What is the ELDT?

 

Beginning in February of 2022, the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association) enacted the ELDT (Entry Level Driver Training), a new training program and certification process to standardize the education of new CDL Drivers.

According to the FMCSA, the ELDT 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. 

About the Training Provider Registry

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.

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.

In order to train new CDL drivers, your commercial driving school MUST be registered with a TPR from the FMCSA.  Launch TPR can get you there.  Visit us today to help LAUNCH your CDL Driving School dreams!