Logbook Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

You must be a Tasmanian novice learner driver with an active licence to set up an account on the app.

Non-novice learners are not required to log hours and are unable to access the logbook app.

Nope! Just learner drivers.

Only learner drivers need an account and the app installed on their device. Supervisors and driving instructors don't need to install the app or create an account. For any driving trips they supervise, supervisors and driving instructors just need to approve their personal data being added to the app, check their information is correct and sign off on the trip.

The app is available for download on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

You will need 40mb of space on your device to download the app.

The Plates Plus app is supported on all iPhones that Apple formally supports for the current and previous versions of iOS. Currently, this is iOS 9 onwards.

For Android devices, the app supports all mobile phones running Android 4.4 (KitKat) onwards.

Yes! We provide backups and we synchronise automatically over multiple devices.

You can log in to the Plates Plus app with the same account on as many phones as you want. Any updates made on one device will automatically be made on other devices logged in to the same account.

No. Non-novice learners are not required to log supervised driving hours, and are unable to access the Plates Plus logbook app.

Your supervisory driver must meet all of the following requirements:

• have a full Australian car licence (except a restricted licence)
• have held this licence continuously for the previous 12 months, and
• provide driving instruction to the learner when they are driving.

Yes, you can log drives without an internet connection. However, any drives eligible for credit hours only will be updated on the dashboard once you have connected to the internet. The app will prompt you to connect after two days without internet connection.

You will lose any offline trips you have recorded if you log out or delete the app before your device connects to the internet.

You should start the “drive now” function just before you start the car and begin driving. Start by pressing the steering wheel icon at the bottom centre of your logbook dashboard and following the prompts.

Don’t forget that driving also includes being stationary at intersections or in traffic, and it is illegal for you to interact with your phone while you’re driving.

Driving doesn’t include sitting in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle (unless you are practising parking), so you should stop the drive once you park the car.

Remember, you can edit the trip start or end time if you forget to start or stop the “drive now” function. You should make changes before your supervisor or instructor signs off on the trip. If you realise you made a mistake after the trip has been signed off, you will need to delete the trip and manually re-add it.

If you prefer to manually add your driving experience or forget to start the “drive now” function, you can manually add trips.

To add a trip, press the “+” button in the top right of the app dashboard and enter the required fields before asking your supervisor to sign off on the trip.

Yes, credit hours from both the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) course and two-for-one instructor lessons are automatically calculated towards your totals on the dashboard.

10 hours of driving lessons count towards the two-for-one instructor credit hours (up to a maximum of 20 hours). Any instructor lessons are counted as normal once you have had your ten two-for-one lessons.

RYDA credit hours are only available to learners who are required to complete 80 hours and will only apply if the RYDA course was completed from 2020 onwards.

RYDA credit hours are only available to learners who are required to complete 80 hours and will only apply if the RYDA course was completed from 2020 onwards.

Yes, you can add multiple supervisors and driving instructors. Add a new supervisor or instructor under “Supervisors” in the “Logbook” screen of the app, or after logging a trip.

A supervised drive is any drive with an eligible supervisory driver. Driving instructor lessons are with a certified driving instructor.

You can get two-for-one credit hours for up to ten hours of driving lessons with a driving instructor.

Any driving you do between sunset and sunrise counts towards your night-time hours. Night-time hours are determined automatically using your current GPS location.

You can edit a trip start or end time before a trip is signed off.

If need to edit a trip after it has been submitted, you will need to delete the trip and re-add it manually.

The app limits logbook trips to a maximum of four hours. If you try to log a longer trip, an error message will direct you to edit your trip so it is four hours or less. If you have driven for a longer time you will need to log a separate trip.

It is recommended that you take a break of at least 15 minutes for every two hours of driving. Breaks cannot count as driving time and you should stop your trip on the app when you take a break and start a new trip when you start driving again.

If you feel tired, you should ask you supervisory driver to take over driving.

No. It is illegal for a learner to interact with a mobile phone in any situation while driving. This includes when waiting at traffic lights or while stationary in traffic. The app is designed in a way so that you can start recording before you start driving. You can then put your phone away, and the app will record your drive in the background automatically.

It is recommended that supervising drivers, driving instructors and passengers don't use a mobile phone as it can distract you while you're driving. It can also distract supervisors from providing you with the assistance and guidance you need while you're building your driving skills and confidence.

It's important that supervisors, driving instructors, and passengers understand the danger of distraction, and don't distract you while you're driving by using their phones.

No, not while you're driving.

However, you will need an internet connection to sign up or log in to the app. Also, if you don't have an internet connection when you end a drive, your trip data won’t sync to our server. Data will be verified and synced when you next have internet access.

If you want it to! You can choose whether to use the paper logbook or the app to record your supervised driving hours. The paper logbook is available for purchase at Service Tasmania shops.

No, the app is an optional replacement for the paper logbook. You can choose which one to use.

When making your decision you may want to consider the availability of phone reception in your area - if you have problems with reception you might want to stick with the paper logbook.

