To ensure that new drivers meet a standard level of safety, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (
FMCSA) has created the Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) mandate. The ELDT establishes a uniform national benchmark to ensure all new drivers have the same safety skills regardless of their licensed state,
the truck driving school or
CDL training program where they learned to drive. In this article, we address some frequently ask questions surrounding the topic of ELDT.
Update 2/10/2021: There have been reports that certain DMVs are turning away students who are trying to get the Commercial Learners Permit (CLP), which is not supposed to be happening. If you go to a DMV and are told you need to pass the theory portion of your training first, give them this information:
24. Sequence of ELDT
In [the] final rule, FMCSA retains the approach proposed in the NPRM; there is no mandatory order in which the theory, BTW-range, and BTW-public road training must be administered
nor does the rule require that theory training must be completed before obtaining a CLP.