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The entry-level driver training rule establishes minimum training standards for drivers applying for their initial CDL, upgrading their current CDL, or obtaining a passenger, school bus, or hazardous materials endorsement for the first time.
Before to taking the skills test, an entry-level driver must successfully complete a prescribed program of theory and behind-the-wheel instruction provided by a school or other entity listed on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry (TPR).
The rule requires instruction in 30 specific topics under five areas of instruction:
An assessment must be used to determine the driver-trainee’s proficiency for each unit of instruction. Driver-trainees must achieve an overall minimum score of 80 percent on the theory assessment. There is no minimum number of hours that driver-trainees must spend on theory instruction.
Behind-the-wheel training includes both range and public road instruction covering just under two dozen topics. The required topics include (but are not limited to) vehicle controls, speed and space management, backing, and parking.
The training must be completed in a vehicle of the same group or type that the driver-trainee intends to use for the CDL skills test.
The proficient completion of the behind-the-wheel training is based on the instructor’s assessment of each driver-trainee’s performance of the required elements of behind-the-wheel training.
Training instructors must document the total number of clock hours each driver-trainee spends to complete the behind-the-wheel curriculum. There is no minimum number of hours that driver-trainees must spend on behind-the-wheel instruction.
An individual seeking to obtain a passenger, school bus, or hazardous materials endorsement for the first time must complete the training related to that endorsement from a provider listed on the TPR.
A specific curriculum that includes theory and behind-the-wheel instruction must be completed in order to obtain a passenger or school bus endorsement.
A specific curriculum that includes theory instruction must be completed in order to obtain a hazardous materials endorsement.
In order to be listed on the Training Provider Registry (TPR), the training provider must:
Facilities and equipment must comply with all applicable federal, state, and/or local statutes and regulations.
Theory and behind-the-wheel instructors must hold an appropriate class of CDL (including appropriate endorsement(s)) and have either:
After an individual completes training administered by a provider listed on the TPR, that provider must, by midnight of the second business day after the driver-trainee completes the training, electronically transmit training certification information through the TPR website.
All training providers on the TPR must retain the following records:
Note that if local, state, or federal requirements prescribe longer retention periods for any category of records described, the records should be kept under those guidelines.