DMV required vendor to add new processes to prevent errors
Printing of North Carolina driver licenses and identification cards resumed today after DMV required the vendor to add new quality controls to its printing process to prevent future errors.
DMV Commissioner Torre Jessup ordered IDEMIA, the vendor that prints and mails the state’s driver licenses, to stop production last Friday after DMV became aware of printing issues with some licenses.
People who received flawed driver licenses because of the error will receive new, correct licenses by mail at no cost to them.
Commissioner Jessup and DMV officials communicated with IDEMIA through the weekend to review IDEMIA’s investigation of the issue and required the vendor to adopt new quality controls.
“We required the vendor to halt printing until we could determine the scope and cause of the printing errors and make sure the problem is fixed,” said Jessup. “The vendor has put in new safeguards and we will continue to watch their work closely.”
After a series of hardware, software and network audits, IDEMIA determined that a networking issue created a discrepancy in the data during the printing process for cards that were printed on Aug. 15. This networking error caused the incorrect birth dates and ghost images to be printed on approximately 2,400 licenses for individuals under 21 years of age.
Before production of NC driver licenses resumed, IDEMIA added additional quality assurance measures as required by DMV, including:
- Installed new software which will alert the vendor of any data inconsistencies before mailing.
- Instituted new manual checks of the first, middle and last card in every printing order before mailing.
DMV officials will visit IDEMIA’s production facility on Wednesday and will also develop a new annual audit of its work.
Since 2015, all North Carolina driver licenses and ID cards have been produced and mailed from IDEMIA’s secure production center. IDEMIA prints and distributes more than 80 million driver license credentials for 38 states, including North Carolina. Licenses are mailed directly from the vendor to the license-holder.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND YOUR LICENSE HAS AN ERROR:
- Keep your temporary driver’s documents until a new, correct permanent license is mailed to you.
- You will NOT be required to pay for the replacement – the vendor will cover these expenses.
- You do NOT have to return to a DMV office – you can mail the incorrect license back to:
NCDMV Central Issuance Unit
3176 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27697-3176
919-861-3555
