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What Counts as Night Driving in Tennessee?
Tennessee requires 10 hours of night driving before you can get your license. But when does “night” actually start? That depends.
Tennessee’s Night Driving Definition
Tennessee uses fixed hours: 10 PM to 6 AM. Doesn’t matter what the sun is doing. If the clock says 10 PM, you’re in night territory.
This is actually easier to track than sunset-based definitions. You always know exactly when night starts and stops. No looking up sunset tables.
What This Means for Your 10 Night Hours
Tennessee wants 10 hours of driving during the night window defined above. Out of your total 50 required hours, that’s the part most families put off.
Night drives are stressful. Parents don’t love being in the passenger seat when visibility drops. Teens are less confident. So the night hours pile up at the end and you’re scrambling.
Start mixing in night drives from month one. Even 20 minutes after dinner twice a week adds up to almost 3 hours a month.
Curfew vs. Night Hours
Don’t confuse night hours with curfew. Tennessee has a curfew for permit holders: no driving between 10 PM and 6 AM.
You can still log night hours before curfew starts. If night begins at sunset (say 6 PM) and curfew starts at 10 PM, you have that window to practice.
Tennessee Permit Requirements Quick Reference
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Total supervised hours | 50 |
| Day hours | 40 |
| Night hours | 10 |
| Night definition | 10 PM to 6 AM |
| Minimum permit age | 15 |
| Permit hold period | 6 months |
| Supervisor minimum age | 21 |
Tracking Night Hours in Tennessee
Tennessee’s fixed-hour definition makes tracking straightforward. But you still need to log every session, calculate durations, and keep running totals for day and night separately.
Moda handles all of that. Start a session, drive, stop. It knows Tennessee’s rules and categorizes your hours automatically.
For full Tennessee permit requirements, see our Tennessee permit hours guide.