CDL ELDT Requirements Explained: Who Needs Training?

Independent ELDT requirement guide — not FMCSA or a state licensing agency.

Federal ELDT applies when you seek a Class A or Class B commercial driver's license (CDL) for the first time, upgrade from a Class B to a Class A, or add a passenger (P), school bus (S), or hazardous materials (H) endorsement for the first time — unless a grandfather or skills-test exception applies. Under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's ELDT rules, the required training must come from a provider location listed in the FMCSA Training Provider Registry (TPR) for the specific training type you need. The provider reports your completion to the registry, and your state driver licensing agency — the office that actually issues CDLs — verifies that record before your skills test, or before the knowledge test for the H endorsement. Your first move is a registry search, not a purchase. Two clocks run alongside the training: your commercial learner's permit, and — for every credential that needs both theory and behind-the-wheel — a one-year federal window between the two portions. There is no federal ELDT price: tuition belongs to the provider and the permit, test and licence fees belong to your state. States may add requirements above the federal minimum.

Find the required training type · Search the FMCSA Training Provider Registry

Federal, registry and state sources checked August 9, 2026. Provider and location status can change; re-check the registry immediately before you enroll or pay.

On this page

1. Do you need ELDT? The short answer
2. Which CDL class or endorsement training applies?
3. Theory vs. behind-the-wheel: what the federal rules require
4. How to verify a Training Provider Registry listing
5. Choosing a course at a glance
6. How ELDT fits into the state CDL process
7. Exceptions and state overlays
8. Which agency verifies your ELDT record in your state?
9. What does ELDT cost, and when does the record actually count?
10. ELDT FAQs
11. How this page is verified
12. Your next step

Do you need ELDT? The short answer

Two authorities share this process, and the split matters for every decision that follows. FMCSA sets the entry-level driver training rules and runs the registry; it does not issue licenses or schedule tests. Your state controls the application, the commercial learner's permit (CLP), testing, fees, and any additional training rules. No course purchase changes that division.

The trigger is a specific first-time credential action, not CDL status in general. Here is the conditional version, at a glance:

• If you are pursuing your first Class A or first Class B CDL, plan for both theory and behind-the-wheel (BTW) training for that class, delivered by one listed provider or by two.
• If you are upgrading from Class B to Class A, you need the Class A upgrade training components; your earlier Class B training does not remove them.
• If you are adding your first P or S endorsement, endorsement-specific theory and BTW training both apply. If you are adding only an H endorsement, you need hazardous materials theory, verified before the state knowledge test — BTW is not part of the H curriculum.
• If you are renewing a CDL you already hold, keeping an endorsement you already have, or moving an existing license between states, none of those actions by itself triggers ELDT — but your state's own transfer, reinstatement and testing rules still apply.
• If your CDL or endorsement was issued before February 7, 2022, ELDT generally does not apply to that existing credential under the federal non-retroactivity rule — and FMCSA states that this holds for a previously issued CDL even if it has since lapsed.
• Your permit sets the real deadline. A CLP is a precondition to your first CDL and to an upgrade that requires a skills test; you cannot take the skills test in the first 14 days after your CLP is first issued; and a CLP is valid for no more than one year from initial issuance before the knowledge tests come back. Miss that window and you retest. See the permit clock.
• Your two training portions have their own clock. Except for the H endorsement, 49 CFR 380.603(c)(3) requires you to complete the theory and behind-the-wheel portions within one year of completing the first portion. Buy theory in March, start behind-the-wheel the following April, and the theory no longer counts — you pay for it and sit it again. This matters most if you are splitting the two between providers.
• There is no federal ELDT price. Tuition is set by providers and your application, permit, test and license fees are set by your state. Budget the two separately; no advertised course price includes the state's side.
• Verify before you pay: hold off on enrolling until you have matched the exact provider location and training type in the registry and read your state's current CDL manual. An online theory purchase does not satisfy a BTW requirement, and a listing for one course does not prove another.

Listed for what? A training business can appear in the Training Provider Registry at one location or for one curriculum without covering every CDL class, endorsement, delivery setting, or state rule. Match the exact provider location and the exact training type you need. Registry listing is not a government endorsement, and it does not guarantee a license, a passed test, state acceptance of every separate requirement, or employment.

Not sure whether you're covered? Check the class and issue date of your current credential or permit, run FMCSA's ELDT applicability tool, and read your state's CDL manual. If your record is unusual — an expired permit, a transferred license, a possible waiver — ask your state licensing agency in writing before enrolling anywhere. Individual eligibility decisions belong to the agency, not to a course seller and not to this guide.

Your first action comes before any shopping. Name the exact credential action you are taking — first Class A, first Class B, B-to-A upgrade, first P, first S, or first H — then filter the official TPR provider search to that training type and read your state's CDL manual before paying anyone.

Which CDL class or endorsement training applies?

The most expensive ELDT mistake is not choosing a bad school. It is buying the wrong curriculum — or only one component of it. "Class A ELDT" is not a synonym for a single online theory product: for Class A, Class B, P, and S paths, the federal requirement includes both a theory curriculum and behind-the-wheel training, and a provider location must be listed for each training type it delivers.

The matrix below uses the registry's own training-type framing. The hazardous materials row is the clean contrast worth noticing: H is a theory-only curriculum, and the state checks the training record before the H knowledge test rather than a skills test. Endorsements are not add-ons that come bundled with Class A or Class B training — a first P or S endorsement has its own endorsement-specific theory and BTW components.

