Montana Motor Vehicle Division Prepares for Office Closures Ahead of New System Launch

HELENA – The Montana Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) and every Montana County Treasurer’s office are preparing to launch a new vehicle services system on March 17. The new system will overhaul the vehicle titling and registration process. In preparation for the launch, all MVD exam stations will be closed, and County Treasurer offices will not be processing vehicle transactions from Thursday, March 13, through Sunday, March 16.

The new system will offer more online services to customers, electronic payment options, and improved turnaround time for all vehicle service transactions. It will also enhance functionalities for law enforcement, car dealerships, and insurance companies while simplifying county operations. This new vehicle services system is the final phase of MVD’s Credentialing and Registration System (CARS), a multi-phase, multi-year effort to enhance customer service and efficiency at MVD exam stations and county treasurer’s offices across the state.

“We have had incredible success with the CARS program so far and I look forward to working with counties across the state to make this final rollout a success,” MVD Administrator Laurie Bakri said. “This system will provide the counties with what they need to better serve their customers and improve efficiency.”

County Treasurer offices received new equipment in November, and employees have been training with the new system since then. Between the updated technology and programmed efficiencies of CARS, MVD partners and citizens using vehicle services are expected to experience improved ease in obtaining titles, renewing registrations, and accessing all other vehicle-related services.

For up-to-date information on office hours and appointment availability, customers can visit their County Treasurer’s website. For information on MVD exam station hours, please visit mvdmt.gov.

The CARS platform is a software solution created in partnership with FAST Enterprises, which has successfully implemented motor vehicle licensing and registration systems in 18 other states, following a competitive bid process initiated by MVD in 2021. Work on CARS officially began in July 2022.

MVD launched the first phase of CARS in 2022 with a new online appointment scheduling system that includes features such as appointment scheduling tailored to each customer’s needs, automated appointment reminders, and online check-in. In 2023, MVD successfully launched the second phase of CARS, which overhauled the driver services system at MVD exam stations.