Mandated course hours

Definition

The classroom and behind-the-wheel hours a state requires, which set both price and capacity.

Why It Matters

A car and an instructor can only deliver so many required hours in a week, so the state's curriculum is the ceiling on revenue per vehicle and the floor under the price. It also moves: a state that adds hours raises the ticket and lengthens the queue, and one that permits online classroom time takes the classroom revenue away from every school at once. Ask what the requirement is, when it last changed, and what is pending.