NC DMV customer service line reopens after employee tests negative for coronavirus
The Division of Motor Vehicles customer service phone line is working again, after an employee at the DMV’s call center in Bladen County tested negative for coronavirus.
But getting through to a human being may still be a long shot.
DMV shut the call center down on Monday as a precaution after it learned the employee was being tested for the virus that causes COVID-19. It was expected to open by 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
That means DMV customers can once again make appointments and conduct other business by calling 919-715-7000. While the call center was closed, the N.C. Department of Transportation urged people to go online instead.
About 140 phone operators usually work at the DMV call center, but the state has reduced that number to about 65 to allow adequate social distancing space between them.
Perhaps because of the lower staffing and a day being closed, the center couldn’t handle all the calls Tuesday morning. Many customers got an outgoing message about an unusually high volume of calls that urged them to try again later or use the website.
This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 9:59 AM with the headline "NC DMV customer service line reopens after employee tests negative for coronavirus."
