The goal of the SCDOT is to provide adequate, safe, and efficient transportation services for the movement of people and goods.

The SCGRA, which was backed by local businessmen and railroads, often had state officials including the governor, attend its biannual meetings.

[2] Spurred on by the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916, which provided $75 million of federal money in 50–50 matching funds to the states to build up to 6% of their roads statewide over a five-year period,[3] the General Assembly created the five-member State Highway Commission in 1917 which existed for more than seventy years.

"[4] Nonetheless, the State Highway Commission lacked "the authority to designate roads to be improved with federal funds and the power to supervise directly the work being done".

The SCDOT has six divisions: Engineering, Intermodal Planning, Finance and Procurement, Legal, Human Resources, and Minority & Small Business Affairs.

Planning, design, procurement, finance, and human resource functions all operate from the central office, or headquarters, in the state capitol of Columbia.

The headquarters building is named for Silas N. Pearman, a former state highway engineer and chief commissioner of the agency.

In the summer of 2016, three former SCDOT employees were indicted by a grand jury on allegations that included, among other things, corruption and/or theft of agency property.

[17] First, Charles W. Shirley, a former field operations manager for SCDOT, was charged with criminal conspiracy and official misconduct in office as well as eight other counts.

It was alleged in the indictment that Butler sold agency equipment to contractors and kept the money for himself and "received kickbacks and other financial benefits.