Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
For Tennessee parents and teens working toward the Intermediate Restricted license. Before a teen can take the road skills test, a parent, legal guardian or driving instructor must certify at least 50 hours of driving experience, including 10 hours at night. Tennessee collects this on the “Certificate of 50 hours Behind the Wheel Driving Experience” from the Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
Key facts
- Hours: 50 in total, of which at least 10 must be at night.
- Who signs: a parent, legal guardian or driving instructor.
- When: handed in when you apply for the Intermediate Restricted license, with the road test.
- Timing: the teen must also be 16 and have held the learner permit for 180 days.
- Driver’s ed: not required in Tennessee. The 50 hours is the state’s practice requirement.
Who can supervise the practice drives?
On a Tennessee learner permit, the teen must drive with a licensed driver aged 21 or older in the front seat. Practice is not allowed between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. That means the 10 night hours are driven after dark but before 10 p.m. In winter that is easy. In June and July, plan evening drives late.
Any licensed driver aged 21 or older can sit in. Only a parent, legal guardian or driving instructor signs the certificate.
Checklist: getting the 50 hours right
- Get the current certificate from the Department of Safety’s Forms and Publications page or a Driver Services Center.
- Keep your own simple log as you go: date, start and end time, day or night, roads driven, skills practiced.
- Count only time with the teen driving and a licensed driver aged 21 or older beside them.
- Check the night total reaches 10 hours before you book the test.
- Have the parent, guardian or instructor sign the certificate before test day.
- Bring the signed certificate to the road test with the learner permit.
A 50 hour plan that covers the road test
| Hours | Focus | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 5 | Controls, smooth starts and stops, steering, mirrors | Empty parking lot |
| 6 to 15 | Turns, stop signs, four-way stops, lane position | Quiet residential streets |
| 16 to 25 | Busier roads, traffic lights, lane changes, speed control | Town and city roads |
| 26 to 35 | Highway merging, following distance, passing | Highways and freeways |
| 36 to 40 | Rain and low light, school zones, railroad crossings | Mixed |
| Night (10) | Headlight use, glare, judging speed in the dark | Spread across the plan, before 10 p.m. |
| Last few | Mock road tests: backing, parking, full routes with no coaching | Around your Driver Services Center |
Useful while you practice: four-way stops, freeway merging and supervised hours in other states.
What comes next
With the certificate signed, book the Tennessee road skills test. After you pass, the Intermediate Restricted license rules apply. Full route: learning to drive in Tennessee.
Common questions
Does Tennessee check the 50 hour log?
The state asks for a signed certification of the hours. Keep your own log anyway. It is the easiest way to be sure the totals add up.
Do driving school lessons count toward the 50 hours?
A driving instructor is one of the people who can certify the hours, so lessons with an instructor are part of the experience the certificate covers.
Can a grandparent sign the Tennessee 50 hour certificate?
Only a parent, legal guardian or driving instructor can certify the hours. A grandparent who is the teen’s legal guardian qualifies.
Do adults need 50 hours in Tennessee?
No. The certificate is part of the graduated license program for drivers under 18.
How do you get 10 night hours if permit holders cannot drive after 10 p.m.?
Drive after sunset and before 10 p.m. Fall and winter evenings make this easiest.
Sources
- Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Office of Research and Education Accountability, “Driver Education in Tennessee” (comptroller.tn.gov)
- Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Office of Research and Education Accountability, “Tennessee’s Graduated Driver Licensing Law” (comptroller.tn.gov)