Log book hours and supervised practice in South Australia

By the end of this topic you can

• You can state the minimum total and night-time hours.
• You can check whether a person can legally be your qualified supervising driver.
• You can fill in a log book entry correctly.
• You can explain the rules for log book apps, lost log books and interstate hours.

What you need to know and understand

• Minimum 75 hours of supervised driving, with at least 15 at night, for both the VORT and CBT&A routes.
• A qualified supervising driver must have held a full licence for the vehicle class for the past two years, with no disqualification in that time.
• A learner's permit, provisional or probationary licence does not count, and the supervisor must not currently be on a good behaviour condition.
• The supervisor must sit in the front seat next to you every time, including parking practice in car parks.
• It is an offence for the supervisor to have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05 or more, or a prescribed drug in their system. Police can breath test them.
• The supervisor signs each session. You hand in the log book and a declaration of hours when you apply for P1.

What each log book entry needs

The Driving Companion has separate forms for day and night driving. For each drive you record the date, start and finish times, how long you drove, where you started and finished, and the road, weather and traffic conditions. Your supervisor adds their name, licence number and signature.

Aim for variety, not just hours. The official guidance suggests practising at dawn, dusk and night, in rain and fog, in light and heavy traffic, and on highways and gravel roads, adding one new challenge at a time.

Apps, interstate hours and lost books

• Log book apps: allowed, but the printout must show every detail the paper log book asks for, with day and night hours separated. If the app has no declaration page, complete the one in The Driving Companion. Apps are not run or endorsed by the Registrar.
• Interstate experience: if you can prove you held an interstate learner permit, your supervisor may record that experience, or you can present your interstate log book towards the 75 hours.
• Lost log book: a replacement costs a fee, and your supervisor must re-enter and re-sign earlier sessions for them to count.
• False entries: heavy penalties apply for deliberately giving false information.

Choosing and briefing your supervisor

Parents, relatives and friends can supervise if they meet the legal test. A holder of an overseas licence can supervise if it comes from a country South Australia recognises, is in English or translated, and they meet the same experience rules. Paid instructors must hold a driving instructor's licence.

The handbook does not describe any bonus-hours scheme that reduces the 75 hours, so plan to log the full amount. Our Learning to Drive in South Australia guide has more ideas for building hours safely.

Common mistakes

• Logging hours with someone who has only held a full licence for a year. Those sessions do not count.
• Leaving night hours to the last month. Start them early so you build confidence in the dark gradually.
• Filling in the log book from memory weeks later. Record each drive straight away and get it signed.
• Letting the supervisor have a few drinks first. They must stay under 0.05 and can be breath tested.

Test yourself: Log book hours and supervised practice in South Australia

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

Go deeper

• High-Powered Vehicles and the U Class Licence in South Australia
• Learning to Drive in South Australia
• South Australia Health Professional Reporting