Here’s what you need to know about the Entry-Level Driver Training rule

Starting in early 2022, some CDL and endorsement applicants will be required to meet new training standards due to an upcoming Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rule change.

On February 7, 2022, the FMCSA’s Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) rule went into effect.

The ELDT rule establishes minimum requirements for entry-level driver training standards for training providers and CDL applicants.

The rule will apply to the applicants who want 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.

These applicants will be required to obtain training from a provider listed on the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry. This training must be completed before taking a CDL skills test or, if the driver is applying for the H endorsement, the knowledge test.

There is NO minimum number of hours required for either behind-the-wheel training or knowledge training under the new rule. The ELDT rule only requires that “applicants seeking a CDL would be required to demonstrate proficiency in knowledge training and behind-the-wheel training on a driving range and on a public road, with training obtained from an instructional program that meets FMCSA standards.”

The rule is NOT retroactive, so 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.

Check out more from the FMCSA’s Q & A section on the ELDT rule:

• I hold a CDL that was issued before February 7, 2022. What if I apply for an upgrade to a higher class of CDL on or after February 7, 2022? You must complete the required entry-level driver training for the class of CDL to which you are upgrading before you will be permitted to take the CDL skills test.
• My CLP was issued before February 7, 2022. You are not required to complete entry-level driver training, as long as you obtain a CDL before the CLP, or renewed CLP, expires.
• I hold a CDL that was issued before February 7, 2022. What if I apply for an S, P, or H endorsement, for the first time, on or after February 7, 2022? You must complete the required entry-level driver training for the endorsement(s) for which you are applying before you will be permitted to take the S or P skills test or H knowledge test.
• What if I obtain my CLP after February 7, 2022? You must complete the required entry-level driver training before you will be permitted to take the CDL skills test, the S or P skills test, or the H knowledge test.
• I was issued a CDL before February 7, 2022. You are not required to complete entry-level driver training to obtain a CDL, even if the previously-issued CDL has since lapsed.
• I was issued an S, P, or H endorsement before February 7, 2022. You are not required to complete entry-level driver training for the previously-issued endorsement, even if it has since lapsed.
• I was issued a CLP before February 7, 2022, but the CLP expired before I applied for my CDL.You must complete the required entry-level driver training before you will be permitted to take the CDL skills test.

The ELDT Final Rule was published in the Federal Register on December 7, 2016. The compliance date was pushed back from February 7, 2020, to February 7, 2022 in part to allow state drivers license agencies time to update their IT infrastructure, internal procedures, and budgeting allocation to properly record driver course completion information.

For additional information on the ELDT rule, click here.