2364 US Hwy 287, Ste 123
Mansfield, Tx 76063
mansfielddrive@yahoo.com
(817) 225-2808
Mon - Thurs. 4-8p (business hours)
Doors will be unlocked by instructors, after hours, for students who have appointments
Teen - Course Information & Frequently Asked Questions
Driver's Ed Process in the State of Texas
Phase 1
Phase 1 is the first step in the driver’s ed process for all teens, in the State of Texas, to achieve their driving license. This phase consists of a traditional or online classroom phase. The class comprises 32 hours of learning regarding the fundamentals, laws and traffic signs and signals for the State of Texas. The permit written test will administered in this phase. The permit test will be administered based on individual student factors and classroom goals for each class and we can not guarantee on what date that permit test will be administered.
- TRADITIONAL = The class will be taught by a licensed instructor who will utilize good teaching techniques, audio-visual, stories and practical demonstrations to impart life long safe driving habits. The class is typically 4-weeks in length and meets Monday through Friday. Class time varies depending on what is available at the moment and each class time is 2-hours in length-per state law. The permit test will be administered during this class.
- ONLINE = This class will be overseen but not taught directly (i.e. live) with an instructor. This program allows the student the flexibility of learning on their own time and the comfort at home. The 32-hour requirement is still there and the students will work through the modules as they go. Parent-Taught (PT) students will be taking the online version of our 32-hour class for this phase in PT training. The permit test will be administered during this class.
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Phase 2-a
Phase 2-a is typically the second step in the driver’s ed process for all teens, in the State of Texas, to achieve their driving license. This phase is known in the driver’s ed world as Behind-The-Wheel (BTW). This phase is where the student, who now possesses a learner’s permit can start driver training with an instructor or with a parent instructor. The law requires that the student driver have 14 total hours comprising of lessons that build upon themselves taking the student from the basics of the car-to freeway-to practice testing. Consider this phase the official laboratory phase of behind-the-wheel.
- BTW at Driving School = The law allows a driving school to split the 14hr BTW requirement into two-parts. This means that each student will have 7 hours of driving with an instructor present in the car and 7 hours of observation where the student will sit in the backseat observing another driving student during their drive time. This allows for maximum value and skill building for new drivers. Each instructor is licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and has to meet annual recurrent training and is DPS background checked and meets strict driving history standards. BTW at Mansfield Driving Academy will take place in our vehicles. Our cars have an instructor brake as well.
- BTW with Parent-Taught = This phase will be taught directly by the “parent-instructor of record” and a log will be used to document each of the 14 hours of instruction. Information will be given on how best to teach the individual lessons.
Phase 2-b
Phase 2-b is the BTW practice phase. All teen driving students, regardless of the program type, are required to maintain a 30 hour log of general practice driving. This is meant to allow the flexibility of driving during different time, weather and scenarios of driving. This phase should not be used for the first learning steps in driving but rather practice upon the steps learned in phase 2a.
- 30 Hour Log = All students and parents will maintain a log documenting 30 hours of general driving. 10 hours of the 30 should be driven during nighttime hours. Only one hour can be documented at a time per date. 30 hours = 30 different dates.
Phase 3
Phase 3 is the last phase of the driver training process. This phase requires a driving test. The driving test consists of a battery of procedural checks where a student’s ability to perform safe driving habits, knowledge and implementation of traffic laws and good driver etiquette. Mansfield Driving Academy is a DPS Third Party Test Site. Check out more information on DPS Testing here.
- Age Requirements = The driving student must be a minimum of 16 years of age at the time of their driving test.
- Permit Requirements = The driving student must have held their learner’s permit for a minimum of 6 months to meet state requirements to be eligible for the driving test.
- Paperwork = A drivers ed completion certificate, verification of enrollment, social security card, 30-hour driving log, Impact to Teen Driving certificate.
Driver's Ed in Texas
Frequently Asked Questions
Driver’s ed in Texas consists of 3 general phases. Regardless of the type of delivery method for Driver Education this will determine how you move through the Phases.
Phase 1 – Classroom phase consisting of 32 hours training either online, in-person or by parent-taught curriculum.
Phase 2 – This is the Behind-The-Wheel phase of driver education and a student driver would either drive with an instructor or parent-of-record in a PT program. This phase consists of 14 total hours.
Phase 3 Would be the Driving Test phase and a driving student must be at minimum 16 years of age and have held their permit for a minimum of six-months and otherwise completed with their driver education program.
A driver education program is required for all teens 14-17 in the state of Texas in order to drive. We offer different options to best fit your learning style.
All teen driving students must hold their permit for a minimum of 180 days before potentially being eligible to upgrade their license. All Mansfield Driving Academy students have one-year to fulfil their driving contract.
The GDL is the required steps for teens to learn to drive and step up in a stepped fashion before getting a full unrestricted license.
Phase 1 – Learner’s License
Phase 2 – Provisional License
A learner license is the first license of the graduated-driver’s licensing program in the State of Texas. This license is a license to drive but with the restriction that a teen driver must drive with a front-seat occupant who is 21 or over, has held their own license for one-year. The learner license is good until the student turns 18. In order to receive the license the student must have passed the written permit exam. This license is to be held, by teens, for a minimum of 180 days before potentially graduating out of it. To graduate out of this license, a driving test must be passed.
