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Department of Licensing launches Core21 upgrade to modernize DRIVES and fuel tax systems
Summary
DOL described a Core21 modernization that updates DRIVES and Gentax platforms, consolidates systems, replaces legacy code, and will go live next weekend after a major deployment that required tens of thousands of staff hours for development, testing and training.
Marcus Glasser, director of the Department of Licensing (DOL), and Deputy Director Alejandro Sanchez updated the committee on Feb. 5 about their decade-long modernization program and the agency’s Core21 release for drives and fuel tax systems.
Glasser said DOL supports nearly every Washington resident through driver services, vehicle and vessel registrations and licensing for dozens of professions. He said the agency registers about 8 million vehicles and vessels and manages fuel tax systems that support interstate trucking programs.
What changed: DOL is moving DRIVES and the Gentax platform to Core21 with vendor Fast Enterprises. Glasser said the work updates programming languages (from vb.net to C# for some components), consolidates previously separate platforms, improves performance and security, and positions the agency for future enhancements.
Glasser said the Core21 work took roughly 16 months for this phase and required more than 50,000 developer hours, about 23,000 hours for testing and more than 22,000 hours for training and development. He said the deployment will require planned downtime next weekend to switch systems.
Sanchez described modernization benefits — mobile driver’s license readiness, contact center integration, improved point-of-sale and live chat options, more data fields and standardized “work tags” for tracking grants and emergency spending — and he noted improved vendor-managed security and reduced technical debt. He also explained persistent challenges: fragmented data across systems, record-retention rules, vendor and contract complexity and the difficulty of pulling integrated reports across multiple transactional systems.
Sanchez gave an example of the data challenge: DOL could not readily connect driver license, vehicle and financial records in a single report when asked about financial assistance for ignition interlock devices, because data requires significant cleaning and integration.
On the firearms upgrade, Glasser said a modest modernization is on track for June to prevent code degradation and to improve imaging processes; he characterized it as an upgrade rather than a complete overhaul.
DOL said the Core21 deployment integrates three major service lines — fuel tax, drivers and vehicles — and connects to national motor vehicle organization standards; the rollout is intended to reduce legacy risk and improve customer experience and cross-agency data exchange.
