Massachusetts · Handbook chapter 2 · 5 min read

Chapter 2: The Junior Operator Law

The Massachusetts Junior Operator License (JOL) for drivers aged 16 1/2 to 18: what you need before the road test, the passenger and night restrictions, the ban on phones, and the suspensions for breaking the rules.

Why this chapter matters

The RMV names the Junior Operator Law as one of the permit exam topics, and its rules come with exact times and suspension periods. Learn six months, 40 hours, 12:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. and the 60 days, 180 days, one year ladder.

Who is a Junior Operator?

Any driver or motorcyclist between 16 1/2 and 18 is a Junior Operator and holds a Junior Operator License (JOL). The law gives new drivers supervised practice and keeps them free of the distraction of friends under 18 in the car. Every license issued to a driver under 18 carries restriction code I (JOL Limited).

What you need before the road test

• A learner's permit held for at least six consecutive months. A suspension cancels the permit, and the six months start again when it is lifted.
• A clean driving record for at least six consecutive months before the road test.
• An RMV-approved driver's education course: 30 hours classroom, 12 hours behind the wheel and 6 hours observing other student drivers, with a passed final exam and the certificate filed electronically with the RMV.
• At least 40 more hours of supervised driving, certified by a parent or guardian. The RMV accepts 30 hours if you completed a driver skills development program.
• A parent or guardian who has attended a two-hour class on the driver's education curriculum (unless they did so in the past five years).

JOL restrictions

Passengers

For the first six months after you get your JOL, you may not drive with any passenger under 18 other than immediate family, unless a driver who is at least 21, has at least one year of experience and holds a valid license sits beside you.

• The restriction ends after the six months, or when you turn 18, whichever comes first.
• A suspension pauses the six-month clock. When your license comes back, you serve the rest of the period unless you have turned 18.

Night driving

You may not drive from 12:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. unless a parent or legal guardian is with you. Driving in those hours without one can be charged as operating without a license, a criminal offense.

Between 12:30 and 1:00 a.m. and between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m., police enforce the rule only if they have stopped you for another reason. This is called secondary enforcement, but driving in those times without a parent is still illegal.

Note the difference: a permit holder under 18 may not drive from 12:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. without a parent or guardian, while a JOL holder's limit starts at 12:30 a.m.

Phones and other devices

Until you turn 18, you may not use any mobile electronic device at all while driving, not even hands-free. The only exception is reporting an emergency.

Other rules

• No vehicle that needs a commercial driver's license.
• You cannot get a full license until you have served any suspension from your JOL period and have reached 18.

Suspensions for Junior Operators

• A second or later passenger or night violation also requires a Driver Attitudinal Retraining course. A third requires a new permit exam and road test.
• A speeding or drag racing suspension requires a new learner's permit exam, a Driver Attitudinal Retraining course and a new road test, and may require the State Courts Against Road Rage (SCARR) course.
• A Junior Operator convicted of OUI, leaving the scene of a crash, drinking from an open container or several other serious offenses gets an extra 180-day suspension for a first offense (one year for a later one), on top of any other penalty.
• Your parent or guardian is notified of any suspension.

Permit holders face the same kind of ladder. For example, driving without a licensed supervisor brings a 60-day permit suspension for a first offense and a new permit exam.