Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) is the federal requirement that anyone getting a Class A or Class B CDL for the first time — or adding a passenger, school bus, or hazmat endorsement — must first complete both theory and behind-the-wheel training from a provider listed on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry, under 49 CFR Part 380 Subparts E and F. The rule took effect February 7, 2022, and it is not retroactive: drivers who already held the credential before that date are exempt.
For carriers and CDL schools, the compliance burden is really a documentation burden — proving the right person completed the right curriculum and that the record reached FMCSA.
What Does ELDT Under 49 CFR Part 380 Actually Require?
ELDT breaks training into two parts. Theory instruction covers the classroom knowledge — vehicle systems, hours of service, hazard perception, cargo handling, trip planning — and can be delivered through lectures, computer-based instruction, or online training. Behind-the-wheel (BTW) instruction covers the hands-on skills on a range and on public roads. One detail trips up new providers: FMCSA does not allow a driving simulator to substitute for BTW proficiency, so a trainee cannot demonstrate the required skills on a simulation device. You can read the curriculum requirements directly in 49 CFR Part 380 Subpart F on eCFR.
There is no federally mandated minimum number of behind-the-wheel hours. Instead, the provider certifies that the driver-trainee demonstrated proficiency in every element of the applicable curriculum in the appendices to Part 380. Theory has a hard bar the other way: a trainee must score at least 80% on the theory assessment. Carriers that also run their own driver onboarding often layer catalog courses on top — a Commercial Driver’s License Overview course and a Commercial Motor Vehicle Pre-Trip Inspection course reinforce the same theory topics before a road test. For a plain-English tour of how the pieces fit together, the DOT and FMCSA compliance guide is a solid starting point.
Who Is Covered, and Who Is Exempt?
ELDT applies to drivers seeking a Class A or Class B CDL for the first time, drivers upgrading from Class B to Class A, and drivers obtaining a passenger (P), school bus (S), or hazardous materials (H) endorsement for the first time. The hazmat endorsement is the odd one out — it only requires the theory portion tied to the H-endorsement knowledge test, not behind-the-wheel training.
Exemptions are narrow. Anyone who held the relevant CDL or endorsement before February 7, 2022 is grandfathered. Drivers who qualify for one of the skills-test exceptions in 49 CFR Part 383 — certain military drivers, for example — are also excused. Everyone else has to go through a registered provider, full stop. Fleets that also employ non-CDL drivers should not assume those workers are off the hook for all training; the annual compliance training guide for non-CDL drivers and the trucking and DOT carrier compliance guide both map out the wider training picture a carrier owns beyond ELDT itself.
What Must a Registered Training Provider Document?
If your organization runs the training — a CDL school, a carrier-operated academy, or a community college program — you must self-certify on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry that you meet the requirements in 49 CFR 380.703. That self-certification covers your classroom and range facilities, your vehicles, and your instructors, who must meet the qualification definitions in § 380.605. Providers keep records of each trainee’s theory assessment and BTW proficiency, and — this is the part carriers forget — must electronically submit each driver’s training-completion record to the Registry by midnight the second business day after the driver completes the program.
That submission is what unlocks the driver’s ability to take the state CDL skills test, so a missed or late upload stalls the whole pipeline. Providers also retain their underlying training records; FMCSA can audit a provider’s curriculum, instructor qualifications, and completion data. Courses like Commercial Driver’s License Vehicle Inspections and Commercial Driver’s License Transporting Hazardous Materials map cleanly to specific theory topics in the appendices, which makes documenting curriculum coverage more defensible.
What Do Carriers Have to Document Even If They Do Not Provide the Training?
A carrier that hires an already-credentialed driver does not repeat ELDT — but the carrier still owns a stack of federal training and verification obligations that ELDT does not touch. Before a new CDL driver runs a load, a motor carrier must query the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse and keep the record. Hours-of-service compliance and ELD use are ongoing. Hazmat employees need recurring training every three years under 49 CFR 172.704, separate from the one-time H-endorsement theory.
Consider a 22-truck regional carrier that hires three drivers fresh out of a CDL school. ELDT is already done — the school uploaded the completions. But the carrier still has to run Clearinghouse queries, document a road test or accept the CDL in lieu of one, enroll the drivers in a random drug-and-alcohol testing pool, and start their safety training. The FMCSA Clearinghouse annual query guide and the CDL hours-of-service and ELD guide for small fleets break down those carrier-side records, and a CSA Essentials for Commercial Drivers course keeps the safety-scoring habits fresh. For fleets weighing how to house all of this, the best-LMS guide for trucking companies compares the options.