A provisional license is phase 2 of the GDL process in Texas. It allows the student driver the freedom to drive alone but with restrictions. The restrictions are lifted at age 18 and a new license is obtained from the DPS. Failure to adhere to these rules or other traffic laws will result in possible redo of the driving test or other consequences assigned by a judge.
The Restrictions of a Provisional License:
- No driving between the hours of midnight and 5am except to go to or from work, school, or emergencies.
- Only one passenger in the car is allowed if that passenger is under 21. This rule does not apply to household relatives such as siblings.
- No wireless communication, phone, text or bluetooth communications.
There are three options in the State of Texas for a teen to complete the driver’s ed process. Mansfield Driving Academy offers you these three options to meet your learning needs. View the FAQ’s below for more information.
- Parent Taught – A parent-taught course is a driver’s ed course that is overseen by an online driver program and then instructed and carried out by a designated “parent.” The classroom will be done online and the behind the wheel will take place using your parent’s vehicle and parent instructor.
- Online Course – An online driver’s ed course is a course that is taught online (similar to the parent-taught at this stage) and then the practical behind the wheel phase would take place at our driving school with the supervision of an instructor.
- Traditional Course – A traditional course requires that a student attend an in-person classroom with a qualified classroom instructor. For the practical behind the wheel phase the student will drive at our driving school with the supervision of an instructor.
Driver's Ed in Texas
Frequently Asked Questions
Driver’s ed in Texas consists of 3 general phases. Regardless of the type of delivery method for Driver Education this will determine how you move through the Phases.
Phase 1 – Classroom phase consisting of 32 hours training either online, in-person or by parent-taught curriculum.
Phase 2 – This is the Behind-The-Wheel phase of driver education and a student driver would either drive with an instructor or parent-of-record in a PT program. This phase consists of 14 total hours.
Phase 3 Would be the Driving Test phase and a driving student must be at minimum 16 years of age and have held their permit for a minimum of six-months and otherwise completed with their driver education program.
A driver education program is required for all teens 14-17 in the state of Texas in order to drive. We offer different options to best fit your learning style.
All teen driving students must hold their permit for a minimum of 180 days before potentially being eligible to upgrade their license. All Mansfield Driving Academy students have one-year to fulfil their driving contract.
A learner license is the first license of the graduated-driver’s licensing program in the State of Texas. This license is a license to drive but with the restriction that a teen driver must drive with a front-seat occupant who is 21 or over, has held their own license for one-year. The learner license is good until the student turns 18. In order to receive the license the student must have passed the written permit exam. This license is to be held, by teens, for a minimum of 180 days before potentially graduating out of it. To graduate out of this license, a driving test must be passed.
The GDL is the required steps for teens to learn to drive and step up in a stepped fashion before getting a full unrestricted license.
Phase 1 – Learner’s License
Phase 2 – Provisional License
A provisional license is phase 2 of the GDL process in Texas. It allows the student driver the freedom to drive alone but with restrictions. The restrictions are lifted at age 18 and a new license is obtained from the DPS. Failure to adhere to these rules or other traffic laws will result in possible redo of the driving test or other consequences assigned by a judge.
The Restrictions of a Provisional License:
- No driving between the hours of midnight and 5am except to go to or from work, school, or emergencies.
- Only one passenger in the car is allowed if that passenger is under 21. This rule does not apply to household relatives such as siblings.
- No wireless communication, phone, text or bluetooth communications.
Parent Taught
Frequently Asked Questions
A driver education program where the student driver will be taught by a parent instructor of record at the convenience of the student and their parent.
- You are the student’s parent, step-parent, grandparent, step-grandparent, foster parent, legal guardian, or an individual designated by your parent/legal guardian/judge
- If you use a designated individual as your instructor, there are a few extra requirements for them. They also need to be at least 25 years old; they cannot charge a fee for being your instructor; they need at least 7 years of driving experience, and they must meet the rest of the requirements below.
- You will also need to print out the Parent Taught Driver Education Instructor Designation Form, complete it, and bring with you to the DPS when getting your permit.
- You must have a valid Texas driver license for the preceding three years.
- You don’t have a conviction or probated sentence of driving while intoxicated in the past 7 years.
- You don’t have a conviction or probated sentence of criminally negligent homicide.
- You haven’t had your driving privileges suspended, revoked, or forfeited for traffic-related violations in the past three years.
- You don’t have six or more points assigned to your driver license.
- Purchase the Parent-Taught program.
- Designate a parent as the instructor of record
- File and order the TDLR Parent-Taught packet. Click Here
- Start the Phases of Teen Driver’s Ed
- 32 hour online class
- Parent Taught Behind the Wheel training (14 hrs)
- BTW practice (30 hours)
- Driving Test
After 6 hours of the online 32-hour class, the student will take the permit exam. After successful completion of this test, a certificate will be emailed with the title: FOR LEARNER’S LICENSE. This certificate DOES NOT indicated completion of the 32-hour course, only that the permit test has been passed.
A new certificate will be given to the student upon the successful completion of the 32-hour class.
Your local driving school serving the Mansfield, Kennedale and Arlington areas since 2009.
Business hours
- 2364 US Hwy 287, Ste 123, Mansfield, Tx 76063
- 817-225-2808
- mansfielddrive@yahoo.com
OPENING HOURS
- Monday - Thursday
- (Business Office Hours)
- 4pm - 8pm