Breaking Down the ELDT Mandate
What is ELDT?
The Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) mandate is a new set of federal rules set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) that all truck driver training schools must follow. The FMCSA designed these rules to create a training baseline for all new drivers. ELDT will apply to anyone seeking to obtain a Class A or B CDL, wishing to upgrade from a Class B CDL to a Class A CDL, or those wanting to add a School Bus (S), Passenger (P), or Hazardous Material (H) endorsements to their license.
When does the ELDT Mandate go into place?
The ELDT mandate will go into effect on February 7th, 2022, meaning that anyone who has their Commercial Learners Permit (CLP) on or after this date will be required to follow all ELDT mandate rules. Applicants who obtain their CLP before February 7th, 2022, are not required to follow the ELDT mandate if they receive their CDL or Endorsements before their CLP expires.
Why is an Entry-Level Driver Training Mandate needed?
The implementation of Entry-Level Driver Training ensures that all future drivers will have the same training. Nearly 3.9 million truck drivers operate in the United States, making up 9.4% of all total miles driven. ELDT will close loopholes in the CDL training process by requiring all students are trained at an authorized training provider, to make all future CDL drivers safer for all.
How will ELDT affect students?
Students will only be able to obtain their CDL’s from an FMCSA approved training provider. An FMCSA approved training provider must follow the new rule changes to CDL training requirements. Students who do not go to an ELDT compliant school after February 7th, 2022, will not be able to take the CDL Exam.
How will ELDT affect schools?
Once the ELDT Mandate goes into effect, any training provider that wants to continue offering driver training services must register and self-certify that they meet all FMSCA requirements.
Once a school like DriveCo has submitted its registration and met all the above requirements, the FMCSA lists that school in the Training Provider Registry (TPR). Once a school is in the TPR system, the school will receive a unique training provider ID number listed on every driver trainees record in the Commercial Driver’s License Information System. At DriveCo, we will have to make zero changes to our Professional Truck Driver Training Program to comply with the ELDT Mandate.
Resources
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA): The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is the government in charge of ensuring that schools follow the ELDT Mandate while also adjusting the rules to make the system as effective as possible.
Training Provider Registry (TPR): The FMCSA adds ELDT compliant schools to the Training Provider Registry, which is open to everyone who finds ELDT schools.
Commercial Vehicle Training Association (CVTA): The Commercial Vehicle Training Association (CVTA) is the largest association of commercial training programs in the United States and has strongly supported the ELDT Mandate for all its members. CVTA has a compliance program for members to ensure that when February 7th comes, all CVTA members are on the TPR.