FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) ELDT (Entry-Level CDL Driver Training)

The ELDT regulations set the minimum Federal requirements for training that entry-level drivers must complete before being permitted to take certain CDL skills or knowledge tests. Exceptions apply.

FMCSA’s Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) regulations set the baseline for training requirements for entry-level drivers. This applies to those seeking to:

• Obtain a Class A or Class B CDL for the first time;
• Upgrade an existing Class B CDL to a Class A CDL; or
• Obtain a school bus (S), passenger (P), or hazardous materials (H) endorsement for the first time.

The ELDT regulations are not retroactive; individuals who were issued a CDL or an S, P, or H endorsement prior to February 7, 2022 are not required to complete training for the respective CDL or endorsement.

If an applicant who obtained a CLP prior to February 7, 2022, and obtains a CDL before the CLP or renewed CLP expires, the applicant is not subject to the ELDT requirements.

Any individual who meets one of the exceptions for taking a skills test in 49 CFR Part 383 is also exempt from the ELDT requirements. 

The FMCSA Training Provider Registry retains a record of which CDL applicants have completed the new training and certification process outlined in the Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) regulations.

For more information about the ELDT regulations and the Training Provider registry, visit https://tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov.

The ELDT regulations and the Training Provider Registry were mandated under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). The ELDT final rule was based, in part, on consensus recommendations from the Agency’s Entry-Level Driver Training Advisory Committee (ELDTAC), a negotiated rulemaking committee that held a series of meetings in 2015.