DMV director urges modernization, warns of real‑ID deadline and staffing pressures
May 01, 2025 | 2025 Legislative Meetings, South Carolina
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Kevin Shweto, executive director of the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, told the House Education and Public Works Committee that the DMV is operating on an aging IT system and needs modernization to maintain service and security.
Shweto said the state population has grown from about 4 million to 5.3 million during his tenure, while DMV staffing and budgets have not kept pace. He described workforce characteristics — "87% of my workforce is female. 51 percent of it is African American" — and said the agency faces a roughly 33 percent annual turnover that complicates training for 444 statutorily required transaction types.
On technology, Shweto identified the DMV’s legacy application, called Phoenix, as at risk and said a replacement would cost roughly $100 million. He warned that when the system fails, “everything shuts down” and law enforcement and identity services lose access to critical records. He urged legislators to support modernization funding and to help the DMV secure an experienced vendor: "If you don't get me a modernized system, and it breaks, not only will the DMV be impacted, every cop that needs it for visibility of who's on the highway with bad guys shuts down," he said.
Shweto also urged residents to obtain Real ID credentials, noting that only about 60 percent of the state had Real ID at the time of his remarks and warning that Real ID will be required for some federal access and air travel. On enforcement issues, Shweto reported roughly 25,000 DUI arrests per year as a ballpark figure cited in committee discussion and described concerns about repeat offenders and highway safety.
Committee members asked about centralized issuance, digital/mobile credentials and additional services the DMV could perform; Shweto said centralized card production and a mobile credential in a modernized system would improve security and could reduce fraud. He described a planned September rollout of centralized issuance and offered to work with legislators on additional service transfers, such as boat titling, if funding and legal authority were aligned.
Shweto closed by offering direct contact for members with DMV problems and urged the legislature to prioritize a modernization appropriation.
Shweto said the state population has grown from about 4 million to 5.3 million during his tenure, while DMV staffing and budgets have not kept pace. He described workforce characteristics — "87% of my workforce is female. 51 percent of it is African American" — and said the agency faces a roughly 33 percent annual turnover that complicates training for 444 statutorily required transaction types.
On technology, Shweto identified the DMV’s legacy application, called Phoenix, as at risk and said a replacement would cost roughly $100 million. He warned that when the system fails, “everything shuts down” and law enforcement and identity services lose access to critical records. He urged legislators to support modernization funding and to help the DMV secure an experienced vendor: "If you don't get me a modernized system, and it breaks, not only will the DMV be impacted, every cop that needs it for visibility of who's on the highway with bad guys shuts down," he said.
Shweto also urged residents to obtain Real ID credentials, noting that only about 60 percent of the state had Real ID at the time of his remarks and warning that Real ID will be required for some federal access and air travel. On enforcement issues, Shweto reported roughly 25,000 DUI arrests per year as a ballpark figure cited in committee discussion and described concerns about repeat offenders and highway safety.
Committee members asked about centralized issuance, digital/mobile credentials and additional services the DMV could perform; Shweto said centralized card production and a mobile credential in a modernized system would improve security and could reduce fraud. He described a planned September rollout of centralized issuance and offered to work with legislators on additional service transfers, such as boat titling, if funding and legal authority were aligned.
Shweto closed by offering direct contact for members with DMV problems and urged the legislature to prioritize a modernization appropriation.
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