Complete your FMCSA-required entry-level driver training 100% online. DMV-ready certificate auto-uploaded to the FMCSA registry. Self-paced.
All courses are FMCSA-registered and accepted at California DMV locations statewide.
Three simple steps to get your California ELDT certificate.
Create your account, choose your course, and pay securely. Takes less than 2 minutes.
Go through the self-paced online course on any device. Free retakes included.
Your ELDT certificate is auto-uploaded to the FMCSA registry. Show up to your CA DMV and you're done.
The order matters, and it is not the same in every state. This is California's order, from the DMV's own rules. Fees are on the DMV site; the steps below do not change often.
From a certified medical examiner, submitted to DMV before the CLP is issued.
Any TPR-registered provider. ELDT365 files your completion the moment you pass. California cannot require this part to come from a state-licensed school.
Application fee, thumbprint, photo, knowledge tests. Three tries per test. CLP valid 180 days.
The DMV handbook states the 14-day minimum before you are eligible for the skills test.
At least 10 hours on public roads. The school certifies this on form DL 1236.
This is the California-only step. Most schools file it for you; confirm it was sent before you book your test.
By appointment at DMV, or through an ETP employer. Vehicle inspection, basic controls, road test. Retest fee each attempt, three attempts.
Age: 18 for in-state driving, 21 to cross state lines or haul hazmat.
Hold your permit: 14 days before the skills test.
Permit valid: 180 days, renewable once for 180 more without retesting.
Yes, through the Employer Testing Program (ETP): qualified employers administer the drive test and issue a Certificate of Driving Skill (DL 170 ETP). DMV randomly re-tests some ETP drivers. Otherwise the skills test is at a DMV office by appointment.
Federal law requires DMV to verify hazmat ELDT before you take the hazmat knowledge test. TSA fingerprinting and clearance are required before the H is added.
Federal rule 49 CFR 380.703(i) says that state qualification requirements for theory instruction do not apply to providers offering that instruction only online. So your state accepts theory from any provider listed on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry, including ELDT365, and no state can require the online theory portion to come from a state-licensed school. States can add their own rules for the behind-the-wheel part, and several do; those are listed below.
49 CFR 380.703(i) · FMCSA guidance on state-based training requirements
What California adds for the school part: California licenses truck driving schools and instructors for behind-the-wheel training, and adds a requirement no other state has: at least 15 hours of behind-the-wheel training, 10 of them on public roads, certified on form DL 1236 before DMV will issue the CDL. Your online theory can come from any TPR-registered provider; the 15 hours and the DL 1236 are the school's part.
Sources: DMV: Commercial Driver's Licenses · DMV Commercial Driver Handbook, Section 1 · DMV Employer Testing Program. Checked September 2026.
As of February 2022, the FMCSA requires all first-time CDL applicants to complete Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) from a registered training provider before taking their CDL skills test.
This applies to all California drivers applying for a Class A CDL, Class B CDL, or any endorsement including HAZMAT, Passenger, and School Bus.
ELDT365 is registered with the FMCSA Training Provider Registry (TPR) and fully accepted by the California DMV.
Start Your California ELDT →Common questions from California CDL applicants.
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