ELDT Requirements & Other Federal CDL Rules
Four commercial driver’s license requirements are set by federal regulators — FMCSA and TSA — not by any individual state, and they read the same whether you’re applying in Texas or Vermont: Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT), the DOT medical certificate, the federal 21-year-old minimum age for driving interstate, and the TSA security threat assessment behind a hazmat endorsement.
Because these four rules don’t vary by state, this is the one page on the site that covers them in full, with sources. Every state page carries only a short summary of each one (see FederalSummary) plus that state’s own genuine deviations — like a state-specific behind-the-wheel training minimum layered on top of the federal ELDT curriculum — so state pages stay focused on what actually differs state to state. Browse CDL requirements by state for that state-specific detail.
Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)
FMCSA's Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) rule (49 CFR Part 380, Subpart F) has applied since February 7, 2022. Its trigger conditions are set out verbatim at 49 CFR 383.71(a)(10): a person must complete ELDT 'before taking the skills test for a Class A or B CDL for the first time, or a skills test for a passenger (P) or school bus (S) endorsement for the first time, or the knowledge test for a hazardous materials (H) endorsement for the first time' — the parallel provisions for a CDL holder upgrading or renewing appear at 383.71(b)(11), 383.71(c)(5), and 383.73(c)(9). So a first-time Class A/B license, or a first-time P or S endorsement, gates on the SKILLS test; a first-time H endorsement gates on the KNOWLEDGE test instead. The rule is not retroactive: drivers already holding the relevant CDL or endorsement before February 7, 2022 don't need to complete ELDT for it, and an applicant who held a CLP issued before that date is exempt as long as they obtain their CDL before that CLP (or its renewal) expires. Anyone who qualifies for one of the skills-test exceptions in 49 CFR Part 383 is exempt from ELDT as well. The regulation sets required minimum curriculum content for both the theory (knowledge) and behind-the-wheel (BTW) portions of training, but — unlike some states' own add-on requirements — it does not set a specific minimum number of training hours: Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 380 (the Class A CDL Training Curriculum) states plainly 'There is no required minimum number of instruction hours for theory training' and 'There is no required minimum number of instruction hours for BTW (range and public road) training'; a registered provider instead certifies that a driver-trainee has demonstrated proficiency in every required curriculum item, and tracks the clock hours actually spent on BTW training as part of that record. The Training Provider Registry (tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov) is the record of who has completed ELDT: state licensing agencies check it before issuing an affected CDL or endorsement, and drivers can look up their own completion record using the Registry's "Check Your Record" tool. ELDT and the Registry were mandated by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) and finalized based in part on a negotiated-rulemaking committee (ELDTAC) that met in 2015.
Source: FMCSA — Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)DOT medical certificate
Under 49 CFR Part 391, anyone driving a commercial motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating over 10,000 lbs (4,536 kg) in interstate commerce must obtain and maintain a valid Medical Examiner's Certificate — commonly called a "medical card" — and the exam itself must be performed by a medical examiner listed on the FMCSA National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (49 CFR 391.43(a)). A certificate is valid for up to 24 months (49 CFR 391.45(b)), though an examiner can issue a shorter interval if a driver's condition needs closer monitoring. Separately, every CDL holder must self-certify to their State Driver Licensing Agency (SDLA) into one of four operating categories: interstate non-excepted, interstate excepted, intrastate non-excepted, or intrastate excepted. Only "non-excepted" drivers in either category must meet a medical-certification requirement — non-excepted interstate drivers must meet the federal DOT medical-card standard described above; non-excepted intrastate drivers must meet their own state's medical requirement instead, which may differ. CDL holders must give their state a copy of each new certificate, and states post the certification status and expiration date to the driver's CDLIS motor vehicle record so it's visible to employers and enforcement; a driver who lets that record lapse has their commercial driving privilege downgraded and can no longer legally operate a vehicle that requires a CDL until it's current again.
Source: FMCSA — Medical (CDL medical certification & self-certification)Interstate minimum age
The federal floor is set by 49 CFR 391.11(b)(1): a person is qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce only if, among the section's other requirements, they are at least 21 years old. A separate rule, 49 CFR 383.71(a)(1), sets 18 as the minimum age to be issued a Commercial Learner's Permit or CDL at all — so a driver can hold and use a CDL from age 18, but only to drive within their own state, until they turn 21. Each state sets its own intrastate minimum within that federal floor (see that state's own page for its figure; 18 is the common choice). Starting in 2022, FMCSA also ran the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot (SDAP), established under Section 23022 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), which let a limited number of 18-, 19-, and 20-year-old drivers who already held an intrastate CDL drive interstate for an approved, participating motor carrier under added safety conditions. FMCSA stopped accepting new SDAP applications on August 31, 2025, and the pilot itself concluded November 7, 2025 (fmcsa.dot.gov/sdap); absent a successor program, the 21-year floor again applies to every driver newly seeking to operate interstate.
Source: eCFR — 49 CFR § 391.11(b)(1) (General qualifications of drivers)Hazmat security threat assessment
TSA's Hazardous Materials Endorsement (HME) Threat Assessment Program conducts a fingerprint-based background check for any driver applying for, renewing, or transferring an H endorsement on a state-issued CDL — required under 49 CFR Part 1572, a rule TSA published May 5, 2003 and amended January 25, 2007 to add disqualifying factors and an appeal process. Applicants pre-enroll online, then complete the process at a TSA enrollment center (or, in Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin, through their state DMV) by providing identifying documents and fingerprints and paying a non-refundable fee valid for five years — $85.25 for a new or renewing applicant as of January 1, 2025, or a reduced $41.00 for an applicant who already holds a valid TWIC card in a state that accepts the TWIC assessment in place of a separate HME one. TSA aims to return a decision within 60 days of a complete application, though it has publicly flagged longer processing times and recommends enrolling at least 60 days before an applicant needs the result. Eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, naturalized citizens, or lawfully present nonimmigrant aliens, asylees, or refugees who hold a U.S.-issued CDL; a list of disqualifying criminal offenses can make an otherwise-eligible applicant ineligible. Renewal is required every five years, with new fingerprints submitted each time, and a driver transferring an existing HME to a new state generally does not need a fresh threat assessment as long as the new state can issue an HME that expires within five years of the last one.
Source: TSA — HAZMAT EndorsementReviewed against the sources cited above on 2026-07-25. Federal regulations change less often than state fee schedules, but if FMCSA or TSA update one of these rules, report it via Corrections.