FAQ about Driver Education

Our teen driver education course is for 14-17 year olds.  

If the student is 14, they may take the course but must wait until their 15th birthday to apply for a permit.

• A student must be 15 years of age;
• Completed the first 6 hours of driver education (if concurrent method) or all 32 hours of classroom instruction (if block method); and
• Has received a Texas driver education certificate of completion (DE-964)
• Please refer to "Applying for a Learner's License - Minor" in our Resources section.

The DPS will ask for the following documents when a teen applies for a learner license (permit):

• DE-964 (or PTDE-964)- This certificate proves the student passed the DPS written exams.
• Verification of Enrollment (VOE)- This document is issued by the school and states the student is enrolled and attending classes.  (If the student graduated early, a high school diploma is accepted.)
• proof of Texas residency- two documents that contain parent/guardian name and Texas residence dated within 30 days.  Named parent must be present.  (https://www.dps.texas.gov/DriverLicense/residencyReqNonCDL.htm)
• proof of citizenship- one document proving that the student is a citizen of the United States.  Most commonly this is an original or certified copy of a birth certificate or a passport.
• student's social security card

You must be at least 15 years old to take behind-the-wheel lessons.

Yes!  In order to transfer your teen's driver education to Mr. D's Driver Center, we will need your teen to complete all 32 hours of coursework with the online company.  After this is done, contact the online company and have them transfer the driver education to us.  We will need a copy of this transfer certficate.  Give us a call, and we will explain the process to you.

Yes!  We offer tutorials for teens.  We recommend that your teen starts with a one-hour tutorial with one of our licensed instructors.  The instructor will provide feedback regarding the strengths and weaknesses of your teen and discuss whether or not your teen should have more tutorials.  

We also offer a road test tutorial that will prepare your teen for their road test.  

There are several documents you will need for both Mr. D's Driving Center and the DPS when taking your road test.  

For Minors (teens ages 16 -17) please refer to "Driving Test (DPS Road Test) Instructions - Minors" in our Resource section.

For Adults (ages 18 and up) please refer to  "Driving Test (DPS Road Test) Instructions - Adults" in our Resource section.

The car must be insured, but the studen't name does not need to be on the policy.  

As long as the dealer's plates are not expired, it is acceptable.

Yes, we still give road tests in the rain.  We will only cancel if we are under severe weather alerts.

When you pass the road test, you will be given a sealed envelope containing your original driver education documents and the test results. The envelope must be submitted to the DPS for your restrictions to be dropped and a new license to be issued.  The envelope is not a substitute for the license.

You must have a valid permit to take the road test.  If your permit has expired, please stop by the DPS and renew your permit.

You have two vehicle options for your road test.  Most people provide their own vehicle.  This vehicle must be insured and have properly displayed plates on the front and back, functioning horn and lights, and a valid registration sticker. You may also use a Mr. D's Driving Center car for an additional fee of $25.

All adults 18 to 24 who are applying for a learner's license (permit) are required to take a 6 hour adult driver education course.  

Adults 25 and older are not required to take the adult driver education course but may if they choose.  They must take the DPS written exams.  

Everyone applying for a learner's license (permit) regardless of age must watch the IMPACT video (https://impacttexasdrivers.dps.texas.gov/ITYD/).

Please see the document "Applying for a Learner's License- Adults" in our resource section for a list of documents needed to apply for a permit.

We offer adult driver education twice a month.  

Our Kilgore location offers a class on the 2nd Saturday of the month in English and a class on the 4th Saturday in Spanish.

Our Tyler location offers classes in English on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays each month.

For online courses, you should be able to access your certificate through your online account or app with the online company.  The course completion certificate will not be issued if all 32 hours of online work are not completed.  

All tutorials will be in one of Mr. D's Driving Center's fleet cars. 

Yes, a temporary (paper) permit is acceptable for Road Tests and Behind-the-Wheel sessions.  This document does have an expiration date so it is important to verify if the document is still valid.

A Verification of Enrollment (VOE) is a document issued by the school that the student attends.  The VOE is used to verify a teen's enrollment status in a high school or homeschool program and that they are in good standing with their attendence. Students with excessive absences or tardies will not be issued a VOE.

For students who have graduated early, a high school diploma may be substitued for the VOE.

Yes, we accept credit card payments over the phone.

REFUND POLICY

• Refund computations will be based on actual instruction received through the last date of attendance.
• The effective date of the termination for refund purposes will be the earliest of the following:
  (a) the last day of attendance, if the student is terminated by the school; (b) the date of receipt of written notice from the student; or
  (c) the 10^th school day following the last day of attendance.
• If tuition is collected in advance of entrance and, ** if after the expiration of the 72-hour cancellation privilege, the student does not enter school, terminates enrollment, or withdraws, the school may retain up to $50 as administrative expenses; and, from the remainder, shall refund that portion of the classroom tuition and fees and behind-the-wheel tuition and fees for services not previously received by the student.
• Refunds for items of extra expense to the student, including instructional supplies, books, laboratory fees, service charges, rentals, deposits, and all other such ancillary miscellaneous charges, will be made within 30 days after the effective date of enrollment termination if these items are stated separately and shown as part of the data furnished the student before enrollment.
• A full refund of all tuition and fees is due and refundable in each of the following cases:
  (a) when an enrollee is not accepted by the school; (b) if the course of instruction is discontinued by the school at this location; or (c) if the student's enrollment was procured as a result of any misrepresentation in advertising, promotional materials of the school, or misrepresentation by the owner or representation of the school.
• Refunds shall be completed within 30 days after the effective date of termination.

If you are absent (or cancel within less that 24-hours) for a scheduled driving lesson (either for a tutorial or a behind-the-wheel session), your account will automatically be charged a no-show fee.