Athletes use video to improve their performance. By studying competitors’ moves and analyzing their own technique, they can correct errors and inefficiencies, taking their game to the next level.

The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) applies the same principle to its commercial driver’s license (CDL) body camera initiative, according to Josh Gifford, fraud program manager at the South Carolina DMV.

This program incorporates body camera technology into every CDL examination in the state, whether it’s administered by state examiners or third-party testers. The goal is to ensure that CDL skills testing is conducted in accordance with South Carolina CDL examiner program standards and meets federal regulations that require the test be conducted the same way regardless of where it occurs. It also enhances operational efficiency by enabling rapid resolution of test disputes and acting as a deterrent against fraudulent practices, Gifford says.

How it Works

The South Carolina DMV rolled out the program to state examiners in 2019, then expanded to the roughly 115 third-party testers in the state.

To ensure participation, the DMV updated third-party tester agreements and program standards to mandate body camera usage. Participation is a requirement for program eligibility; the agency enforces this by pausing testing abilities for organizations that don’t comply.

The South Carolina DMV provides all the equipment needed: body cameras, a tablet and the software that the tablet runs on. CDL examiners must wear the body camera and record while administering the skills test. The applicant’s information and score are entered digitally through an app on the tablet. “Having the digital entry is a benefit to the examiner,” Gifford says. “It makes everything a whole lot quicker.”

The body camera and tablet are connected to a secure network to share the video and test results with the DMV.

Each video is reviewed and classified as:

• No findings: Nothing was observed that deviated from the examiner’s manual or examiner program standards.
• Noncritical findings: Deviations were observed, but they did not affect the applicant’s results.
• Critical findings: Significant deviations, such as cheating or examiner incompetence, trigger a review process, and the driver is retested by a state examiner. The agency maintains an administrative appeals process for examiners to contest penalties.

“Noncritical findings are fed back into the training apparatus,” Gifford explains. “We document those findings, and then our examiner training unit can see those findings and has access to the videos, as well.”

Best Practices

A 2019 federal grant award funded the state examiners, and a 2024 grant funded the statewide rollout. “The cameras, tablets, software, our salaries, our vehicle, all of our equipment—every single expense was factored into that grant,” Gifford says.

“Any time you’re on the front end of new technology, there are going to be lessons learned. But, I’d put a call out for other jurisdictions to join us, because the more jurisdictions that are part of the process, even if you’re not ready today to do e-titling, the more perspectives we’ll consider.”
Josh Gifford, Fraud Program Manager, South Carolina DMV

Gifford managed a three-person team that was entirely dedicated to deploying the body camera program to the state’s third-party testers. “We weren’t supporting a branch operation,” he says. “We made ourselves available to the CDL testing organizations when they were available.” This allowed them to cover all 115 organizations in the state in about a year.

The implementation faced some hurdles regarding network configuration. The team members’ IT backgrounds were useful in resolving these issues or finding workarounds when needed. “Our goal with everything is to bring people into compliance,” Gifford says. “We never want to utilize penalties if we don’t have to.”

He emphasizes that the use of body cameras works out in everyone’s benefit by enhancing public safety, increasing operational efficiency and allowing managers to investigate and resolve complaints about examiners or testing validity instantly.

“What we’re doing with these body cameras is committing to video what all the examiners and organizations have agreed to,” Gifford says. “It’s not a ‘gotcha.’ If we see how the tests are happening, we can increase public trust, and we can increase compliance with state and federal regulations, which means we’re putting safer drivers on the road.”