Your use case	Federal training component	TPR search filter	When the record is verified	State overlay
First Class A CDL	Class A theory + Class A behind-the-wheel (range and public road)	Class A / Theory and Behind-the-Wheel	Before the Class A skills test	State may add hours, forms, or provider rules
First Class B CDL	Class B theory + Class B behind-the-wheel (range and public road)	Class B / Theory and Behind-the-Wheel	Before the Class B skills test	State may add hours, forms, or provider rules
Class B to Class A upgrade	Class A upgrade training components	Class A filters; confirm the upgrade curriculum shown on the TPR/provider record	Before the Class A skills test	Do not assume the prior Class B record satisfies the upgrade
First passenger (P) endorsement	P theory + P behind-the-wheel (range or public road)	Passenger / Theory and Behind-the-Wheel	Before the applicable P skills test	State passenger requirements may be stricter
First school bus (S) endorsement	S theory + S behind-the-wheel (range or public road)	School Bus / Theory and Behind-the-Wheel	Before the applicable S skills test	State may add school-bus certification, first aid, hours, or topics
First hazardous materials (H) endorsement	H theory only	Hazardous Materials / Theory	Before the H knowledge test	Separate security/background and state processes sit outside ELDT
None of the covered actions	No federal ELDT conclusion from this page alone	Use the applicability tool and your state manual	Confirm before enrolling	Existing, expired, or transferred credentials can require state-specific review

Federal ELDT baseline and TPR training types checked August 9, 2026. States may add requirements; verify your state manual and the current provider/location record.

One overlap is worth knowing before you buy the cheaper option. According to the FMCSA driver training FAQs, a driver who completes the entry-level driver training required for a Class A CDL is eligible to take the Class B skills test as well as the Class A. Training down is covered; training up is not.

The "when the record is verified" column marks the deadline that actually binds: whatever else is scheduled, the required components must be complete and reported before your state will run that test. Plan provider capacity — especially behind-the-wheel scheduling — against that gate rather than a course seller's calendar.

Three rows are where readers get sold the wrong thing. On the B-to-A upgrade, your Class B history changes nothing about the Class A upgrade components, so confirm on the registry record — not in sales copy — that the location's Class A training covers the upgrade curriculum. On P and S, a quote for "Class B plus school bus" should itemize the school-bus training types, because your state may layer its own certification, first-aid, hour, or topic requirements on top. And read a package quote for any row component by component: if a price covers theory only, the BTW component, its provider, and its reporting responsibility are still yours to solve before the money leaves your account.

Theory vs. behind-the-wheel: what the federal rules require

Every covered path except the H endorsement involves two distinct components, and the federal standard for each is commonly misquoted. Neither component has a federal minimum hour requirement. 49 CFR part 380 defines required curricula in appendices A through E and completion standards in § 380.715 instead of a national clock.

For theory, the provider must cover the full applicable curriculum, and § 380.715 requires the driver-trainee to receive an overall minimum score of 80 percent on the written or electronic theory assessment. Theory may be delivered online or in person when the provider location is listed for that delivery of that training type.

"Full applicable curriculum" does real work here. For the Class A and Class B paths, the federal appendices organize theory into units spanning basic vehicle operation, safe and advanced operating practices, vehicle systems and malfunction reporting, and non-driving responsibilities — while the P, S, and H endorsements each have their own distinct curriculum. A provider must deliver the curriculum for your training type, which is one more reason the registry's training-type label, not a course's marketing title, is the unit that matters.

For behind-the-wheel, completion is proficiency-based: the instructor determines that the driver-trainee can proficiently perform the required elements in an actual vehicle representative of the class or endorsement being sought. The road-versus-range scope differs by credential. FMCSA's own verification summary in the driver training FAQs specifies BTW on the range and public road for the Class A and Class B paths, and on the range or public road for the P and S endorsements. A simulator does not substitute for required BTW training, though simulators may be used in theory training.

Three sequencing rules travel with this. No federal rule orders theory before BTW or requires theory before you obtain a CLP. Whichever portion you complete first starts a one-year clock on the other, under 49 CFR 380.603(c)(3) — the H endorsement is expressly excepted, because it has no BTW component. And while theory and BTW may come from two different listed providers, 49 CFR 380.707 requires that both portions of BTW — range and public road — be delivered by the same training provider. You can split theory from driving. You cannot split the driving.

Field	Theory	Behind-the-wheel
Delivery	In person or online, when the provider location is listed for that training type	Actual operation in a representative vehicle; a simulator does not substitute
Range and road scope	Not applicable	Range and public road for Class A and Class B; range or public road for P and S
Federal time rule	No minimum federal hours; the full applicable curriculum must be covered	No minimum federal hours; completion is based on demonstrated proficiency
Completion standard	At least 80 percent overall on the written or electronic assessment	Instructor determines proficiency in the required elements in a representative vehicle
Sequence	No mandatory federal order relative to BTW, and none relative to the CLP — but see the completion window below	Must be complete before the applicable skills test
Completion window	Must be completed within one year of the other portion (H endorsement excepted)	Must be completed within one year of the other portion
Separate providers	May come from a different listed provider than BTW	May come from a different listed provider than theory, but range and road must be the same provider
Permit needed first	Not required by federal rule	Provider must verify you hold a valid CLP or CDL before accepting you
Reporting	The theory provider submits its own completion record	The BTW provider submits its own completion record
State overlay	State may add curriculum or provider rules	State may add minimum hours, forms, instructor, or vehicle requirements

Federal standards summarized from 49 CFR part 380 and FMCSA/TPR guidance checked August 9, 2026.

This structure explains why the common shopping question — "how many hours is ELDT?" — has no single honest answer. Federally, the theory requirement is measured in coverage and a test score: every topic in the applicable curriculum, then at least 80 percent overall on the assessment, however long that takes you. The BTW requirement is measured in demonstrated skill: proficiency in the required range elements (the low-speed, controlled-area work) and the required public-road elements, judged by the instructor in a vehicle representative of what you will be licensed to drive. A fast learner and a slow learner can both complete the same federal requirement in very different amounts of seat time.

