MI Driving Instructor common mistakes
MI Driving Instructor · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Assigning a 21-year-old applicant to the teen (T) classification because the applicant is enrolled in a high-school driver education course.
Candidates conflate the course type with the candidate's age and read the enrollment form instead of the birth date on the application.
What to do instead
Classify by the applicant's age at the date of the road skills test, not by course enrollment. A driver under 18 gets the teen classification regardless of course type; 18 and older goes to the adult classification. Verify with the birth date on the license or ID before selecting the class.
Recording a teen applicant's practice hours as a single total (e.g., '60 hours') without separating supervised daytime and nighttime driving.
The applicant or parent reports an aggregate and the candidate copies it into the record, missing the segment breakdown the log must show.
What to do instead
Require the log to show daytime and nighttime segments separately and confirm the nighttime minimum is met. If the log is only a total, send the applicant back to complete a proper segmented log rather than estimating the split.
Treating a 17-year-old applicant's parent-signed practice log as sufficient proof without checking that the supervising adult was a licensed driver at least 21 (or the state's required age).
Candidates focus on the signature and the hours and skip the eligibility of the supervising driver.
What to do instead
Check the supervising driver's name, license number, and relationship on the log against the certification rules. If the supervisor's eligibility cannot be verified, reject the log and require a compliant one before scheduling the skills test.
Using the teen scoring sheet for an adult applicant's road test, including the stricter curfew and passenger-restriction items that do not apply to adults.
Candidates grab the form they used most recently and do not re-read the form header to match it to the classification.
What to do instead
Select the scoring form only after confirming the classification from the applicant's age. Adult tests use the adult form and adult scoring criteria; teen-only restriction items must not appear on an adult score sheet.
Failing to verify a first-time adult applicant's identity and lawful presence documents, or accepting an expired document, before administering the knowledge test.
Candidates assume the front-desk staff already checked documents and skip the verification step under time pressure.
What to do instead
Perform the identity and presence check yourself against the acceptable-document list, confirm expiration dates, and record the document type and number in the application file before testing. An unverified applicant is not tested.
Marking an adult applicant as having passed the vision screening when the applicant meets the acuity standard only with corrective lenses, but the restriction is not added to the record.
Candidates treat 'passes with glasses' as a plain pass and forget the corrective-lens restriction code.
What to do instead
When the applicant passes only with corrective lenses, record the restriction code on the application and note it on the temporary permit. Do not clear the applicant for unrestricted driving if the standard is met only with correction.
Skipping the pre-trip inspection and air-brake component checks during the CDL skills test because the applicant says the vehicle was inspected that morning.
Candidates trust the applicant's statement and shorten the test to save time, missing a scored segment.
What to do instead
Run the full pre-trip inspection sequence and air-brake checks as scored items regardless of what the applicant reports. Each item is scored independently; an applicant's assurance is not a substitute for the observed inspection.
Classifying a driver who operates a straight truck under 26,001 lb GVWR as requiring a Class B CDL.
Candidates memorize 'truck equals CDL' and do not apply the GVWR threshold or the trailer weight combination rule.
What to do instead
Apply the weight thresholds in order: a combination vehicle with a gross combination weight rating over 26,001 lb and a towed unit over 10,000 lb requires Class A; a single vehicle over 26,001 lb requires Class B. A straight truck at or under 26,001 lb GVWR does not require a CDL unless it carries hazardous materials or passengers above the threshold.
Recording a CDL applicant's medical examiner's certificate as valid without checking the examiner's certification status or the certificate's expiration date against the testing date.
Candidates see a signed card and assume it is current and properly issued.
What to do instead
Verify the examiner's national registry number, the issue and expiration dates, and that the certificate is valid on the date of the skills test. If the certificate expires before the license issue date, do not proceed until a current certificate is provided.
Failing to apply the CDL disqualification and out-of-service rules when an applicant admits to a recent traffic conviction, treating the admission as irrelevant to the skills test.
Candidates separate 'driving record' from 'skills test' and do not connect disqualifying convictions to eligibility.
What to do instead
Ask the driving-record question on the application, check the record, and apply the disqualification periods before scheduling or scoring. A disqualifying conviction pauses the process; document the conviction, the applicable period, and the rescheduling date in the file.