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State of the System: Customer Service

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Customer Service

Everything ODOT does is customer service, from administering driver licenses and registrations, to issuing commercial permits and driver safety inspections, to plowing snow and fixing potholes, and planning for future travel needs to keep people and businesses moving. 

A pie chart that shows public opinion of all ODOT services ranked from poor to excellent as follows: 4% excellent, 30% good, 46% fair,16% poor and 3% don’t know.In recent years it's become harder to deliver these services at the level people expect. We're wrestling with operations and maintenance budget shortfalls, reductions in customer-facing staff, retaining a skilled workforce and being a competitive employer.
  • Most Oregonians believe that ODOT is doing a fair or better job overall.
  • 1 in 6 Oregonians, however, feel ODOT is doing a poor job.
  • Satisfaction with ODOT services has generally declined over the years. 
Source:Oregon Transportation Needs and Issues Survey (2025)

DMV
The Driver and Motor Vehicle Services (DMV) Division issues driver licenses and identification cards, as well as vehicle registrations and titles. We protect ownership interests in motor vehicles – often the most valuable asset a person has. 

The DMV collects over $1 billion in revenue each biennium for Oregon’s transportation system at all levels: state, county, and city.

DMV serves nearly every Oregonian aged 16 and older

  • DMV has about the same number of employees as it did 20 years ago; meanwhile, Oregon’s population has grown by 23%. Our 59 offices collectively serve more than 2 million customer visits each year.
    • 2 million vehicle registrations (plates and stickers) are created or renewed each year and 700,000 vehicle titles issued. 
  • The average call wait time so far in 2025 is 14 minutes. This is a significant increase compared to this time last year. 
    • Increased field office wait times, and phone hold times are in large part attributed to the REAL ID surge.
    • Federal enforcement began May 7, 2025. Using dedicated funding, we spent the first half of 2025 educating Oregonians about REAL ID and its consequences. As anticipated, this lead to a surge of DMV customers. Between January and August, DMV issued more than twice the number of REAL IDs as in 2024.


A line chart that shows the average percentage of customers served within 20 minutes at DMV field offices each month in 2025, through June, compared to the 80% goal. 60% in January, 56% in February, 48% in March, 45% in April, 48% in May, and 48% in June.
Driver and Motor Vehicle Services – updated 07/2025
A line and column chart showing call wait times in 2025 through June, compared to call wait times in 2023 and 2024. Average call wait time in 2025 through June is 14 minutes. 

DMV is taking steps to improve customer service though customer certainty

We are working to give customers more assurance that they will be served closer in time to when they arrive. These steps include:

  • Piloting 5 offices that will be appointment-only or have appointment-only days of the week. Offices with appointment days in the pilot:
    • Springfield and Junctions City: all days (Junction City open only Tues-Thurs)
    • Bend: Thursdays
    • Corvallis and South Salem: Wednesdays
  • Expanding two offices to five days per week:
    • DMV offices in Lebanon and Stayton have been open 3 days a week for some time, after closing completely in 2022 due to staffing shortages.
      • We have had enough staffing stability for a sustained period of time that we can return to 5 days per week.
  • Allowing each customer two knowledge tests per day, to improve overall customer service and safety.
    • Currently customers can re-take the knowledge test as many times as they want. That has resulted in some customers taking the knowledge test 10 times or more in a day. This means that they are not really learning the material, but just taking the test until they happen to pass. This also takes up many slots in the queue, making wait times longer for every other Oregonian.
      • Until 2022, customers were limited to one knowledge test per day. And, if they failed four times they had to wait one month before retesting.
      • This current change allows two tests per day, and no long-term wait after a number of test failures.
      • Since late 2024, DMV has offered on-line knowledge testing, so there are convenient options apart from the field offices. 
A stacked bar chart that shows 28% of knowledge tests,17% of driver renewals and 43% of vehicle renewals are done online.
Driver and Motor Vehicle Services, updated 07/2025

We are expanding DMV electronic and self-service options

There are now more than 20 transactions available on-line via the DMV2U webpage. Between January 2025 and June 2025 the following were completed online: 

  • 28% of knowledge tests - an 8% increase over 2024 transactions.
  • 17%% of driver renewals.
  • 43% of vehicle renewals. 

