How to Fill Out Form DL-4A: NC Level 2 Driving Log Instructions

North Carolina DMV Form DL-4A is the driving log a Level 1 permit holder uses to record the 60 hours of supervised practice required before applying for a Level 2 Limited Provisional License. You print the form, fill in one row per driving session with the date, start time (in either the day or night column), hours driven, and the supervising driver’s name and license number, then have a supervising driver sign the certification at the bottom before bringing the printed log to a driver license office.¹

Download the form as a PDF from the NCDOT site, or pick up a paper copy at any driver license office. Print it before you start logging. The DMV requires a printed copy at the time of application and will not accept a digital version on a phone or tablet.²

What the Log Has to Show

Three numbers govern the log. The grand total must be at least 60 hours. At least 10 of those hours must be nighttime driving. And no more than 10 hours per week count toward the 60-hour requirement, so a teen who drives 20 hours in one week only gets credited for 10.³

The weekly cap sets a hard floor on how fast the log can be finished. Six weeks is the absolute minimum. Most families take several months.

How to Fill In Each Row

At the top of Form DL-4A, enter the customer’s name (the teen driver) and the driver license number from the Level 1 Limited Learner Permit. The rest of the form is a table where each row represents one driving session. The columns are:¹

Date: the calendar date of the session.
Time of Day: if the session was during daylight hours, the start time goes here.
Time of Night: if the session was at night, the start time goes in this column instead.
Amount of Driving Time: total hours driven during that session.
Supervising Driver’s Printed Name: the full name of the adult who supervised.
Supervising Driver’s DL: the supervising driver’s license number and issuing state.

Every session goes in either the day column or the night column, not both. At the bottom of the log, tally the Total Day Hours Driven, the Total Night Hours Driven, and the Grand Total.¹

Who Can Sign as a Supervising Driver

Not every licensed adult can ride along and count toward the log. Under N.C.G.S. § 20-11(k), a supervising driver must be a parent, grandparent, or legal guardian of the permit holder, or a responsible adult approved by the parent or guardian. That person must be a licensed driver who has held their license for at least five years, and must be seated next to the teen in the front passenger seat while the vehicle is in motion.³

The five-year rule catches families off guard. A 21-year-old older sibling who was licensed at 16 qualifies. A family friend who has only been licensed for three or four years does not. Confirm the supervising driver’s license date before logging any hours; sessions supervised by someone who doesn’t meet the statutory definition won’t count.²

The Certification and Signature

Once the hours are all recorded, a supervising driver signs the bottom of the form. The certification reads: “I [Print Supervising Driver’s Name], do certify that the information on this form is true and accurate and is in accordance with N.C. G.S. 20-11(d).” The supervising driver prints their name, signs, and dates the form.¹ Only one supervising driver needs to sign, even if several adults supervised different sessions along the way.

What Happens If the Log Is Falsified

If the DMV has reason to believe a driving log has been falsified, the teen must complete an entirely new 60-hour log from scratch and becomes ineligible for the Level 2 license for six months.³ That six-month penalty stacks on top of the time needed to redo the log, which itself takes at least six weeks because of the weekly cap. A shortcut can easily cost a teen close to a year.

Bringing the Log to the DMV

The completed log is one piece of the Level 2 application. When you visit the driver license office for the road test, bring:²

The Level 1 Limited Learner Permit.
The printed DL-4A driving log, showing at least 60 total hours with at least 10 at night, signed by a supervising driver.
Printed proof of liability insurance listing the teen driver by name, from a provider licensed in North Carolina. Images on a phone or tablet are not accepted. The teen can be listed as an insured driver on the vehicle owner’s policy.
A vehicle for the road test, with a valid registration card, that will pass a pre-trip inspection.
A parent or legal guardian. If someone else accompanies the teen, that person needs written documentation from the parent or guardian giving consent.

If the teen already passed the road test at a certified driver education school, bring that certificate as well. The fee for the Level 2 Limited Provisional License is $25.50.²

Tips for Keeping the Log Clean

Record each session the same day you drive. Filling in the log from memory weeks later produces rounding errors, missing entries, and columns that don’t add up. Keep a pen in the car and write the entry before you go inside.

Spread the 10 night hours across several weeks rather than cramming them into a couple of late sessions. Night driving on different road types and in different weather conditions builds real skill, and the examiner giving the road test can tell the difference.

Double-check the math before the DMV visit. Add the day column and the night column separately, confirm the night total reaches at least 10, and confirm the grand total reaches at least 60. Then verify that no single week contains more than 10 credited hours. An examiner who spots a week with 15 logged hours may question the accuracy of the entire log.

1
North Carolina Department of Transportation. DMV Driving Log
2
North Carolina Department of Transportation. Get a Level 2 Limited Provisional License
3
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 20-11 – Issuance of Limited Learner’s Permit and Provisional License to Persons Who Are Less Than 18 Years Old