The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles got back on track late Thursday afternoon, reopening its driver’s license offices after a brief shutdown due to computer issues.
The DMV had been experiencing connectivity problems with the state’s mainframe computers since Wednesday, leading to the decision to temporarily halt operations at all 112 driver’s license offices. Fortunately, the DMV was able to resolve the issues and get back online by 3:15 p.m.
According to spokeswoman Nicole Meister, the mainframe computers are maintained by the N.C. Department of Information Technology, which identified a malfunctioning network switch as the cause of the connection problems. Meister assured that this was not expected to be a recurring issue and that such technical glitches can happen from time to time.
In addition to affecting the DMV’s online services and self-service kiosks, the connection issues also impacted license plate agencies operated by private contractors.
Despite the temporary closure, DMV offices remained open for customers to wait it out. Spokesman Marty Homan confirmed that doors were open and customers were free to come in during the technical difficulties.