One day, a long time ago, I was complaining to my daughter’s daycare teacher about the trials and tribulations of potty training. The teacher, an older and more experienced parent, said with a sly smile, “Just wait until you have to teach ’em to drive.” Fifteen years later and here we are, working towards a Texas driver’s license.
Many questions arise as your child approaches the driving teenage years. How long do they drive with a learner’s license? Where can they take the driver’s test? How do they take a driver’s course? While guiding your teenager through the driver’s license process can be daunting and overwhelming rest assured that you are not alone. You can easily be the proud parent of a teenager licensed to drive. I have put together some key information that I learned going through this process of obtaining a Texas driver’s license, once with my oldest son and more recently, this summer with my daughter.
WHAT are the first steps my teenager has to take to get their Texas driver’s license and WHEN should they start the process?
- Start a driver’s education course: An eager teenager can start the course as early as 14 years old.
- Apply for a learner’s license (drive with an adult): Have to be at least 15 years of age.
- Apply for a provisional driver’s license (independent driving): Have to be at least 16 years of age.
A more complete and detailed step-by-step procedure for obtaining a first time driver’s license can be found at the Texas Department of Public Safety (TXDPS) website.
Driver’s Education Course
A driver’s ed course is required to obtain a Texas driver’s license. There are three different avenues to take to fulfill the driver’s education course requirement:
- Certified Driver Training School (in person or online): This is a great option for busy parents who don’t have the time to spend the many one-on-one supervised driving hours required for behind the wheel training. Also, if you are a bad driver, let the professionals handle it. Driving schools offer different packages that can range from $500 to $3000. The driving school also will provide the vehicle in many cases.
- Parent Taught Driver Education Course (PTDE): This is a more economical option with most courses offered less than $100. You, the parent, will accompany your child throughout all of one one-on-one hours required for behind the wheel driver training. There many parent taught driver education courses available. All of them provide the coursework, manuals, and driving hour logs needed to become an instant driving instructor for your teenager.
- Driver Education Offered in Public School: I could not find a public school in and around the Houston area that offers driver education. However, many school districts offered discounts with various driving schools for teenagers to earn their Texas driver’s license.
No matter which option you choose, the driver’s education course consists of a classroom taught portion (32 hours) and a behind the wheel driving portion (44 hours). Your teenager is required to do at least 6 hours of the classroom taught portion of the driver’s education class prior to getting behind the wheel. More information on driver’s education courses can be found here.
Learner’s License
Phase 1 is the first part of the graduated Texas driver’s license program and it allows an entry-level restricted driver’s license that allows the driver to practice driving with a licensed adult before graduating to the next level. This is the learner’s license and here are the requirements:
- Classroom instruction (at least 6 hours, can be online)
- Be between 15 and 17 years of age.
Once you have done these things, you have to make an appointment at the TXDPS and bring the following paperwork to your appointment.
- A completed driver’s license application (Form DL-14B); social security number required for the application and a $16 application fee.
- Proof of U.S. Citizenship (U.S. passport or birth certificate)
- Proof of Texas Residency (transcript, report card, utility bill, mortgage statement)
- Proof of identity (U.S. passport or birth certificate and social security card)
- Texas Driver’s Education Certificate showing classroom completion (Certificate DE-964)
- Verification of Enrollment and Attendance issued by a school or a high school diploma or GED
Save this paperwork to bring along to the TXDPS appointment that you will need to make for their provisional driver’s license. More detailed descriptions of the paperwork that you are required to bring to your TXDPS appointment can be found at the on TXDPS website.
A parent or legal guardian must accompany the budding future driver to the appointment. At your appointment, if all your paperwork is in order, the TXDPS will issue a temporary paper learner’s license. The card will arrive in the mail in approximately 2 to 3 weeks. But even with the temporary learner’s license in hand, your teenager can now drive behind the wheel with a licensed adult 21 years or older in the front passenger seat. The learner’s license expires on the 18th birthday.
Helpful Hint: Use the online system to make an appointment at least 2 weeks in advance. The appointments fill up quickly and you can always cancel and reschedule your appointment at anytime. There is also no penalty if you don’t show up.
There is no behind the wheel requirement or driver’s test required to obtain the learner’s license.
