Michigan Driving Log Sheet Requirements for Teen Drivers

Michigan driving log requirements for teens come down to one document and two checkpoints: a supervised driving log that records at least 50 hours of practice behind the wheel, with a minimum of 10 of those hours at night, reviewed once when the teen enrolls in Segment 2 of driver education and again at the road test.¹ Show up to either checkpoint short on hours or missing the log, and the process stalls.

What Each Log Entry Must Include

The Michigan Secretary of State publishes an official supervised driving log as a downloadable PDF. A free mobile app called RoadReady is also accepted, and the state will take other formats as long as they capture the same information.² Every practice session gets its own entry, and every entry needs the same five pieces of information:

The date of the drive.
Daytime hours logged that session.
Nighttime hours logged that session. Michigan defines nighttime as beginning 30 minutes after sunset and ending 30 minutes before sunrise, so dusk driving doesn’t automatically count.
Weather conditions during the drive (rain, snow, clear, fog, and so on).
The supervising driver’s initials.

At the end of the log, a parent or legal guardian provides a full signature certifying that the recorded hours are accurate.² That signature is an attestation, not a formality, and incomplete or messy entries create problems at both checkpoints where the log is reviewed.

Who can supervise? A licensed parent, a legal guardian, or another licensed driver at least 21 years old who has the parent’s or guardian’s permission.¹

The 30-Hour Segment 2 Checkpoint

Most families aim at 50 hours and miss the earlier milestone. Before a teen can enroll in Segment 2 of driver education, they must show the driving log to the Segment 2 instructor with at least 30 hours already recorded, including a minimum of 2 nighttime hours.² A short log means the instructor cannot start the teen in the course.

The practical effect: you can’t procrastinate on logging and cram all 50 hours at the end. Because Segment 2 completion is itself a prerequisite for the road test, a log that falls short of 30 hours pushes the entire timeline back.¹

Reaching 50 Hours and the Road Test Prerequisites

To qualify for the Level 2 Intermediate License, the full 50 hours of supervised driving must be logged, with at least 10 of those hours at night.¹ The log is one prerequisite among several. Before scheduling the driving skills test, the teen must also:

Have held the Level 1 permit for at least six months.
Hold a certificate of completion from an approved Segment 2 driver education program.
Have no moving violations, civil infractions, license suspensions, or at-fault crashes during the 90-day period before the test.
Be at least 15 years old at the time of testing.

These come from the statute and the Secretary of State’s testing guidelines.³ Missing any single one means the examiner will turn the teen away.

What To Bring to the Skills Test

Michigan road tests are administered by authorized third-party testing businesses rather than the Secretary of State’s office directly. Fees vary by location because the state does not regulate what these businesses charge, so call ahead about pricing, retest fees, and cancellation policies.³

The examiner checks documents before the test begins. Come with all of the following:

A valid Level 1 license held for at least six months. The examiner verifies the issue date.
The Segment 2 completion certificate.
The driving log showing at least 50 total hours, including 10 nighttime hours, with supervisor initials and a parent or guardian signature.
A parent or legal guardian, present throughout the test. If they cannot attend, a designated representative needs written authorization.
Vehicle documents: valid liability insurance, current registration, and an unexpired license plate. The vehicle itself must be in safe working order.

The parent or guardian also signs a certification statement on the score sheet confirming the practice hours. If the parent cannot be there in person, a pre-signed copy of the certification statement from the Driving Skills Test Study Guide can be presented to the examiner instead.⁵

Keeping the Log Accurate

The biggest mistake is treating the log as paperwork to fill out later. After a few weeks nobody remembers whether Tuesday’s drive was 45 minutes or an hour, or whether it was raining. Fill in each session the same day you drive.

Vary the conditions on purpose. The log asks about weather for a reason, and an examiner looking at 50 hours of clear-sky suburban driving may question how prepared the teen actually is. Rain, highway miles, parking lots, and night driving should be spread across the whole process rather than saved for the final week.

Keep a running subtotal of daytime and nighttime hours as you go. The official Michigan log has subtotal lines built in, and using them lets you see at a glance whether the 30-hour Segment 2 threshold is met and how close you are to 50. The RoadReady app tracks totals automatically, and the log can be displayed on the phone or printed when it’s time for a checkpoint.4Michigan Secretary of State. Michigan Supervised Driving Log