The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) values the safety and responsibility of being a professional truck driver. On February 7, 2022, a new regulation entered the trucking industry to help with industry safety and training. This regulation called the ELDT Mandate, will help create uniform training for the next generation of truck drivers.

The Entry-level Driver Training Mandate, or ELDT Mandate, is a federal truck driver training curriculum that regulates the training needed to become a professional truck driver. The regulation aims to address the differing CDL training requirements in each state and help create consistent training across the country.

The ELDT Mandate curriculum sets training up in three parts: theory/classroom, behind-the-wheel (range), and road driving. For each part of training, there are no minimum hours needed if the instructor covers every topic and can properly assess that the student has learned the material.

Once the mandate goes into effect, the training for each student is broken up into three segments. The first portion of training consists of classroom and theory training. Once the student passes the first assessment, they will move onto the next portion, behind-the-wheel on the range. After the range, students are onto the final portion of training, behind-the-wheel training on the road. After the student passes the final portion of training, they are ready to take their CDL exam to get their license.