The Montana Motor Vehicle Division’s (MVD) implementation of the Credentialing and Registration System (CARS) is part of a multi-phase, multi-year effort to improve customer service and efficiency for Montanans. The first two phases — online scheduling and driver services — have already been rolled out, and the results are incredible. The feedback from the 76,000+ customers is overwhelmingly favorable.
The third phase, which is expected to launch in March 2025, will overhaul the title and registration process (TRP), improving functionality for car dealerships, law enforcement, insurance companies and simplifying county operations.
Laurie Bakri, MVD Administrator
Phases One and Two: Online Scheduling and Driver Services
At the beginning of 2021, Laurie Bakri assumed her new position as the MVD administrator. Her goal at the time was to focus on driving customer service for both the short- and long-term. Judging by customer reviews, Laurie has more than succeeded. As one happy customer said, “This couldn’t have been a smoother and more friendly experience. Very well done! Keep up the great work!”
The new system increased the number of online services offered and significantly decreased the overall appointment times for customers, expanding in-person appointment availability across the state.
“The new system has far surpassed our expectations. At most exam stations, Montanans can walk in without an appointment and be done in about 10 minutes,” Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said. “I’m proud of what MVD has accomplished and the excellent customer service our examiners are providing to make everyone’s MVD experience as pleasant as possible.”
Nearly one-third of the customers served were able to complete their transactions online. Online transactions at MVD have increased by 750%, and appointment times have been cut by 68%. Customers also receive their credentials within seven to 10 days compared to the four to six weeks with the previous system.
Efficiency has improved for in-person visits as well. The time between a customer entering and exiting any given exam station has decreased from an average of 22 minutes to less than seven minutes per transaction. The wait time to schedule in‑person appointments has gone from an average of 48 days to less than two weeks, with many locations having next‑day availability. In the state’s larger offices, availability for written-test appointments or driver examinations has decreased 92%, from 79 days to six. For individuals needing to renew their driver’s license or ID card in person, wait time has decreased by 93%, from 45 days to three.
That is impressive.
None of this could have happened without the partnership between Montana State and FAST Enterprises. Based out of Colorado, FAST focuses on driver services, vehicle services, child protection and unemployment insurance. FAST has rolled out driver services and vehicle services in 19 other states, and they have proven results.
FAST moved a team of 40 dedicated employees to Montana to implement the new system. FAST believes in bringing people face-to-face to have conversations — it’s a much more effective way to work, and things happen much faster.
Phase Three: CARS, TRP and Dealers
The TRP is next in line to get the much-anticipated update. Since 2009, not much has been done to update the TRP system — most of the work is done manually, and nothing is streamlined. In preparation for the rollout, MVD and MTADA have worked closely together. “Bruce Knudsen with MTADA was one of the first people that reached out to me and offered to work with me,” Laurie stated.
The beginnings of the third phase kicked off this past February with a small group of dealers. During the informational definition meeting about TRPs, dealers were asked to tell the team what their pain points were so the problems could be fixed. “The dealers were so willing to give their time to us; we appreciate it because we can’t build it unless we know the issues. We want to make something that’s beneficial,” Laurie said. A second meeting has been held since then, with more meetings scheduled in the upcoming months.
When the third phase of CARS finally rolls out, it will be all-encompassing for counties, MVD offices, lenders and dealers and will include a lot of functionality that hasn’t been there before.
The new TRP is scheduled to be rolled out on March 17, 2025. After roll-out dealers will be able to do electronic titling as well as registrations in their dealerships. This will cut the wait time down considerably, initially within a week and eventually, it will be automatic. How’s that for service?
“Eventually, we want dealers to be able to sell cars and not worry about paperwork with us or with the county. I think dealers are going to find that county operations will be so much smoother. Everything should go electronically — anything dealers need to send goes right to the county, and it comes back to them — there won’t be a long wait. Currently, dealers wait for titles to come back for a long time, and we want that to be an immediate process.” Laurie stated.
How MTADA Dealers Can Help
- The MVD will be holding additional Subject Matter Expert (SME) group meetings. Bruce will be organizing these meetings. If you are interested in participating, please reach out to him. We are relying on MTADA dealers for input and to help with demos.
- MTADA will be sending out dealer surveys. Watch your email and complete the surveys so the MVD has the information needed to build out the new TRP system.
- Once the dealer portion of the online services is available, the MVD needs volunteers to test it. The new TRP system will be very user-driven/friendly, and the step-by-step process is easy to navigate. Office and business managers from local dealerships are needed to take it for a spin around the block.
If you are interested in participating in the SME groups or volunteering in the initial rollout, please contact Bruce at bknudsen@mtada.com.