So when a provider advertises a specific hour count, read it for what it is: the provider's course design, a state's added minimum, or marketing — but not a federal ELDT rule. An hour figure is neither proof of compliance nor a ceiling on what proficiency will take.

Watch the state layer here, too. "No federal minimum hours" is not the same as "no minimum hours anywhere": states may add hour minimums, certification forms, or instructor and vehicle rules on top of the federal baseline, as the verified state overlays later on this page show.

How to verify a Training Provider Registry listing

If you searched for "ELDT approved providers," start by reframing the question. The accurate version is: is this provider's exact location listed in the FMCSA Training Provider Registry for the exact training type I need, today? Under the registry's provider requirements, training providers register and self-certify that they meet the applicable federal and state requirements. FMCSA lists them; it does not endorse them, and a listing for one location or curriculum proves nothing about another.

Which approval system are you actually checking?

Readers often collapse three different acceptance systems into one word — "approved." They work differently, and ignoring the difference is how usable-looking training turns out unusable. Call them the three acceptance models, and keep them apart.

Acceptance model	Who accepts or verifies	What it changes for you
Federal registry listing (registered, self-certified)	FMCSA Training Provider Registry	Where you may train: verify the exact location and training type on the live registry. Failure mode: training from an unlisted location or wrong training type produces no valid completion record.
State licensing and verification	Your state driver licensing agency	Whether you may test and be licensed: the state checks the registry record and applies its own rules. Failure mode: a real record can still leave state-specific requirements unmet.
Employer or program acceptance	An employer, school, or sponsor	Who pays or hires — a policy choice, not a legal approval. Failure mode: sponsorship at an unlisted location still produces no valid record.

One wording rule keeps all three straight: say a provider is listed or registered in the TPR, a state verifies the record, and an employer accepts a program — and treat any unconfirmed status as "Pending official confirmation," never as approval.

The second model has a federal hook worth knowing, because it answers a state-level question for every jurisdiction at once. 49 CFR 380.703 requires a training provider to be licensed, certified, registered, or authorized to provide training under the laws of any state where it conducts in-person training — with an exception for providers offering theory instruction only online, who are not bound by state qualification requirements applicable to theory instruction. So the question "does my state also require this school to hold a state credential?" has a federal answer for in-person training: yes, wherever the state imposes one. Falsely claiming to hold that state authorization is one of the grounds on which FMCSA may remove a provider from the registry.

Self-certification is why the live registry — not a badge, a certificate on an office wall, or last year's screenshot — is the thing to check. A provider attests to its own compliance when it registers, and the registry reflects what happens afterward: listings must be renewed biennially, changes to name, address, training types or status must be reported to FMCSA within 30 days under 49 CFR 380.719, and locations can be placed under review or removed. FMCSA also states on the registry home page that it is sending notices to training providers whose locations have submitted no certifications of driver training completion in the past 12 months. Keep dated notes as your own audit trail — evidence of what you saw, not of what is true today.

The Exact-Match Check: seven steps

Verification takes a few minutes and follows the same seven steps every time:

1. Write down the target credential and component: Class A, Class B, B-to-A, P, S, or H — and theory, BTW, or both.
2. Open the official TPR provider search — not a search-engine snippet, and not a provider's "approval" badge.
3. Match the exact provider name and training location. If the marketing brand differs from the legal or school name, search the legal name too.
4. Match the exact training type shown for that location. A location listed for one curriculum does not prove another.
5. Confirm delivery and enrollment context as displayed on the record: online, in-person, or traveling; open to the public or private enrollment.
6. Check current status and any removal notice. When FMCSA issues a notification of proposed removal to a listed provider, it notes that on the registry website and the provider must notify current and scheduled trainees, under 49 CFR part 380, subpart G. Do not enroll on an ambiguous record.
7. Save the evidence: the official URL, provider and location, training type, status, and today's date — and re-check immediately before you pay, because status can change.

Read the result fields carefully. "Traveling" delivery means the provider comes to a location rather than operating a fixed campus; "private" enrollment means you cannot simply sign up as a member of the public — a common context for employer- and school-based programs. If your search turns up nothing under the brand name you were quoted, ask the provider to point you to its own registry record — exact listed name, location, and training type — and verify that record yourself before treating the answer as settled. FMCSA's own guidance on selecting a provider covers the same ground, and the search page offers a dated download of all listed training locations if you would rather work from the full file.

No exact match = stop If the exact provider location or training type is missing, under review, removed, or unclear, stop before paying. Ask the TPR team, your state licensing agency, and the provider for written clarification, and verify the exact provider, course and delivery mode with the full official-list workflow. Never infer coverage from a parent brand, a different location, or an old screenshot.

The Six-Field Verification Record. For each candidate, save the same six fields:

1. Provider or legal name
2. Training location
3. Training type
4. Delivery and enrollment context
5. Current status
6. Registry URL and the date you checked

Give each field one plain-text status — Verified; Verified with limitation; Partial; Pending official confirmation; Blocked; Removed/inactive; or Not applicable. Anything short of Verified for the exact location and training type means: not confirmed — do not enroll based on this page; open the official TPR or state source. Score every candidate with the same seven-step Exact-Match Check and save the same six fields for each. A provider that can't survive that identical scorecard doesn't belong on your shortlist, whatever its marketing says.

If you already trained somewhere unlisted

This is the situation the warnings above are meant to prevent, and it has a specific federal answer rather than a general one. Under 49 CFR part 380, subpart G, FMCSA may remove a provider from the registry for failing to meet or maintain the qualifications, and any training conducted after the removal date is considered invalid. Two consequences follow, and they point in opposite directions:

• Training completed before a removal date is not automatically wiped. The invalidity rule runs forward from removal. FMCSA reserves retroactive invalidation for cases of fraud or other criminal behavior in which driver-trainees knowingly participated.
• Training from a location that was never listed produces no valid record at all, whatever certificate you were handed. Your state has nothing to verify, so it will not administer the skills test — or the H knowledge test — and the training has to be redone with a listed location.

