Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT): Who Needs It and When It Must Be Done

Who needs ELDT: a decision table

Entry-level driver training (ELDT) is a federal requirement for some CDL steps, not for every applicant. It took effect on February 7, 2022 (49 CFR 380.600). Find your situation below.

There is no separate Class C curriculum. A first-time Class C applicant who needs a passenger, school bus or HazMat endorsement takes the P, S or H training for it. One older exception no longer matters: a CLP issued before February 7, 2022 could be used without ELDT (380.603(c)(1)), but a CLP lasts at most one year, so every such permit has expired.

Where ELDT fits between the CDL permit and the skills test

For most applicants, the order is knowledge tests, then the learner's permit, then training, then the skills test. The behind-the-wheel part forces that order, because a provider must verify that every behind-the-wheel trainee holds a valid CLP or CDL before accepting them (380.707(a)).

The classroom part, called theory, is more flexible. Federal rules do not require it before the permit. California's DMV, for example, says you can start an original CDL application before completing ELDT, and that you need the CLP for behind-the-wheel training (as checked on October 28, 2026). HazMat is the exception to the usual order: its theory training must be finished before you take the H knowledge test (383.71(a)(10)), and Hazardous Materials is one of the eight tests planned for full CDL prep once that course is done.

Three timing rules apply once you start:

• One-year window. Except for HazMat, you must finish the theory and behind-the-wheel portions within one year of completing the first portion (380.603(c)(3)).
• Reporting. The provider must transmit your completion through the registry by midnight of the second business day after you finish (380.717).
• State check. Before giving a Class A, Class B, P or S skills test, the state must verify electronically that you completed the training (383.73(b)(11)).

The 14-day permit wait runs at the same time as training, so a two-week program does not add two weeks on top of it.

What the federal ELDT curriculum requires

Each curriculum is in an appendix to Part 380: Class A, Class B, passenger, school bus and HazMat. The rules that matter most when you compare schools:

• No minimum hours. There is no required minimum number of hours for theory or behind-the-wheel training, but the instructor must cover every topic in the curriculum (Appendix A).
• An 80% theory assessment. Providers use written assessments, and you need an overall score of at least 80% (380.715(a)).
• Proficiency, not seat time, for driving. The instructor must document that you showed proficiency in every behind-the-wheel element and record your clock hours (380.715(b); Appendix A).
• No simulators for behind-the-wheel. A simulation device cannot be used for range or public-road training or to show proficiency (Appendix A).
• The right vehicle. Training vehicles must be in the same group and type you will use for the skills test (380.711(b)).
• Who teaches what. Theory and behind-the-wheel can come from different providers, including online theory, but the range and public-road portions must come from the same provider (380.707(c)).

The Class A theory curriculum has five sections: Basic Operation, Safe Operating Procedures, Advanced Operating Practices, Vehicle Systems and Reporting Malfunctions, and Non-Driving Activities. One unit requires providers to teach trainees who are not English speakers FMCSA's English language proficiency requirements. The CDL test language guide explains how that requirement differs from the language of the test itself.

ELDT theory and your state's knowledge tests overlap but are not the same thing. Passing the provider's assessment does not replace the state test, so keep studying your state's manual alongside the course, and practice for the state's own knowledge tests with the CDL prep planned for launch if a school's course leaves gaps.

How to check a CDL school on the Training Provider Registry

Training only counts if it comes from a provider listed on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry (380.700). Before you pay, check these points:

1. Search the registry for the exact location. Each campus or training location gets its own registry number (380.703(a)(7)), so a listing for one site does not cover another.
2. Match the curriculum. Confirm the listing covers what you need: Class A, Class B, passenger, school bus or HazMat.
3. Ask how theory and driving are split. If one company teaches theory online and another provides the driving, both must be listed.
4. Ask about instructors. Federal rules require instructors to hold a CDL of the same or higher class, with the needed endorsements, and to have at least two years of experience either driving a vehicle that needs that class or teaching behind-the-wheel, with some exceptions (380.605 and 380.713).
5. Ask when they will report. The two-business-day deadline is the provider's duty, but your skills test date depends on it.

States can add training hours: California's example

Federal ELDT is a floor. As checked on October 28, 2026, California's DMV says applicants for an original Class A or B CDL must complete at least 15 hours of behind-the-wheel training, 10 of them on public roads, documented on form DL 1236, before the CDL is issued. Ask your state licensing agency whether it adds hours or forms of its own.

When a CDL school is removed from the registry

Registry enforcement stepped up in 2026. On February 21, 2026, USDOT announced measures that included "cracking down on non-compliant CDL training centers and carriers." For a trainee, the removal rules in 380.723 are what matter:

• Proposed removal. If FMCSA proposes to remove a provider, the provider must tell current trainees and those scheduled to train, and FMCSA notes the proposal on the registry website (380.723(b)).
• Removal date. Any training conducted after a provider's removal date is invalid (380.723(c)(1)(iii)).
• Fraud. In cases of fraud or criminal behavior in which trainees knowingly took part, FMCSA may invalidate training retroactively (380.723(e)).

So check the provider's registry status before you enroll and again before your last training day, and keep your own record of the dates you trained.

The full sequence from permit to license is in how to get a CDL, the permit rules are in the CLP guide, and HazMat training is covered in the HazMat endorsement guide. For the knowledge tests that come before training, compare the 30-, 90- and 180-day CDL prep periods planned for launch.