid Renewal Digital Service

Through a 21-year partnership with the state, Tyler Maine has provided various solutions over the years that are modern, efficient, and exceptionally user-friendly. Through digital services like Rapid Renewal (www.maine.gov/online/bmv/rapid-renewal), implemented to handle online vehicle registration, the state was able to continue interacting with residents and businesses once the pandemic hit.

Rapid Renewal was the first multi-jurisdictional service of its kind within Tyler in that it spans state and local government. 

To renew vehicle registration in Maine, you must do so through the municipal office for the city or town where you reside. When the service launched in 2001, Tyler Maine had 10 municipal partners participating in the service. Municipal participation has increased through the years, but the service experienced an incredible usage uptick when offices closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, municipal participation has grown to 331 out of 488, with 65 municipalities onboarded during the pandemic. Since implementation in 2001, the service has completed more than 2.6 million renewals, with 280,000+ renewals processed in 2021 alone. 

Rapid Renewal takes some of the processing burdens off the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and town hall staff with public use. Still, the most significant benefit is to the registration holder, who can avoid waiting in line, sometimes at multiple locations and can complete the transaction quickly and easily from home.

Mississippi's Driver Portal

In 2016, with Tyler Mississippi's aid, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) launched the new Driver Self-Service Portal (www.drive.ms.gov), a secure, one-stop suite of seven mobile-optimized applications, more accessible and streamlined for handling DPS needs on the go. For the first time, the new online process allowed Mississippi residents to skip the line at their local DPS location by offering the most common driver transactions within one portal. 

Users can immediately complete renewals, order replacement credentials, change their address, and pay reinstatement fees online. The self-service portal has created significant operational efficiencies for residents and staff, including more than 110,000 addresses changed through the driver's license and identification renewal or duplicate process, a reduction in cash and check transactions with more than $27 million in electronic payments in the years since launch, 65% of transactions completed via mobile devices or tablets, and an average transaction time barely surpassing two minutes per user. 

It is leveraging technology to offer online solutions that positively impact citizens while simultaneously providing robust solutions for states to utilize, that keeps Tyler at the forefront of government experience. With DMV services in high demand in our post-pandemic world, it's time to focus on digital government transformation, especially among motor vehicle and driver services.