If you are in this position, work it in order. Check your own record first through Check Your Record on the registry. If nothing appears, ask the provider in writing for its registry record — the exact listed name, location, training type and TPR number — and verify that record yourself. Then contact the TPR team and your state licensing agency, in writing, before you book anything else. A removed provider may apply for reinstatement no sooner than 30 days after an involuntary removal, so "they say they're getting relisted" is not a reason to wait quietly.

Listed providers must retain training records — including your assessment records and a copy of your CLP or CDL — for at least three years under 49 CFR 380.725. That gives you no right of access, but it does mean the documentation exists if FMCSA or your state asks for it.

Money is a separate question from records. Whether you are owed a refund is a matter of your contract with the provider and your state's consumer-protection law, not of the federal training rules, and this page cannot tell you how that will turn out.

Choosing a course at a glance

No named provider is verified or recommended on this page. The profiles below describe documented characteristics to shortlist, checked against registry and federal sources on August 9, 2026.

Provider and location status changes on the live registry, so the durable advice is a profile rather than a brand name:

• Best for a first Class A or Class B applicant: a school whose exact location is currently listed for both your class's theory and behind-the-wheel training types — or a listed theory provider deliberately paired with a listed BTW provider — with each provider's reporting responsibility understood before you pay. Not ideal if you need to finish quickly and the only listed BTW location near you is booked out past your permit window.
• Best for an H-endorsement-only applicant: a provider location listed for hazardous materials theory. The H curriculum has no BTW component, so avoid paying for a package built around a Class A or Class B path. Not ideal if you also intend to add a Class A or P/S credential soon — price those paths together rather than twice.
• Best for someone who prefers online study: a location listed for online delivery of your exact theory training type, combined with a realistic plan for in-person BTW wherever your credential requires it. Not ideal if you are pursuing Class A, Class B, P, or S and have no BTW location lined up — the online purchase closes only part of the requirement, and the one-year completion window starts running the day your theory record is submitted.

Learner situation	Shortlist move	Ask before you enroll or pay	The deadline that binds you
First Class A or Class B applicant	Shortlist locations listed for your class's theory and BTW	Is this exact location listed for both training types today? Who submits each completion record? Is enrollment open to the public? What does tuition cover, separate from state fees?	Both records reported before the skills test; no skills test in the first 14 days after CLP issuance
Class B to Class A upgrade	Shortlist Class A-listed locations and confirm the upgrade curriculum	Is the location listed for Class A? Does the record cover the upgrade components? How and when is completion submitted to the registry?	You still need a CLP for the upgrade, and the same 14-day wait applies
First P or S endorsement	Shortlist locations listed for the endorsement itself, not just Class B	Is the location listed for Passenger or School Bus training types? Does my state add school-bus certification, hours, or topics? Which vehicle is used for BTW?	Endorsement record reported before the P or S skills test; state certification may gate issuance separately
First H endorsement	Shortlist locations listed for hazardous materials theory	Is the location listed for H theory? Is delivery online or in person? Which separate security and state steps remain outside the training?	H theory record reported before the knowledge test; the security assessment runs on its own clock
Splitting theory and BTW between providers	Shortlist one listed theory location and one listed BTW location	Does the BTW provider deliver both range and road itself? Which provider submits which record, and when? Does my CLP cover the BTW enrollment date?	Both providers' records must be in before the skills test — and the second portion must be completed within one year of the first

How ELDT fits into the state CDL process

ELDT sits in the middle of a state-run licensing sequence. FMCSA's overview of how to get a CDL describes the general path — state application and permit steps, training, then state testing — but the documents, fees, appointments, and timing all belong to your state.

Step	Your action	Authority boundary
1. Choose the credential	Identify the class or endorsement and read the current state CDL manual	The state licensing agency owns the application and test process
2. Complete state prerequisites	Finish the state-required application, CLP, medical, and residency steps as applicable	Requirements vary by state; this page is not a document checklist
3. Complete ELDT	Train with listed provider locations for the required theory and/or BTW components	Separate providers report separate components
4. Confirm the registry record	Use Check Your Record on the Training Provider Registry after completion	If the record is missing, contact the provider before assuming the state can test you
5. Continue with state testing and licensing	The state verifies the applicable record before the skills test — or the H knowledge test — and completes its own process	No guarantee of a test slot, a passed test, posting speed, or issuance timing

The H endorsement runs the same flow with one substitution: the gate is the state's hazardous materials knowledge test rather than a skills test, so the state verifies the H theory record before administering that test. The separate security and background steps that attach to a hazmat credential are handled outside ELDT entirely — your state's manual routes you to them, and no theory course completes them for you.

Two details in that flow do the most work. First, reporting: after you complete a component, 49 CFR 380.717 requires the provider to electronically transmit your training certification by midnight of the second business day after you complete the training — including your name and licence details, the class or endorsement and training type, the BTW clock hours where applicable, the provider's TPR number, and the completion date. Treat that as the provider's service obligation, not as a promise about when any state system will reflect it.

Second, the check: you can see your own submitted record through Check Your Record on the registry site. "State verification" then means the licensing agency confirms the applicable record exists before it will administer the skills test — or the H knowledge test — under its own procedures. That is a gate the state operates on its own systems and schedule, which is why a paper certificate from a provider, however official it looks, is not what the examiner is checking.

If something looks wrong at test time, work the chain in order — Check Your Record first, then the provider that owes the submission, then your state licensing agency — and put questions in writing when the answer matters. As a practical editorial suggestion, not a rule: confirm your record is visible before you commit money to anything nonrefundable that depends on it, such as third-party test arrangements or travel. For the broader picture of what happens after training is completed — completion versus transmission versus posting versus processing — see our dedicated guide rather than assuming any step is instant.

