After you pass in Massachusetts: restrictions and your licence

By the end of this topic you can

• You can explain how your new license reaches you after the test.
• You can state the JOL passenger limit and how long it lasts.
• You can state the JOL night limit and who may accompany you.
• You can describe the penalties for breaking a JOL restriction.
• You can say when the restrictions end.

What you need to know and understand

• If you prepaid your fees, the examiner validates your permit as a temporary license valid for up to 60 days, and the card is mailed.
• If you did not prepay, you must pay within 60 days or risk retaking the road test.
• For the first six months of a JOL, you cannot carry passengers under 18 (other than immediate family) unless a qualified adult of 21 or older sits beside you.
• JOL holders cannot drive between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. unless a parent or legal guardian is in the car.
• Drivers under 18 cannot use any mobile electronic device while driving except to report an emergency.
• Breaking the passenger or night limit means a 60-day suspension for a first offense, 180 days for a second and one year after that.
• JOL holders cannot drive vehicles that need a commercial license.

Getting your license card

Paying the road test and license fees in advance saves a trip. When you pass with fees paid, your permit becomes a temporary license, and the photo license is mailed to you. If it has not arrived within 30 days, contact the RMV. The Class D license fee is $50. Drivers under 21 receive a vertical card marked Under 21.

The JOL limits in practice

Between 12:30 and 1 a.m. and between 4 and 5 a.m., police enforce the night limit only if you are stopped for something else. Driving then is still illegal, and you can be charged with driving without a license, which is a criminal offense.

• Passengers: for six months, no passengers under 18 who are not immediate family, unless a licensed adult aged 21 or older with a year of experience sits beside you.
• Night: no driving from 12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m. without a parent or legal guardian.
• Phones: no device use at all while driving, except to report an emergency.
• Clean driving: speeding, drag racing and other offenses bring mandatory suspensions on top of fines.

When the limits end

The passenger limit ends after six months on the JOL or when you turn 18, whichever comes first. Any suspension pauses the six-month clock. The other JOL rules end at 18, but you cannot move to a full license until any JOL suspension is served. Our guide to the learner's permit test and our rotary guide are good refreshers as you start driving alone.

Common mistakes

• Giving friends a lift in your first six months. Even one passenger under 18 who is not family breaks the rule unless a qualified adult is beside you.
• Thinking a 21-year-old friend can cover a late drive. Only a parent or legal guardian lifts the night limit.
• Using hands-free calls. Drivers under 18 cannot use devices at all.
• Forgetting that a suspension pauses the passenger-limit clock.

Test yourself: After you pass in Massachusetts: restrictions and your licence

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Massachusetts Permit Test
• How to Drive Through a Massachusetts Rotary
• Learning to Drive in Massachusetts