DMV has introduced 10 self-service kiosks at various third-party locations across the state for vehicle registration renewal transactions.

  • The number of transactions at each of the 10 kiosks increased from 199 in March to 233 in July. This positive trend highlights growing engagement with our kiosks. 



Commerce and Compliance

The Commerce and Compliance Division regulates heavy trucks and trains moving freight in Oregon.  Some of these programs focus on safety while others serve customers through commercial vehicle licensing, permitting, payments and more. 
Graphic image of a teal truck

  • On average, 3.4 million trucks per year pass through state weigh stations or ports of entry.
Graphic image of a teal form

Permits are required before moving an oversize load in Oregon. 
  • 60,602 annual over-dimension permits were issued in 2024.
  • 67,720 single-trip over-dimension permits were issued in 2024.

Thousands of freight vehicle transactions are processed over the phone each month

Services include accepting weight mile tax payments, providing Trucking On-line assistance, issuing trip permits and other temporary credentials.

  • We receive over 10,000 calls monthly from freight motor vehicle operators.
    • Average wait time is under 5 minutes.

Work is underway to increase on-line services.

A combination chart that shows average call volume and wait times for each month in 2024. The highest average wait times were reported in the month of April at just over 11 minutes, followed by a steady decline in wait times through the rest of the year. November reported average wait times under 1 minute. The average wait time for 2024 was under 5 minutes.

Commerce and Compliance Division – Main Contact Center, Updated 01/2025

Visit our DMV website and Commerce and Compliance website to learn more.  


To submit a question or comment:

Ask ODOT button - Click to visit the Ask ODOT form 
 

Strategic Action Plan Progress Report

Provide Excellent Customer Service

2024-2028 Strategic Actions

2024 - Launch self-serve kiosks to allow the public to administer DMV transactions.

2024 - Implement a new system to manage public records requests and Ask ODOT inquiries to ensure timely and accurate responses.

2024 - Create a State of the System Dashboard to publicly report on ODOT progress in the stewardship of public resources and advancing the outcomes of the Oregon Transportation Plan.

2025 - Implement agency-wide Customer Service Policy and Strategy, in alignment with enterprise-wide requirements and agency priorities.

2025 - Provide transparent information to the public about how ODOT is performing across key outcome areas.

2025 - Assess public priorities for agency services to inform day-to-day operations and understand resourcing needs.

2025 - Launch the Commerce and Compliance automated routing and permitting system (ORION) to enable notification of closures or restrictions and support easy access to permits.

2027 - Implement new vehicle registration and International Fuels Tax Administration System (IFTA) system to provide user-friendly, role-based, self-service tools for commercial motor carriers.




2025 Efforts 

Strategic Action Plan

  • 10th DMV kiosk installed in March, continuing to work on additional transaction optons for existing kiosks. 
  • Review responses to the ODOT Highway Quality Survey and determine any needed adjustments to maintenance and operations services.  
  • Launch the Commerce and Compliance automated routing and permitting system (ORION) to enable notification of closures or restrictions and support easy access to permits. 

Other Ongoing Efforts

  • Equitably connecting access and opportunities to DMV services, accounting for location, mobility, language, race, gender, and more.
  • Expanding auto-approval criteria for title processing, using DMV's modern computer system, thereby reducing turn-around times for tite issuance.
  • Contracted with AWS to replace existing AI phone system, which is projected to improve service while reducing costs.
  • CCD is adding self-service options to Oregon Trucking Online (TOL). For example, customers with an existing motor carrier account now have the option to securely sign up for a TOL account. This provides immediate access to purchase temporary passes and update account information. Once approved, users gain full access to all self-service features, available 24/7, year round.