The permit clock: the deadlines that bind

Almost every ELDT article stops at the training. The deadlines that actually decide whether you test on time belong to the commercial learner's permit, and they are federal. 49 CFR 383.25 sets three of them; 49 CFR 380.707 and 49 CFR 380.603 set the other two.

Rule	What it says	What happens if you plan around it badly
CLP is a precondition	A CLP must be issued before your first CDL, and before an upgrade that requires a skills test	No CLP, no skills test — the B-to-A upgrader needs one too, not just the first-time applicant
14-day wait	You are not eligible to take the CDL skills test in the first 14 days after your CLP is initially issued	Finishing training on day 3 does not get you tested on day 4; the wait runs from permit issuance, not from course completion
One-year outer limit	A CLP is valid for no more than one year from initial issuance without retaking the general and endorsement knowledge tests; states may issue shorter terms and renew within that year	Let the window close and you retake knowledge tests. Some states also require you to pass all skills components before the CLP expires, or start over
Permit before BTW	Training providers must verify that accepted BTW applicants — and Class A theory upgrade applicants — hold a valid CLP or CDL	A listed school should turn you away from BTW without a permit. If one does not, that is a warning about the school
One-year training window	Theory and BTW must both be completed within one year of whichever you finish first, except for the H endorsement	The earlier portion stops counting. You retake and repay for it — the common version is online theory bought early while a behind-the-wheel slot is months out

Federal permit rules checked August 9, 2026. State CLP terms, renewal rules and retest triggers vary; confirm yours with your state agency.

Two practical consequences. First, apply for the CLP early, because it starts a clock you want running while you train rather than after. Second, federal rules place no minimum age below 18 on this route — a CLP applicant must be at least 18 — and interstate driving and individual carriers commonly set a higher bar. States can go further in either direction, as the verified state overlays below show. Ask your state and any prospective employer before you time training to a job.

If the training window has already closed, nothing on the federal side restarts it: the portion you finished more than a year ago has to be taken again with a listed provider, and the new completion has to be reported before your state will test you. Check what is actually on your record first through Check Your Record, because the completion date the provider submitted is the date that counts, not the date you remember finishing. Then price only the portion you have to repeat — an H applicant is outside this rule entirely, and a Class A applicant who needs theory again should not be sold a full program a second time.

Exceptions and state overlays

Federal exceptions and the state overlays below were checked against official sources on August 9, 2026.

The federal rule is deliberately narrow, and the exceptions are specific. Do not stretch them — and do not let a course seller stretch the rule the other way. The FMCSA ELDT overview frames each of the following:

Scenario	Federal treatment	Your move
Credential issued before February 7, 2022	Generally not subject to ELDT for that CDL or endorsement under the non-retroactivity rule	Confirm your current credential and state record
Previously issued CDL that has since lapsed	FMCSA states you are not required to complete ELDT to obtain a CDL, even if the previously issued CDL has lapsed	Confirm reinstatement and testing rules with your state, which are separate from ELDT
Pre-rule CLP path	A CLP obtained before February 7, 2022 can place the holder outside ELDT if the CDL is obtained before that CLP (or its renewal) expires	Do not generalize this to current or expired CLP situations
Skills-test exception	A driver who meets an applicable 49 CFR part 383 skills-test exception is also exempt from ELDT	Confirm the exact exception with your state or the official rule
State exceeds the baseline	States can add applicant, training-hour, provider, instructor, form, or certification requirements	Use your state CDL manual or agency page
Missing or conflicting data	No national inference is safe	Get official confirmation before acting or paying

One caution about how exceptions work in practice: they are applied to your specific record by your state, not self-declared. If you believe a grandfather rule, pre-rule CLP path, or skills-test exception covers you, get the state's written confirmation before skipping training — buying nothing on a mistaken exemption costs more than verifying it did.

Five state overlays, verified

State overlays are ordinary state law sitting on top of the federal floor, and they change what you buy, how long it takes, and sometimes which language you can test in. Five verified examples, each checked against its own authority:

State	Verified overlay	Governing authority	Checked
California	Original Class A and Class B applicants must complete at least 15 hours of behind-the-wheel training, at least 10 of them on a public road, and submit the DL 1236 certification before the CDL is issued. Applicants must first hold a California noncommercial Class C licence, then a CLP for 14 days	California DMV; California Vehicle Code §15250.1(b)	Aug 9, 2026
Nevada	A school listed on the federal registry must also hold a Nevada DMV business licence; without it the DMV may refuse your results and you will not be allowed to test. Nevada CLPs are valid 180 days	Nevada DMV	Aug 9, 2026
New York	Class A applicants aged 18, 19, or 20 must complete Class A ELDT and at least 300 hours of behind-the-wheel training under the immediate supervision of an experienced driver, then present form MV-44CDL at issuance. Young Adult participants self-certify to intrastate driving and cannot obtain a hazardous materials or school bus endorsement	New York DMV	Aug 9, 2026
Texas	Texas Transportation Code §522.014 requires the CLP to be held at least 14 days. Effective June 1, 2026, DPS administers all CDL knowledge examinations exclusively in English	Texas DPS	Aug 9, 2026
Washington	All three skills-test components must be passed before the CLP expires, or the applicant starts over; knowledge tests must be retaken if the CLP has been expired 30 days or more	Washington DOL	Aug 9, 2026

A documented conflict in the California sources, because it lands on the upgrader. The DMV's commercial driver's license pages scope the 15-hour and DL 1236 requirement to applicants for an original Class A or B CDL, tracking the statutory language. DMV's own applicant-facing behind-the-wheel training notice states the requirement more broadly — original Class A or B, upgrading to a Class A CDL, or adding a school bus or passenger endorsement. Both are California DMV sources and we are not resolving them for you. If you are upgrading in California or adding S or P there, assume the broader reading and confirm with a DMV field office before you assume you are exempt from the 15 hours.

