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The regulations include specific criteria that must be met in order to be considered a training provider.
These requirements apply to all who intend to provide training to entry-level drivers who drive in interstate, intrastate or foreign commerce and are subject to the commercial driver’s license (CDL) requirements.
Training Provider Registry (TPR). In order to be listed on the Training Provider Registry (TPR), the training provider must:
The training provider must allow FMCSA or its authorized representative to audit or investigate the training provider’s operations to ensure that the provider meets the above criteria.
The training provider must attest to FMCSA that it meets all applicable requirements to obtain a unique number and be listed on the TPR.
Facilities and equipment. The training provider’s classroom and range facilities must comply with all applicable federal, state, and/or local statutes and regulations.
All vehicles used in the behind-the-wheel training must comply with applicable federal and state safety requirements.
Training vehicles must be in the same group and type that driver-trainees intend to operate for their CDL skills test.
Theory instructor. A theory instructor must meet one of the following qualifications:
An instructor is not required to hold a CDL of the same (or higher) class and with all endorsements necessary to operate the CMV, if the instructor previously held a CDL of the same (or higher) class and complies with the other requirements set forth above.
Training providers offering online content exclusively are not required to meet state qualification requirements for theory instructors.
Behind-the-wheel instructor. A behind-the-wheel instructor is an individual who provides behind-the-wheel training involving the actual operation of a CMV by an entry-level driver on a range or a public road and meets one of the following qualifications:
A behind-the-wheel instructor who provides training solely on a range which is not a public road is not required to hold a CDL of the same (or higher) class and with all endorsements necessary to operate the CMV, as long as the instructor previously held a CDL of the same (or higher) class and with all endorsements necessary to operate the CMV for which training is to be provided, and complies with the other requirements set forth above.
Assessments. Training providers must use assessments (in written or electronic format) to determine driver-trainees’ proficiency in the theory portion of each unit of instruction. The driver-trainee must receive an overall minimum score of 80 percent on the theory assessment.
Training instructors must evaluate and document a driver trainee’s proficiency in behind-the-wheel skills.
Both the theory and behind-the-wheel assessments must be in accordance with the curricula in Part 380, Appendices A through D, as applicable.
Certification. 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 the following training certification information through the TPR website:
Record retention. All training providers on the TPR must retain the following:
Training providers listed on the TPR must retain the records listed above for a minimum of three years from the date each required record is generated or received, unless a record, such as a behind-the-wheel instructor’s CDL, has expired or been canceled, in which case the most recent, valid CDL should be retained.
If local, state, or federal requirements prescribe longer retention periods for any category of records described, the records should be maintained under those guidelines.