Follow-Up Review 
Prepared For The Budgetary Responsibility Oversight Committee 
Department of Motor Vehicle Safety Driver Examiners 
 
January 2004 
 
Russell W. Hinton, State Auditor Performance Audit Operations Division 254 Washington St. S.W. 
 
Department of Audits and Accounts 
 
Atlanta, GA 30334-8400 
 
This is a Follow-up Review of the Program Evaluation on Driver Examiners with the Department of Motor Vehicle Safety. The original Evaluation was conducted by the Performance Audit Operations Division of the Department of Audits and Accounts in November 2001. This Follow-up Review was conducted to determine the extent to which the Program has addressed the recommendations presented in the report. A copy of the original report can be obtained through the contact information on the back of this Review. 
 
Background 
Driver Examiners within the Department of Motor Vehicle Safety (DMVS) are responsible for issuing new or renewal licenses. In fiscal year 2003, DMVS issued over 1.8 million licenses. Driver Examiners also issue identification cards and handicap-parking permits, register organ donors, and conduct voter registration. As of September 2003, DMVS had 344 Driver Examiners, and 34 vacant positions. The examiners were stationed at 55 Customer Service Centers located across the state and 14 renewal-only sites. (All the renewal-only sites were closed by mid-December 2003.) 
 
Synopsis of the Performance Evaluation 
The evaluation determined that action needed to be taken by DMVS to reduce the long lines at some of the testing centers, which were influenced by problems with facilities, equipment, and workload. The evaluation found that compensation for Georgia examiners was lower than the average at other Southeastern states, turnover was high, and the screening process for new applicants was overly stringent. The evaluation found no serious problems with security but recommended expanding the use of alarms and safes. The evaluation also recommended that DMVS analyze Travel Team workloads to support a request to revise provisions in state law requiring driving tests to be offered at least once a month in each county. 
 
Status of Recommendations 
Although continued efforts are needed to fully address all of the evaluation recommendations, DMVS should be commended for its efforts over the past two years. The Program's response to each of the findings in the report is discussed on the following pages. 
 
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 Recommendation in 2001: During the evaluation, the newly created Department of Motor Vehicle Safety acknowledged the need for action to reduce the long lines present at some of the testing facilities. In addition to workload factors addressed in subsequent findings, the long lines also appear to be influenced by inadequate testing facilities and problems with equipment. 
Current Status: 
Problems with Testing Facilities DMVS is in the process of implementing a Facility Management Plan that will address problems with its testing facilities by consolidating its 55 existing Customer Service Centers into 28 larger regional facilities and 15 additional centers in the Metro Atlanta area. DMVS reported that 12 new facilities have opened since 2001 and there are plans for three more to open in 2004. DMVS officials stated that while the Facility Management Plan was originally intended to be implemented over ten years, progress has slowed due to recent funding constraints and the completion date is currently unknown. 
 
Problems with Equipment  At the time of the evaluation only 69% of the permanent testing sites had testing computers; 
however, all of the Customer Service Centers that administer tests now have three or more computerized testing machines. DMVS reported that the outdated English version of the agency's paper test has been updated; however, DMVS does not have plans at this time to translate the updated test into other languages due to funding constraints. 
 DMVS hoped to address problems with the reliability of its license printing equipment with a new driver license issuing system, which was to be installed during the fall of 2003. However, a legal challenge by a losing bidder for the contract resulted in a court order prohibiting DMVS from proceeding with the new system. DMVS anticipates that it will not be able to proceed with installing the new system until sometime in 2004. 
 At the time of the original evaluation, only eight sites had the Q-matic System, which allows customers to take a number to provide for better control over lines. DMVS currently has the Q-matic System in 54 (98%) of the 55 Customer Service Centers. 
According to DMVS, the wait times for customers has dramatically decreased since 2001. DMVS implemented the "Less than 30 minutes or its Free" license renewal statewide in January 2003 and as of August 2003, DMVS had only been called upon to issue four free licenses. An analysis of wait times from January to August 2003 showed that 92% of the customers waited for less than an hour. DMVS noted that it thought that wait times were starting to increase in fiscal year 2004 due to a decrease in the number of funded examiner positions and a hiring freeze; however, data documenting the increase in wait times was only available for three Customer Service Centers at the time of this review. 
 
Workload 
Recommendation in 2001: Based on information collected by the evaluation team, Georgia's overall workload per examiner ranked 22nd out of 41 states. However, Georgia's workload has seasonal peaks that are as much as 55% higher than seasonal lows and the current distribution of staff has resulted in excessive workloads at some facilities while the staff at other facilities appear to be underutilized. 
 