When you open your own state's CDL manual, read it with the overlay question in mind: does the state add minimum training hours for any class or endorsement, require a certification form from the school, restrict which providers or instructors it accepts, or attach extra steps to school-bus or passenger credentials? Those four questions catch most overlays that change what you buy.

Which agency verifies your ELDT record in your state?

This page publishes no fifty-state requirement summary, because a state row without a current official source is worth less than no row at all. What it publishes instead is the authority for all 51 CDL jurisdictions — 50 states and the District of Columbia — so nobody has to guess who governs their record.

Agency names are volatile, so every row shows where its name came from. Eight were opened and confirmed on the agency's own site on August 9, 2026 and are linked. The other 43 are reproduced from FMCSA's state driver licensing agency directory, which carries a last-updated date of March 16, 2024; several links in that directory no longer resolve, and three of the names we checked had gone stale — Alabama, Kentucky and Oklahoma are corrected below. Treat any unlinked name as a search term rather than a verified fact. FMCSA's state CDL resource page is the maintained route to state manuals. In the overlay column, "Not verified here" does not mean the state has no overlay — it means we have not checked, and you should ask the four overlay questions above.

Jurisdiction	Driver licensing agency	Name source	Overlay verified on this page
Alabama	Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Driver License Division	Agency site, Aug 9, 2026	Not verified here
Alaska	Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Arizona	Arizona Motor Vehicle Division	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Arkansas	Arkansas Department of Driver Services	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
California	California Department of Motor Vehicles	Agency site, Aug 9, 2026	Yes — 15-hour BTW minimum, DL 1236 form
Colorado	Colorado Department of Revenue	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Connecticut	Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Delaware	Delaware Department of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
District of Columbia	District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Florida	Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Georgia	Georgia Department of Driver Services	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Hawaii	Hawaii, City of Honolulu	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Idaho	Idaho Motor Vehicle Division	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Illinois	Illinois Driver Services	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Indiana	Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Iowa	Iowa Motor Vehicle Division	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Kansas	Kansas Department of Revenue	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Kentucky	Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Driver Licensing	Agency site, Aug 9, 2026	Not verified here
Louisiana	Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Maine	Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Maryland	Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Massachusetts	Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Michigan	Michigan Department of State	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Minnesota	Minnesota Department of Public Safety	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Mississippi	Mississippi Department of Public Safety	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Missouri	Missouri Department of Revenue	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Montana	Montana Motor Vehicle Division	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Nebraska	Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Nevada	Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles	Agency site, Aug 9, 2026	Yes — school must hold a state business licence
New Hampshire	New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
New Jersey	New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
New Mexico	New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
New York	New York Department of Motor Vehicles	Agency site, Aug 9, 2026	Yes — 300 supervised BTW hours for ages 18–20
North Carolina	North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
North Dakota	North Dakota Department of Transportation	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Ohio	Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Oklahoma	Service Oklahoma	Agency site, Aug 9, 2026	Not verified here
Oregon	Oregon Department of Transportation	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania Department of Transportation	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Rhode Island	Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
South Carolina	South Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
South Dakota	South Dakota Driver Services	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Tennessee	Tennessee Driver Services	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Texas	Texas Department of Public Safety	Agency site, Aug 9, 2026	Yes — English-only knowledge exams from June 1, 2026
Utah	Utah Driver License Division	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Vermont	Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Virginia	Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Washington	Washington Department of Licensing	Agency site, Aug 9, 2026	Yes — skills tests must finish before CLP expiry
West Virginia	West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Wisconsin	Wisconsin Department of Transportation	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here
Wyoming	Wyoming Department of Transportation	FMCSA directory, Mar 16, 2024	Not verified here

All 51 CDL jurisdictions — 50 states and the District of Columbia — are listed. Eight agency names were confirmed on the agency's own site on August 9, 2026; the remaining 43 are FMCSA directory entries dated March 16, 2024 and are not independently verified. Five state overlays are verified against state authorities; 46 jurisdictions are routed to their agency and not otherwise assessed on this page.

Training in one state and licensing in another is allowed, and it moves the overlay question rather than removing it — see the FAQ on cross-state training below.

What does ELDT cost, and when does the record actually count?

Cost components below were framework-checked on August 9, 2026; no national tuition figure is published because none exists in the federal rules.

There is no federal standard ELDT tuition, and this page will not invent a market average. What you can do is budget by component, keeping provider tuition strictly separate from the state's own fees:

Cost component	What it means	How to treat it
Provider tuition	Theory and BTW may be priced separately and may come from different providers	Confirm the price against the exact listed training type and location before paying
State application, permit, test, and license fees	Set and collected by the state, outside any course price	Use your state manual or fee page; never blend into "course price"
Medical or background-related costs	May apply to the broader CDL or H process rather than the training itself	Budget them for the credential, not the tuition line
Vehicle, testing, or practice costs	Vehicle rental, third-party testing, or extra practice may be required or optional depending on state and provider	Label each mandatory or optional before comparing quotes
Travel, lodging, and time	Material for in-person BTW; not a regulatory fee	Include when it genuinely changes the decision
Retakes or extra instruction	May be triggered by performance or provider policy	Do not treat as required without current provider terms

What the state side actually costs: one worked example

Tuition varies too much to publish. State fees do not — they are set by statute and published. Texas is used here because its schedule is public and itemised; your state's numbers will differ, but the shape will not. Every figure below comes from the Texas DPS driver licence fee schedule, checked August 9, 2026, and each includes the $1 administrative fee DPS applies to in-office transactions.

