Digitalised alternatives for the way learners record and submit their hours on the road are newly available. The mandatory hours of driving practice are now easier to manage with apps that utilise GPS tracking to record the length and route of every hour spent practicing on the road. Most drivers are familiar with the laborious process of writing the details of every hour spent practicing on the road, but the launch of three new apps finally provides learners with a time-saving alternative.

For NSW drivers, there are three apps accepted by the Roads and Maritime Services. Sound exciting? Here’s your guide to three digital logbooks:

1. L2P

The L2P app allows learners to track and record each driving session in real-time. Users set up a profile and add one or more cars to a profile that can be used on roads across Australia. It connects learners with supervisors and instructors who can structure lesson plans or verify each driving session.

The app includes training elements for new drivers such as educational videos, a countdown feature for extra motivation, and enables learners to track their progress and achievements.

Cost: Free
Compatibility: Android and iOS (iOS 10.0 or later) platforms.

2. Roundtrip

Learners who use the Roundtrip app can store and submit supervised driving sessions by simply tapping the record button and entering the odometer reading. The Roundtrip app is interactive with checklists, driving tips and information. Learners can track the total amount of practice hours and manage their progress with learning goals and milestones.

Cost: Free
Compatibility: iOS (iOS 9.0 or later) & Android devices

3. Licence Ready

Learners can use the Licence Ready app to record their driving sessions with the platform’s digital logbook. Licence Ready also features instructional materials such as narrations and driving programs to explain road rules and traffic conditions to new drivers.

The app is accessible by multiple users and includes note taking capabilities to support the supervision of driving sessions. Licence Ready currently caters for automatic vehicles only

The app only requires wifi for the first 30 seconds and the GPS functionality can be disabled. Licence Ready will not record driving sessions longer than two hours, to encourage drivers to stop, revive and survive.

Cost: A free version of the app (valid for 24 months) is available.

• Pro version ($2.29 per month) includes animated and photo-based learning goals, detailed summaries of a learner’s risk and skill status and planned routes.

Compatibility: Operates on iPhone and Android devices and across mobile and desktop.

Did digital kill the paper logbook?

Not yet  – for learners that prefer the paper version, logbooks aren’t going anywhere. If there are hours recorded in a paper logbook but you want to move to a digitalised logbook, you’ll need to manually add in the date, mileage and licence details of each entry into the app again. If you’ve got more than fifty hours completed and stored in a paper logbook, it might be more time consuming to move your data over to a digital logbook.

Like any piece of technology,  there is often the risk of an app crashing or troubleshooting but for each of the three platforms, learners can restore their account and driving history on another device and continue tracking their progress.

Ready, set, go!
Each digital logbook app is designed to save time and make it easy for NSW learners and supervisors. All that’s required to get going is a valid NSW learner driver license and a valid un unrestricted Class C Australian driver licence or a NSW driving instructor licence for supervisors.

There’s never been a better time to start clocking off your practice hours and get a step closer to your driving test – but with every good thing, there comes responsibility. When you’ve downloaded an app of your choice, there are a few things to remember:

• Using a mobile device is still restricted whilst whilst driving. These digital logbook apps will automatically log your driving session in the background when you choose to start recording.
• Your licence details, along with the licence details of a supervising driver are required to set up an account on any of the three approved apps
• Transferring hours across apps needs to be manually entered
• Digital records need to be submitted at least 48 hours before your driving test

Interested in how digital logbooks might affect your driving lessons? Speak to an LTrent instructor to find the best way of taking advantage of the new technology or start logging your supervised lessons today.