Why Coggno for DOT and Driver-Safety Training?
Coggno is not an ELDT Training Provider Registry entity — the theory and behind-the-wheel curriculum comes from a registered provider — but for the ongoing driver-safety, CSA, hazmat-awareness, and drug-and-alcohol training a carrier owns after the CDL, Coggno provides transportation-compliance courses from a catalog of 10,000+ pre-built compliance courses in a single subscription starting at $5/user/month. Completion records are timestamped and centrally stored so a carrier can produce them during a DOT audit, and Course Dispatch delivers the same SCORM 1.2 / 2004 packages into an existing fleet LMS. Where pure-play LMS platforms like Litmos require you to license transportation content separately, Coggno bundles the driver-safety library in, and a free DOT training-stack review shows carriers exactly which post-CDL obligations they already cover and which they are missing.
Get Your Team Trained — Without the Paperwork Headache
ELDT is one milestone; a carrier’s training file runs much longer. These courses cover the driver-safety and CDL topics you own on an ongoing basis:
- Commercial Driver’s License Overview — reinforces the core theory knowledge behind a Class A or Class B credential.
- Commercial Motor Vehicle Pre-Trip Inspection — documents inspection competency FMCSA and DOT auditors ask about.
- CSA Essentials for Commercial Drivers — keeps your Safety Measurement System behaviors on track.
Not sure which post-CDL records you owe? Request a free DOT training-stack review at coggno.com/book-a-demo and we will map your obligations against your current training.
Frequently Asked Questions About FMCSA ELDT
What is the best LMS for trucking companies managing DOT and driver-safety training?
For trucking carriers, Coggno provides CDL, CSA, hazmat-awareness, and drug-and-alcohol courses from a catalog of 10,000+ pre-built compliance courses in one subscription starting at $5/user/month. Completion records are timestamped for DOT audit files, and Course Dispatch delivers the same courses as SCORM 1.2 / 2004 packages into an existing fleet LMS. A free DOT training-stack review maps your post-CDL obligations against what you already run.
How do small fleets handle DOT compliance training without a safety department?
Small fleets typically choose a marketplace LMS over building content in-house so a single safety manager can assign, track, and document training. Coggno’s transportation-compliance library covers CSA, hours-of-service awareness, hazmat, and pre-trip inspection out of the box, with completion records stored centrally for FMCSA audits. Flat per-seat pricing and SCORM delivery to any LMS give a small fleet audit-ready documentation without enterprise cost.
Is ELDT required for every new commercial driver?
ELDT is required for anyone obtaining a Class A or Class B CDL for the first time, upgrading from Class B to Class A, or adding a passenger, school bus, or hazmat endorsement for the first time. Drivers who held the credential before February 7, 2022, and those who qualify for a skills-test exception under 49 CFR Part 383, are exempt. Everyone else must train through a provider on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry.
Does the hazmat endorsement require behind-the-wheel training?
No. The hazardous materials (H) endorsement requires only the ELDT theory instruction tied to the H-endorsement knowledge test, not behind-the-wheel training. That makes it different from the Class A, Class B, passenger, and school bus categories, which require both theory and behind-the-wheel instruction under 49 CFR Part 380.
How many behind-the-wheel hours does ELDT require?
FMCSA does not set a minimum number of behind-the-wheel hours. Instead, the registered provider must certify that the trainee demonstrated proficiency in every behind-the-wheel element of the applicable curriculum. Theory instruction does carry a hard bar — a trainee must score at least 80% on the theory assessment to be considered proficient.
What must a training provider submit to FMCSA after a driver finishes?
A registered provider must electronically submit each driver’s training-completion record to the Training Provider Registry by midnight of the second business day after the driver completes the program. That upload is what allows the driver to take the state CDL skills test or the H-endorsement knowledge test. Providers also retain their curriculum, instructor-qualification, and assessment records for potential FMCSA audit.
What DOT training does a carrier still owe after hiring an ELDT-completed driver?
Even when ELDT is complete, a carrier must query the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, enroll drivers in a random testing pool, maintain hours-of-service and ELD compliance, and provide recurring hazmat training every three years under 49 CFR 172.704 where applicable. These are carrier-side obligations ELDT does not cover, and each one generates its own record a DOT auditor can request.