Scenario	Texas fees, itemised	State-side total
Low — adding a first H endorsement to a CDL you already hold	$11 to reissue the CDL card after testing to add an endorsement	$11
Base — first Class A or Class B CDL	$25 commercial learner's permit + $97 CDL, age 18 to 84, eight-year term	$122
High — first Class A where the permit is renewed once before the skills test	$25 CLP + $25 CLP renewal + $97 CDL	$147

Texas state fees only, checked August 9, 2026. Excludes provider tuition, the DOT medical examination, and the separate federal security threat assessment a hazardous materials endorsement requires. A CDL issued with a hazardous materials endorsement carries a different Texas fee — $61, on a five-year term rather than eight.

Two things that table is meant to show. First, the state's side of a first Class A is roughly a hundred dollars: real, but small next to tuition, which is where the money actually goes and which no page can quote for you honestly. Second, the gap between the low and high rows is not a different course. It is permit timing. Letting a permit lapse and renewing it is the cheapest avoidable cost on this page, and the one most often caused by a gap between training portions.

Before you price tuition at all, check whether you have to pay it. Three routes exist that cost the trainee little or nothing, and none of them is a course seller's idea:

• A skills-test exception, if one applies to you. Meeting an applicable part 383 skills-test exception exempts you from ELDT altogether. FMCSA publishes the military skills test waiver application for qualifying service members and veterans; your state decides whether you qualify.
• Employer or carrier sponsorship. Common in this industry and legitimate — but the sponsor's own training location still has to be listed for your training type, and sponsorship agreements often carry a service commitment. Read that term before you sign anything.
• Community and technical college programs, and state workforce funding. Ask your state's workforce agency and your local community college what CDL training they fund or subsidise, and verify any program's registry listing exactly as you would a private school's.

Ask each provider which training types the price covers, at which listed location, with which vehicle for BTW — and what it excludes. A "cheap" theory-only quote and an "expensive" full-program quote are not answers to the same question, and neither includes the state's fees.

Completion is a record, not the CDL The provider reports your training completion to the Training Provider Registry, and you can check the submitted record. The state then applies its own testing and licensing process. "Course complete," "record submitted," and "record visible" are three different statements — and none of them means "licensed," "passed," or "ready to drive commercially."

ELDT FAQs

Can ELDT be completed online?

Partly, for most paths. Theory may be delivered online when the provider location is listed for online delivery of your training type. Behind-the-wheel training cannot be online — it is actual range and public-road driving. So for Class A, Class B, P, and S, an online course covers at most one component. Only the theory-only H endorsement can be fully covered by a listed online course.

Can theory and behind-the-wheel come from different providers?

Yes, with two limits. Federal rules allow a listed theory provider and a separate listed BTW provider, and each submits its own completion record to the registry. But the range and public-road portions of BTW must both be delivered by the same provider, and the second portion must be completed within one year of the first. Verify each location for the component it actually delivers, and know which provider owes which submission before you pay either one.

Can I train in one state and get licensed in another?

Yes. FMCSA's driver training FAQs explain that under 49 CFR 383.79(a), if you train and pass the skills test in another state, your state of domicile must accept those skills-test results. What it does not have to waive is its own extra requirements — it may still impose a minimum number of BTW hours, or a state school-bus certification, before it issues your CDL. And state ELDT overlays attach based on where you obtain the training, not where you live, so training in a state with added hour or provider rules brings those rules with it.

How long until my training shows up in the Training Provider Registry?

Your provider is responsible for submitting your training certification information, and 49 CFR 380.717 sets the deadline at midnight of the second business day after completion. Confirm through Check Your Record on the registry site. If the record is still missing after that window, contact the provider first, then your state licensing agency.

Does ELDT expire?

Two different clocks, and only one of them is about your permit. The training window: except for the H endorsement, 49 CFR 380.603(c)(3) requires the theory and behind-the-wheel portions to be completed within one year of completing the first portion, and if more than a year passes between them the earlier portion has to be redone. The permit: a CLP is valid for no more than one year from initial issuance without retaking the knowledge tests, and states may set shorter terms. FMCSA does not publish a separate shelf-life rule for a completed record once both portions are in. If significant time has passed, check your current record via Check Your Record and ask your state licensing agency what it will accept before scheduling a test.

How long does it take from finishing training to taking the test?

It depends on the slowest link in a chain: course completion, then the provider's submission to the registry, then state verification of the record, then your state's own scheduling and processing — and, if your permit was just issued, the federal 14-day wait before you are eligible for the skills test at all. Most delays come from the provider's reporting or from state processing and appointment availability. An instant certificate from a provider does not mean instant registry posting, instant state verification, an immediate test slot, or a license.

How this page is verified

Required Courses is an independent educational publisher. We are not FMCSA, a state driver licensing agency, a training provider, or a law firm, and we do not issue, verify, or influence any credential.

Every requirement, approval, and deadline statement on this page is sourced to the controlling federal regulation, to FMCSA guidance, or to the state authority that issues the rule, and carries the date it was checked. Where two official sources disagree, we publish the conflict rather than resolve it for you — as with the California scope conflict above. Where we have not verified something, the page says so rather than filling the gap: five of the 51 jurisdictions listed above carry a verified state overlay, and 43 of the agency names in that table are FMCSA directory entries we have not independently confirmed.

No provider is named, ranked, or recommended anywhere on this page. How this page is funded: Required Courses is supported by advertising and, on some pages, disclosed referral links. No provider has paid for placement, ordering, or inclusion on this page, and compensation never determines what is included or how it is ranked. If a compensated link is added to this page, it will be disclosed here. Federal regulation and registry sources are re-checked at least quarterly and after any FMCSA rule or registry change; state overlays and agency names are re-checked on the same cadence. If a claim here has gone stale, an agency listing has changed, or a row in the jurisdiction table names an agency that no longer exists, tell us through the contact route in the site footer and quote the row and the date printed beside it.

