Modernizing Auto Titling & Registration: Talking with Tony Hall

This week, we’re celebrating the launch of eSTART – the Electronic Secure Title and Registration Transformation Coalition. Aimed at helping states digitize the car titling and registration process, eSTART’s founding members include Carvana and other auto industry organizations such as the National Automobile Dealer’s Association (NADA), Champ, and Proof. 

We sat down with Tony Hall, Senior Government Affairs Manager at Carvana to discuss his journey from the Texas DMV to helping get eSTART off the ground at Carvana. 

Talk to us about your background – what was your journey to Carvana like?

Tony Hall: Prior to joining Carvana, I actually spent 10 and a half years at the Texas DMV. Most of that time – a little over seven years – I was on the title operations side, working on a lot of the department's modernization-related projects. Will Munsil (Senior Counsel, Government Affairs) remembered me from a conference I spoke at and reached out to me saying ‘Hey, we think we have a cool job you may be interested in.’ I took a shot, and two years later, here I am.  

Tell us about eSTART – how did it begin?

Tony: When I started with Carvana, one of the things that I wanted to do was better connect with industry peers on modernizing the title and registration space. What started as monthly talks with a few people grew into monthly talks with 15 to 20. Late last year, this group started work to form a coalition – eSTART. The Coalition is open to organizations that want to stay in the mix on the conversation about what’s going on and be engaged with advocacy in this title and registration space. 

What inefficiencies is eSTART aiming to tackle, and why is this initiative so critical now?

Tony: DMVs still heavily rely on paper, and we're in 2024. It's not a great customer experience. It’s not efficient for DMVs. It's not great for businesses that operate in this space. 

ESTART itself is not going to be establishing standards, and is not going to be advocating for one solution over another. It's merely advocating for progress. That's where you get down to three core objectives. 

The first is allowing customers to sign title and registration forms electronically. 

The second piece is, okay, now you have things electronically signed – let customers submit information to the DMVs electronically instead of having to mail or deliver it. 

Then, the final thing we want to get to is having everything be completely electronic. Let's actually make the title transfer itself electronic to where there is no paper, nothing gets mailed. It is all completely electronic and transacted, including across state lines. 

What are the main challenges for building digitized titling and registration?

Tony: There are a lot of different stakeholders that have to be accounted for – consumers, dealers, lenders, auctions, salvage operators, insurance companies, floor planners, etc.. So that complexity is one piece of this. And then the more tangible piece is that states have to prioritize resources to support the transition. 

How do you envision overcoming these hurdles to encourage states to adopt digital processes?

Tony: It’s about collaboration and education, showcasing the long-term benefits over immediate costs. That’s where the coalition comes in – adding more voices to the conversation saying, ‘This is important; this needs to happen. How can we work with you to accelerate this? If you are ready to do it, but you're having difficult conversations, let us go have that conversation. Let us and let other industries partner with you.’ 

From the consumer's perspective, how will eSTART change the car buying experience?

Tony: It makes the experience of buying a car more seamless. Most of the car-buying process is already electronic – until you get to title and registration. But digitizing title and registration doesn’t just help with buying a car – it impacts every part of the vehicle’s lifecycle. If you’re involved in an accident, for example, you could electronically transfer your vehicle to your insurance provider instead of the current process, where you need to wet sign various documents before getting your insurance payout. You could update your lien information electronically after refinancing your vehicle. The list goes on – it could just make buying and owning a car easier. 

What's the end goal for eSTART, and how does it plan to achieve it amidst such varied state systems?

Tony: The North Star for eSTART is a fully electronic records management system, removing the need for paper entirely. That requires tailoring our approach to each state’s unique landscape, advocating for electronic signatures and document processing as initial steps.

Finally, any parting thoughts or overlooked aspects of eSTART you wish to highlight?

Tony: Ultimately, this isn’t just about convenience but about fundamentally improving the entire vehicle lifecycle for everyone involved.

As the digital age continues to unfold, initiatives like eSTART are leading the charge in transforming traditional processes to meet modern expectations, ensuring that the journey to car ownership is as smooth and efficient as the vehicles themselves.

To learn more about eSTART, visit the website at www.estartcoalition.org.