Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)

About the ELDT Regulations

FMCSA’s Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) regulations set the baseline for training requirements for entry-level drivers. This includes those applying 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; the entry-level driver training requirements do not apply to individuals holding a valid CDL or an S, P, or H endorsement issued prior to February 7, 2022.

If an applicant who obtains a CLP prior to February 7, 2022, 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. 

About the Training Provider Registry

Once operational, the FMCSA Training Provider Registry will retain 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.