The app doesn’t require internet access while driving. However, you will need an internet connection to sign up or log in. Mobile data will also help with auto completing some of the fields (e.g., weather and night-time driving), but it's not a requirement.

Yes.

You can manually enter individual entries from your paper logbook into the app (including the date, time and other details). Your supervisor or driving instructor will also need to sign off on each entry.

If you have logged many hours in your paper logbook or are having trouble, please send us a message.

There are no plans to phase out the paper logbook.

Easy! Just complete the in-app declaration.

You will be able to make the in-app declaration once you have completed your minimum driving hours (including any night-time hours that you are required to log). Your device must be connected to the internet to make the declaration. Please also make sure that all outstanding unsigned trips are signed off.

You can only make the in-app declaration once, and you will need to show your declaration to your P1 Driving Assessor.

If you held an L2 licence before 1 December 2020, you are required to complete 50 logbook hours.

If you held an L1 licence before 1 December 2020 or have been issued a Novice Learner licence since 1 December 2020, you are required to complete 80 logbook hours, including 15 night-time hours.

More information about the learner licensing pathway can be found here.

You can book a driving test once you've completed the minimum requirements.

These include holding your learner licence for at least 12 months, being at least 17 years old, and completing the minimum number of supervised driving hours (depending on your licence, this will be either 50 hours OR 80 hours, including 15 night-time hours).

You will also need to pass the online Hazard Perception Test before you can sit your P1 practical driving assessment. The Hazard Perception Test can be completed from three months before your earliest P1 practical driving assessment date (which is printed on your driver’s licence).

For more information on the Hazard Perception Test, please click here.

No. You don’t need to record any more hours in the app.

If you’ve reached the minimum requirements you don’t need to record any more hours, but it's always good to practice more!

You will not be able to proceed with your P1 Practical Driving Assessment if you can’t show the declaration to your assessor.

We recommend making sure you have completed your declaration and the app is working a few days before your test. You should also make sure your phone is charged and the app is working on the day.

You will need to keep the app if you fail your assessment so you can show it to your assessor the next time you attempt a P1 Practical Driving Assessment.

Yes, however you will have to manually enter all driving trips into the paper logbook.

Check out our app's privacy policy for all the detailed privacy information.

The Plates Plus app includes security measures to make sure your personal information and identity are protected. Your data is stored securely according to Australian Government digital standards.

Your Practical Driving Assessor will fail you. If you have already passed your assessment, your licence may be cancelled. You may also be fined.

You'll need an iOS mobile device (e.g., iPhone, iPod Touch) or Android mobile device.

We keep a backup of the data you last saved to our servers.

Your settings and your trip data are held on our servers, so if you get a new phone you'll be able to restore your driving data when you download the app and log in.

You will need an active internet connection to save your data to our servers. You can check the settings view in the app to see if you’ve successfully connected to the server. Look for the green thumbs up icon. 👍

This depends on the settings on your phone.

If you have set your phone to automatically update, your app will update as soon as a new version is available. Otherwise, you will need to install updates manually.

Having issues signing up? Make sure to check that the data entered is correct - it’s easy sometimes to miss a number.

If you've entered your details correctly and you're still getting an error, then please email graduated.licensing.system@stategrowth.tas.gov.au to check your licence number is correct. If you are still having trouble, please send us a message. Remember, if your learner licence was reissued after a data breach, you may have a new licence number.

Please make sure you have entered the correct email address and password. You can always reset your password by sending a reset link to the email address linked to your account. You must also be connected to the internet when logging in to the app.

You can reset your password by sending a link to the email address linked to your account.

No, you can log into your account on different devices and continue logging trips.

Make sure you have an active internet connection. Check your details to make sure they're correct.

If this doesn't work then send us a message.

While waiting for a reply you can copy down any driving trips you do so you can enter them into the app manually later.

Make sure you have the latest version of the app installed. Open the App Store on your phone and check to see if there is an update available.

If this doesn't work then send us a message.

While waiting for a reply you can copy down any driving trips you do so you can enter them into the app manually later.

Verification usually fails because one or more of the details you entered in are incorrect. Each time you record hours, your licence details are checked with the Department of State Growth, so if what you enter doesn't match, you'll see an error. Please check your details to make sure you've entered them correctly.

If your driver’s licence has been reissued for any reason, make sure you are entering your new driver’s licence number.

If you've entered your details correctly and you're still getting an error, then please email graduated.licensing.system@stategrowth.tas.gov.au to check your licence details are valid. If you are still having trouble, please send us a message.

Don't worry, if the GPS signal is not available the drive can continue and will still be recorded. It might mean that not all fields will be automatically filled, but you can enter these details manually once you've finished your drive.

If you hold a current Tasmanian novice learner licence, you can use the app to record drives if you are visiting another state or territory. The Plates Plus logbook app has been developed specifically for Tasmanian learners, so you will not be able to use it if you do not have a Tasmanian learner licence.

Yes. The Plates Plus logbook app is the only officially recognised logbook app in Tasmania.