“Can I get a CDL without going to school?” is a common question we get on this site, which is why we’re attempting to answer it with this article. Before February 7, 2022, it was possible to get a CDL license without going to truck driving school.
Starting February 7, 2022, the new Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) federal requirements became in effect, therefore getting a CDL for new drivers will require you to pass minimum training standards at a registered school or training provider across the country.
Even before ELDT, to get a CDL license without going to school wouldn’t have been advisable. Getting a trucking job from a reputable company, your career trajectory, and obtaining valuable knowledge and experience would’ve been significantly hampered by opting out of CDL school.
No, You Can’t Get a CDL License Without Going to School
All new drivers that want to get a CDL will need to go to a registered truck driver training school with the FMCSA to satisfy the new ELDT requirements (as of February 7, 2022).
If you’re looking for a career in the trucking industry, you’ll need to complete minimum truck driver training standards from a registered truck driving school before doing the CDL exam.
ELDT Exceptions
There are exceptions:
- Those same individuals who are exempted from CDL requirements: military drivers, firefighters and farmers, are also exempted from the ELDT rules.
- Individuals who got their Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP) before February 7, 2022 are exempted from the ELDT requirements.
- Drivers who were issued a CDL before February 7, 2022 are exempted from ELDT for the previously-issued license or endorsement, even if it has since lapsed.
ELDT Rules
ELDT rules, issued by the FMCSA, provide minimum standards for training new drivers:
- Getting your Class A or Class B CDL for the first time
- Upgrading your Class B to a Class A
- Obtaining a passenger (P), school bus (S), or hazardous-materials (H) endorsement for the very first time
Individuals who received a CDL or an S, P, or H endorsement before February 7, 2022, are exempt from completing the ELDT requirements since the rules cannot be retroactively applied.
Note: you are not required to complete the ELDT for the previously-issued license or endorsement, even if it has since lapsed.
Before February 7, 2022, applicants who acquired a Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP) or renewed CLP but did not get a CDL are exempt from the ELDT requirements.
The ELDT requirements are also excluded from anyone who fulfills one of the 49 CFR Part 383 exemptions for taking a skills exam.
The Registry of Training Providers
As part of the Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) requirements, the FMCSA keeps track of the CDL applicants who have successfully completed the new training and certification procedures provided by their training providers. The training provider registry also lists all the CDL schools that offer ELDT.
The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act established the ELDT rules and the Training Provider Registry. The Entry-Level Driver Training Advisory Group, a collaborative policymaking panel that conducted a number of sessions in 2015, influenced the final ELDT rule in part through consensus suggestions.
The Benefits of Going to CDL School
Even before federal rules were in effect, to get a CDL license without going to school is ill advisable. A great CDL school will have experienced teachers who were previous truck drivers that draw from years of being on the road. You’ll have access to these grizzled veteran truckers’ depth of knowledge that pales in comparison to learning from a manual.
If you get your CDL from a reputable school, you’ll have a far better chance of getting a job. Great schools attract trucking companies who typically hire graduate students out of the gate.
When you go to school for a CDL, you’ll learn about a variety of subjects, including:
- Docking and reversing
- Automated systems for control
- Assembling and disassembling
- Detection and correction of errors
- Protocol in case of emergency
- Problems with environmental regulation
- Driving in extreme circumstances
- Inspections
- Operation at night
- Transmission shifting and operation
- Planned expansion
It’s worth going to trucking school, but don’t let the cost of tuition be prohibitive. And don’t let your financial or employment situation deter you from signing up to become a CDL driver.
If the cost of CDL training is too expensive, there are financing options to help you pay to get your commercial driver’s license, such as grants, scholarships, and education loans. And if you’ve lost your job and want to become a truck driver, unemployment benefits can help pay for trucking school.
Professional truckers are essential to the country’s backbone, and there are many ways to fund your schooling if you want to pursue a career as a trucker.
Geoff is a freelance writer at TruckersTraining.com with 20+ years of experience driving trucks and buses, dispatching, supervising, and training commercial driving teams. His expertise is writing topics on the transportation and trucking industry, and information technology trends.