The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new Entry-Level Driver Training rule has officially gone into effect, meaning drivers can no longer take their commercial driver's license test until they complete a specific ELDT curriculum provided by a school or other entity listed on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry.

“For carriers that train their own drivers, this means they now need to have their entire ELDT program in place, in addition to having their application approved to be on the TPR,” said Steve Murray, vice president of content and consulting services at J.J. Keller & Associates. “For many carriers, however, this significant change is taking longer than expected. In addition to implementing the ELDT theory and behind-the-wheel instruction, they also have to prepare their trainers to deliver this training to drivers.”

To help carriers meet the ELDT requirements, or to verify their current program is in compliance, J.J. Keller has developed a number of services.

J.J. Keller’s ELDT Trainer Certification Program teaches a carrier’s trainers how to train entry-level drivers according to the new rule. A J.J. Keller instructor will educate the trainers on how to effectively deliver both the theory and the behind-the-wheel aspects of entry-level driver training. For carriers that want to use their own theory curriculum, J.J. Keller also offers an ELDT Range & Road Trainer Certification Program focused on teaching trainers to conduct the behind-the-wheel training.

J.J. Keller’s ELDT Training Program Assessment will review the ELDT program a carrier already has in place to verify that it meets or exceeds the FMCSA’s ELDT requirements. This includes an assessment of their facilities, vehicles, trainers, certifications, documentation, recordkeeping, training curriculum, and more.

These services also include assistance with getting registered on the provider registry.

In addition, J.J. Keller offers an ELDT curriculum, which is a fully prepared training program, including driver and trainer textbooks, online training courses, instructions for range and road exercises, and proof of certification.