What the Rule Requires
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration created ELDT to set a national floor for how new commercial drivers are trained. Before 2022, standards varied wildly by state and by school. Now every new driver completes the same core curriculum from a provider that has registered with FMCSA and agreed to its requirements.
You must complete ELDT before you can take the skills test for a Class A or Class B CDL for the first time, before upgrading from Class B to Class A, and before taking the knowledge test for a first Hazmat endorsement or the skills test for a first Passenger or School Bus endorsement.
The Two Parts of ELDT
Theory. Classroom or online instruction covering the federal curriculum: basic operation, safe operating procedures, advanced operating practices, vehicle systems and malfunctions, and non-driving activities such as hours of service and trip planning. There is no federal minimum number of hours. Instead you must score at least 80 percent on the provider's theory assessment.
Behind-the-wheel. Hands-on training on a range and on public roads in the class of vehicle you are testing for. Again there is no federal hour minimum. The instructor must certify that you have demonstrated proficiency in each required skill: pre-trip inspection, backing and coupling, shifting if applicable, speed and space management, and the rest of the curriculum.
Both parts must come from providers on the registry. They can be the same provider or different ones. At ACE, both are part of every Class A program.
The Training Provider Registry
The Training Provider Registry (TPR) is FMCSA's public list of schools and trainers that have certified they meet the ELDT requirements for curriculum, instructors, facilities, and equipment. When you complete training, your provider submits your completion to the registry, and the registry passes it to your state licensing agency. Texas DPS checks that record before it allows a skills test.
This is why it matters which school you pick. A school that is not on the registry cannot report your completion, and without that report you cannot test, no matter how many hours you put in. Advance Career Education is listed on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry, and you can confirm any school's status on the registry's public search.
Who Is Exempt
ELDT does not apply to drivers who already held a valid CDL or the relevant endorsement before February 7, 2022. It also does not apply to drivers who got their CLP before that date and obtained the CDL before the permit expired. Renewals, and adding endorsements that are not H, P, or S, do not trigger it either. If you are a brand-new driver in 2026, none of these exemptions apply to you. You will complete ELDT.
What ELDT Means for You in Practice
For a student at a registered school, ELDT is mostly invisible. You go through the permit course, the yard, and the road just as you would have before, and the school handles the recordkeeping and the registry submission. The only difference you notice is that the theory assessment is a real test with a real passing score.
The rule matters most when you are choosing a school. Ask whether they are on the registry, whether both theory and behind-the-wheel are covered in the program, and who submits your completion. At ACE the answers are yes, yes, and we do. Call 817-864-8086 with any questions.