How to Fill Out the Kentucky Practice Driving Log

The Kentucky practice driving log is the form a teen permit holder uses to record the 60 hours of supervised driving required before taking the road skills test. At least 10 of those hours must be at night, a parent or legal guardian must sign the log to certify the total, and you present it to the Kentucky State Police examiner on test day. You can download the form from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet website or pick one up at a driver licensing office.¹

The log requirement applies only to drivers who got their original learner’s permit between the ages of 15 and 17. If your first permit was issued at 18 or older, you still hold it for 180 days, but the 60-hour log and the intermediate license phase do not apply.²

Hours You Need Before the Road Test

Kentucky law requires a parent or guardian to sign a statement attesting that the permit holder has completed at least 60 total hours of supervised driving, with at least 10 of those hours at night.³ The nighttime portion exists because low-light driving involves different hazards, and examiners want to see that you’ve practiced in those conditions before testing.

You also have to hold the learner’s permit for a minimum of 180 days before you can apply for an intermediate license. A moving traffic violation, a DUI conviction, or a violation of permit restrictions during that window resets the 180-day clock. A ticket at month four means starting the count over.²

The statute doesn’t dictate which road types you have to practice on, so spread the 60 hours across varied conditions rather than cramming them into a few weekends. Highway time, parking lots, rain, and heavier traffic all build experience that makes the road test easier and driving afterward safer.

How to Fill Out Each Log Entry

Every entry on the form should record the date, the start time, the end time, whether the session was during the day or at night, the weather conditions, and the total duration of the drive. Fill it in after each session while the details are still fresh. Reconstructing weeks of driving from memory almost always produces errors, and an examiner who spots inconsistencies can hold up the test.

Keep the daytime and nighttime tallies separate as you go so you can see whether you’re on track for the 10-hour nighttime minimum. A common mistake is finishing 60 hours total and realizing only six or seven happened after dark, which means more driving before you’re actually eligible.

Who Can Ride With You

Every minute of logged practice has to happen with a supervising driver who is at least 21 years old, holds a valid Kentucky operator’s license, and sits in the front passenger seat beside you.³ The supervisor doesn’t have to be a parent. A grandparent, an older sibling, an aunt, an uncle, or a family friend who meets the age and license requirements all qualify.

That flexibility matters because most families can’t have the same adult in the passenger seat for every session. Different supervisors are fine. What isn’t fine is logging time with someone under 21, someone unlicensed, or someone sitting in the back seat.

Parent or Guardian Certification

The log includes a certification section where a parent or legal guardian signs to attest that the 60-hour requirement has been met. This signed statement is what the statute actually requires: KRS 186.452 says the applicant must present “a statement signed by a parent or guardian attesting that the applicant has completed at least sixty (60) hours of supervised driving experience.”³ No source indicates the signature needs to be notarized.

The parent or guardian who signs should be the same one listed on the permit application, or someone who can otherwise verify their legal relationship to the applicant. Even if a grandparent or friend rode along for most of the practice hours, the certification signature at the bottom of the log belongs to the parent or legal guardian.

Bringing the Log to the Road Test

Once the 60 hours are logged and the 180-day permit period has passed, you can schedule a road skills test at a Kentucky State Police testing location. All drivers under 18 must present the completed log to the examiner before the skills test can be administered.¹ Bring these documents with you:

The completed Practice Driving Log, signed and certified by your parent or guardian, with all 60 hours (including 10 nighttime hours) documented.¹
The GDL Skills Test Eligibility Letter, which must be within seven days of its print date. Don’t request it too far in advance.²
Proof of vehicle insurance. The test vehicle must be properly registered, and you need a proof-of-insurance card, a current policy, or a written binder from an insurance agent confirming coverage.⁴

The examiner reviews your log before the driving portion begins. If hours are missing, entries are incomplete, or the parent certification is unsigned, the examiner can refuse to give the test. You’ll need to fix the problem and reschedule, which costs time and may cost another testing fee.

Test Vehicle Details

Your test vehicle must be registered and insured. Rental vehicles are permitted as long as the rental agreement lists the applicant as the renter and shows active insurance coverage. Vehicles with temporary tags can be used as long as the tag matches the vehicle and is valid on the test date.⁵ Backup cameras are allowed as a safety tool, but the examiner still expects mirror checks and shoulder checks during maneuvers such as parallel parking. Relying only on the camera screen is a quick way to lose points on that portion of the test.

Common Log Problems That Delay Testing

A few log issues come up often enough at testing locations to be worth watching for before you show up:

The nighttime hours don’t add up to 10. Total hours can be well past 60 while the night column falls short.
Entries have gaps, missing dates, or missing end times. Fill in every column for every session.
The parent or guardian certification is unsigned or signed by someone whose relationship to the applicant isn’t clear from the permit application.
The GDL Skills Test Eligibility Letter is more than seven days old on the day of the test.

Handling the log carefully during the permit period keeps the road test appointment on the calendar and turns the 60 hours into what they’re meant to be: real preparation for driving on your own.

1
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Practice Driving Log
2
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Graduated Driver Licensing Program
3
Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky Revised Statutes 186.452 – Intermediate License to Operate a Motor Vehicle
4
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. First Issuance
5
Kentucky State Police. Driver Testing