Texas Motorcycle Safety Course
Verified against Motorcycle Operator Training and Safety Program ·
Compiled and verified against primary state DMV/DPS/BMV sources by GetMotorcycleLicense Research Team — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
Whether Texas mandates a motorcycle safety course by age is not published by the state's own program. This page covers who runs the course, what it costs, how long it takes, and exactly which tests completing it can waive.
Texas's motorcycle safety course requirements — including completion waiving the state skills test if age 18+ and within 24 months — are verified against Motorcycle Operator Training and Safety Program (see Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — Motorcycle and ATV Operator Safety Program), current as of 2026-07-28.
Texas Motorcycle Safety Course at a Glance
| Program | Motorcycle Operator Training and Safety Program |
|---|---|
| Who runs it | Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which has administered the program since 2020 after it was transferred from the Texas Department of Public Safety |
| Delivery model | State-approved sponsorsThe state licenses sponsors, who set their own tuition; the rider picks among them at market price. |
| Typical cost | — |
| Course length | 16 hours |
| Mandatory under age | — |
| Waives the riding skills test | Yes, if age 18+ and within 24 months |
| Waives the knowledge test | Yes, if within 24 months |
TDLR approves each school's own curriculum against the 2011 Model National Standards for Entry-Level Motorcycle Rider Training published by NHTSA, rather than mandating a single named curriculum; a completion card from a course that separately meets Motorcycle Safety Foundation curriculum standards is also accepted for the skills-test waiver.
The Texas Legislature created the program in 1983; the Texas Driver Handbook states a portion of every motorcycle licence fee is used to support it. TDLR licenses individual motorcycle schools (public and private) and their instructors, approves each school's curriculum and range site, and monitors classes statewide. Course tuition is set by the individual school and is not published centrally by TDLR.
What Texas’s course covers
Texas teaches the Motorcycle Operator Training Course (MSB-8), developed by Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, delivered through individually TDLR-licensed motorcycle schools. Full detail here.
How Texas differs: TDLR approves each school's own curriculum against the 2011 Model National Standards for Entry-Level Motorcycle Rider Training published by NHTSA, rather than mandating a single named curriculum; a completion card from a course that separately meets Motorcycle Safety Foundation curriculum standards is also accepted for the skills-test waiver.
Once you complete the course, see license requirements in Texas.
Source Notes
Where a source is stale, conflicting, or required a judgment call, we document it here rather than presenting a single confident-sounding number. See our methodology for how these calls are made.
- Licence classes, permits, fees and tests come from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which has administered the state's motorcycle training program since 2020. Training facts come from the same TDLR program pages and its Motorcycle Operator Training Manual. Helmet rules come from the TDLR manual's own statement of the requirement.
- Texas requires every motorcycle-licence applicant, of any age, to complete an approved training course before applying — there is no age below which the course is merely optional.
- A rider 21 or older may go without a helmet only by having completed the training course or by carrying proof of qualifying medical insurance; a rider under 21 must wear one regardless.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — Motorcycle and ATV Operator Safety Program
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — Motorcycle Operator Training Manual (2025)
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — Motorcycle Training Course Curriculum Approval
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — Texas Laws and Administrative Rules (MOT)
- Texas Department of Public Safety — Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Texas Motorcycle Operator Training Program
Data last verified: 2026-07-28 (verified by: agent) | Source: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — Motorcycle and ATV Operator Safety Program