Your next step

Identify the target credential, search the official Training Provider Registry for the exact component and location, save the six-field record, then apply for your CLP and open your current state CDL manual. If any field conflicts — location, training type, status, or a state rule — stop before paying and ask for written clarification. Route the question by type: the TPR team for a registry record or listing, your state licensing agency for eligibility, testing and exceptions, the provider for its own listing and reporting, and a lawyer only where the question is about a contract or a licence action rather than the course itself. Carrier operating authority, USDOT registration, and running a trucking business are separate subjects outside this guide. And if a different requirement is what actually brought you here, find the authority for another required course before you buy anything.

Sources and last verified date

Last verified: August 9, 2026

Next review: November 9, 2026

• Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) — FMCSA — Federal applicability (first Class A/B, B-to-A, first P/S/H), the February 7, 2022 non-retroactivity rule, the pre-rule CLP path, and the skills-test exception. Page last updated February 4, 2026.
• ELDT Applicability — FMCSA Training Provider Registry — Applicant-facing applicability tool, and the lapsed-CDL treatment.
• Driver Training Requirements FAQs — FMCSA Training Provider Registry — Verification-point summary by credential, range-versus-public-road scope by endorsement, no federal minimum hours, simulator limits, sequencing, separate providers, Class A training covering the Class B skills test, cross-state training under 49 CFR 383.79(a), and state overlays.
• Training Provider Registry — FMCSA — Registry home, the inactive-location notice programme, and the TPR contact route.
• Find a Training Provider — FMCSA Training Provider Registry — The official provider search: training-type filters, delivery and enrollment context, and the dated download of all listed training locations.
• Check Your Record — FMCSA Training Provider Registry — The applicant-facing record check.
• Training Provider Requirements — FMCSA Training Provider Registry — Provider registration and self-certification, and location-level registration.
• Selecting a Training Provider — FMCSA Training Provider Registry — Official guidance on choosing a listed provider.
• How do I get a Commercial Driver's License? — FMCSA — The state application/CLP → training → state testing sequence.
• Commercial Driver's License: States — FMCSA — The state licensing agency's role and the route to state-specific manuals.
• State Resources and Programs — FMCSA — The federal directory of state driver licensing agencies used for 43 rows of the 51-jurisdiction table; directory last updated March 16, 2024.
• Military Skills Test Waiver Application — FMCSA — The military skills-test waiver route for qualifying service members and veterans.
• 49 CFR Part 380, Subpart F — eCFR — ELDT applicability and definitions, the February 7, 2022 compliance date, and the one-year theory/BTW completion window at § 380.603(c)(3).
• 49 CFR Part 380 — eCFR — The full part, including the Class A, Class B, passenger, school bus and hazardous materials curricula at appendices A through E.
• 49 CFR Part 380, Subpart G — eCFR — Registry listing requirements, removal grounds and procedure, the post-removal invalidity rule, trainee notification on proposed removal, and reinstatement timing.
• 49 CFR 380.703 — eCFR — State licensing, certification or authorization required for in-person training, with the online-theory exception.
• 49 CFR 380.707 — eCFR — CLP or CDL verification before BTW training, and the same-provider rule for BTW range and public road.
• 49 CFR 380.715 — eCFR — The 80 percent theory assessment standard and BTW proficiency documentation.
• 49 CFR 380.717 — eCFR — Training certification submission by midnight of the second business day, and the fields transmitted.
• 49 CFR 380.719 — eCFR — Biennial re-registration and 30-day reporting of key provider changes.
• 49 CFR 380.725 — eCFR — Three-year retention of driver-trainee assessment and permit records.
• 49 CFR 383.25 — eCFR — CLP as a precondition to issuance and upgrade, the 14-day skills-test wait, and the one-year validity limit.
• 49 CFR Part 383 — eCFR — CDL standards, including the minimum age for a commercial learner's permit.
• Commercial Driver Licenses — California DMV — California CLP sequence and the 14-day hold before a skills test.
• Commercial Driver's Licenses (CDL) — California DMV — The 15-hour behind-the-wheel minimum and DL 1236 requirement for original Class A/B applicants under Vehicle Code §15250.1(b).
• California Commercial Driver Behind the Wheel Training Certification (DL 1236) — California DMV — The certification form and the 15-hour/10-hour public-road split.
• Behind-the-Wheel Training Required notice — California DMV — The broader applicant-facing scope (original Class A/B, Class A upgrade, school bus or passenger endorsement) recorded as a source conflict.
• Commercial Learner Permits — Nevada DMV — The Nevada state business-licence requirement for training schools and the 180-day CLP term.
• How do I apply for a Commercial Driver License? — Texas DPS — The 14-day CLP hold and the June 1, 2026 English-only knowledge examination policy.
• Driver License Fees — Texas DPS — Published Texas CLP, CDL and endorsement-test fees used in the worked cost example. Provider documentation for price only; no approval claim rests on it.
• Commercial Driver License FAQ — Texas DPS — Texas Transportation Code §522.014 and state ELDT verification at the counter.
• Commercial Driver License — New York DMV — New York's ELDT gate before the CDL road test and before the hazardous materials knowledge test.
• CDL Class A Young Adult Training Program — New York DMV — The 300-hour supervised behind-the-wheel requirement, form MV-44CDL, and the intrastate and endorsement limits for ages 18 to 20.
• Commercial learner's permit (CLP) — Washington State Department of Licensing — Skills-test components must be completed before CLP expiry, and knowledge retesting after 30 days expired.
• Driver License — Alabama Law Enforcement Agency — Current Alabama driver licensing authority, replacing the FMCSA directory's "Alabama Department of Safety."
• Commercial Driver's License — Kentucky Transportation Cabinet — Current Kentucky driver licensing authority, replacing the FMCSA directory's "Kentucky State Police."
• Commercial Driving CDL — Service Oklahoma — Current Oklahoma driver licensing authority, replacing the FMCSA directory's "Oklahoma Department of Public Safety."