Behind The Wheel
For both of my kids, I opted for the parent taught driver education course. They were more comfortable driving with someone they knew. In order to fultill the Behind The Wheel requirements for driver’s training, the following driving hours are required:
- 7 hours of in-car observation sitting next to an instructor/parent instructor
- 7 hours of in-car observation driving and demonstrating to the instructor/parent instructor everything that was learned previously
- 30 hours behind the wheel driving practice, of which at least 10 hours must be at night.
These hours are supposed to be logged and recorded. Keep track of the Behind the Wheel hours and bring the logged hours to the TXDPS appointment. For both of my kids, the TXDPS did not ask or look at the logged hours but bring them anyway just in case.
For the first behind the wheel moments, a large empty parking lot (school or church) is the best place to start learning how to drive. In these areas, your inexperienced driver can get a feel for speed, braking, and turning without worrying about other cars.
Stepping out into the real world, your teenager can progress from driving in residential areas to two-lane streets and driving on a higher speed roadway. As you are driving with your teenager, you will be able to get an idea of how confident and comfortable they are as drivers and allow them to drive at their own pace
Finally, as the test date approaches, I increased instructions in the car constantly reminding them to check their mirrors, use their blinker, not to tailgate, and anything else that came to mind. This wasn’t necessarily because I wanted my young driver to pass their test but I realized that soon, I would not be sitting next to them anymore to say anything at all.
Helpful Hints: Sundays are the best days for Behind the Wheel training because traffic is light and drivers are slower and more patient, typical Sunday drivers.
Provisional Driver’s License
For phase II of the teenage driving saga, in order to get the full, independent “I can drive on my own” driver’s license:
- The driver has to have had a valid learner’s license for at least 6 months
- Be between 16 and 17 years of age
- Complete all of the classroom (32 hours) and behind the wheel (44) portion of driver’s education
- Complete the Impact Texas Teen Driver Program (watch a 2 hour video and print out the certificate)
Once you have done these things, you have to make an appointment at the TXDPS and bring the same exact paperwork to your appointment that you brought for the learner’s license previously. In addition, bring the learner’s license, logged Behind the Wheel hours, and $16 to pay the fee. Again, a parent or legal guardian must accompany the driver to the appointment.
Driving Test
The driving test portion of getting Texas driver’s license can be taken through a third party provider such as a driver training school. All the paperwork mentioned above will be required if you opt to have your child take the driver’s test at a driving school. The price ranges from $150 to $250 to take the test. The results of the test will be provided by the school in a sealed envelope and you have to bring this sealed envelope to the TXDPS at your appointment.
Alternatively, if you decide to take the driving test at your appointment at the TXDPS, you must provide the vehicle, proof of registration, and insurance.
Whether you take your driving test through a driving school or at the TXDPS, you have to pass this test before getting your provisional driver’s license.
Helpful Hint: The DMV driving test tends to be more difficult than the driving test offered at a driving school.
At the DMV, parallel parking is the first skill that will be tested. If they fail parallel parking, they fail their drivers test and they will not continue onto the rest of the test.
If you fail your driver’s test, the test can be rescheduled as soon as the following day, if appointments are available. A driver has three chances to pass the test in 90 days.
Licensed to Drive
If your teenager passed their driving test and all the paperwork is in order, they will get issued a temporary paper license and a card in the mail in 2 to 3 weeks. They are now ready to drive on their own with the following exceptions:
- They may not drive with more than one passenger in the vehicle under 21 who is not a family member
- They may not drive between 12am and 5am unless related to work, school, or a medical emergency
This Texas driver’s license expires at the age of 18.
Now there is an entire new layer of responsibility that is handed over along with those car keys. Explain and discuss important rules and standards to abide by as a new driver.
- Go over the basics of where the insurance information is kept and what to do in the event of an accident.
- Develop rules about when and where to get gas. We typically try to avoid getting gas at night and in unfamiliar parts of town.
- Set up standards that are expected to be followed like locking your car doors at all times and keeping the car clean.
- Remind them about being respectful drivers and to keep your cool and stay calm. Tell them not to drive angry and not to respond to other angry drivers. It is not worth it and you never know who you are picking a fight with.
From potty training to driver’s training, you will get through this next phase of parenting. You may have to dig down deep to find the necessary grace, patience, and understanding to teach your teenager to drive (just like potty training) but you can do it! So buckle up, sit back and enjoy the ride.