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 Current Status: While data on other states was not available to update Georgia's workload ranking, average workload per examiner in Georgia has decreased by 19% since the original evaluation. This decrease resulted from an increase in driver examiner positions and a decrease in licenses issued at the Customer Service Centers due to the implementation of renewal by internet, mail, and phone. To address the differences in workload among the Centers, DMVS is placing new examiners in the facilities with the greatest workloads. The travel teams were disbanded in August 2003, and renewal-only sites were closed during the fall of 2003 in order to direct these personnel to locations with excessive workloads. DMVS has not done any studies to determine the seasonal changes in workload, but reported that they limit time off for examiners during peak seasons. 
Compensation, Turnover, & Other Personnel Issues 
Recommendation in 2001: A salary survey by the Merit System in May 2000 found that the average salary of driver examiners in Georgia was lower than the average salaries of examiners in other Southeastern states. While comparable figures on Driver Examiner turnover in other states were not available, Georgia's Driver Examiner I turnover rate of over 30% is high. A stringent screening process for hiring new Driver Examiners appeared to make it difficult to fill vacant positions. 
Current Status: The average salary of Georgia Driver Examiners is still lower than the market median salary of driver examiners in other Southeastern states. During the original evaluation, the average salary for Driver Examiner I was 13.9% below the market median salary and the average salary for the Driver Examiner II was 7.7% below the market median salary of examiners in the Southeastern states surveyed. A survey in May 2002 found that the average salary for Driver Examiner I is 15.7% below the market median salary and the average salary for Driver Examiner II is 6.3% below the market median salary of examiners in the Southeastern states surveyed. DMVS reported that it proposed a $5,000 pay increase for examiners but examiners only received a 5% across the board pay increase in October 2002. 
The fiscal year 2003 Driver Examiner I turnover rate was 29.7%, which demonstrated a slight decrease from the 30.2% turnover rate in fiscal year 1999. While DMVS previously believed that the high turnover rate was due to low salary, DMVS officials now believe that factors other than compensation contribute to turnover. Officials believe that one factor contributing to its high turnover rate is requiring Examiners to work on Saturdays. DMVS found that only 15 of 47 surveyed states offer service on Saturdays, and most of these states had abbreviated hours and limited locations open on Saturdays. DMVS plans to survey employees and customers to determine if a change in work days is reasonable. 
DMVS' current screening process for hiring new employees is less stringent than the process in place at the time of the original evaluation. The pre-employment questionnaire has been shortened from 15 to five pages, and fingerprints and polygraphs are no longer required. Because the changes to the screening process were enacted in May and September 2003, it is too soon to tell if the time required to complete the hiring process has decreased. 
 
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 Facility Security and Security over Cash Deposits 
Recommendation in 2001: While there were no indications of any serious security problems at driver license facilities, security measures at some facilities need to be strengthened before problems occur. Although there have been no reported security problems involving cash deposits, better training on the safest methods of making deposits is needed and a risk assessment should be performed to identify additional locations, which collect large amounts of cash, that might justify the use of a courier service for deposits. Additional safes are also needed to better safeguard the petty cash kept by the examiners. 
Current Status: The security at the Service Centers has slightly improved. At the time of the original evaluation, seven of the 17 sites visited had an alarm and one had a camera. Since that time, alarms were added to four of the sites, but no cameras were added. DMVS reported that it has requested the inclusion of cameras and alarm systems in all facilities that do not have them; however the local governments that provide most of these facilities have not been able to add the requested equipment due to recent funding constraints. 
DMVS added additional instruction in safety procedures to its basic examiner training course in 2002. Due to funding constraints, no sites have courier service for deposits and a request for safes has also been put on hold. DMVS personnel indicated that they believe that courier service is needed; however, a risk assessment to identify locations that might justify the use of a courier service has not been performed. A new driver's license "point of sale" system that will allow processing of checks and credit cards is currently on hold; however, once implemented, this system should reduce the amount of cash at the centers and the amount of cash that needs to be transported to banks. 
Legislative Issue 
Recommendation in 2001: While Travel Team visits to some counties may be justified, the General Assembly may wish to consider changing the requirement of having driving tests offered at least once a month in each county. A majority of the residents of the counties served by Travel Teams are going to permanent sites to get service, and the resources devoted to some Travel Teams could be used better elsewhere. 
Current Status: The Travel Teams were disbanded by DMVS as of August 1, 2003. Due to the elimination of 37 examiner positions in the 2004 budget, DMVS decided to better utilize Travel Team staff by moving them to Customer Service Centers with excessive workloads. DMVS plans to request revision of state law to remove the requirement that driving tests be offered at least once a month in each county in the future. 
 
For additional information or to request a copy of the Program Evaluation, please contact Paul E. Bernard, Director, Performance Audit Operations Division, at 404-657-5220. Or see our website: www.audits.state.ga.us/internet/pao/followup.html 
 
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