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Georgia districts, transit agencies and bus contractors

ELDT for Georgia bus drivers. ELDT online, the 24 hours with your local system.

Georgia school bus drivers need at least 24 hours of initial training under GaDOE Rule 160-5-3-.08 and annual in-service, delivered by the local school system, on top of federal ELDT. ELDT365 handles the federal theory for $20 per course.

The Georgia picture: new drivers need federal ELDT theory and BTW for Class B, Passenger and School Bus before the skills test. Separately, State Board Rule 160-5-3-.08 and O.C.G.A. 20-2-1125 require at least 24 hours of initial training per the Georgia School Bus Driver Training Manual, delivered by local school systems using GaDOE-certified instructor trainers, plus mandatory annual in-service. The manual lays out supervised behind-the-wheel phases (6 plus 6 hours) inside the 24.

What Georgia requires on top of ELDT

24 hours initial training

Per the Georgia School Bus Driver Training Manual, delivered by your local school system with GaDOE-certified instructor trainers.

Supervised behind-the-wheel phases

The manual describes two 6-hour supervised BTW phases within the initial training. Your certified trainer signs them off.

Annual in-service

Mandatory under O.C.G.A. 20-2-1125, tracked by the system.

Who delivers it

The local school system. GaDOE certifies the instructor trainers; the system runs the course.

Where ELDT365 fits

Federal theory for B, P and S, done before the 24-hour block or alongside it, filed the same day. Your system's certified trainer covers BTW under the system's registry listing.

Public purchasing

Card on file or PO, W-9 and per-driver receipts provided.

A new Georgia bus driver, start to route

  1. 1
    Hire and start the local system paperwork

    Physical, background check, and the CLP with P and S knowledge tests.

  2. 2
    ELDT theory online, $20 per course

    Class B, Passenger and School Bus on ELDT365 before the 24-hour block starts. Filed the same day.

  3. 3
    24 hours with a GaDOE-certified instructor trainer

    Per the Georgia School Bus Driver Training Manual, run by your local school system.

  4. 4
    Two supervised 6-hour behind-the-wheel phases

    Inside the 24, signed off by your certified trainer. These are the federal BTW record if the system is on the registry.

  5. 5
    Skills test, then annual in-service

    Required by O.C.G.A. 20-2-1125 and tracked by the system.

Cost for a Georgia cohort

Class B, Passenger and School Bus are $20 each per driver. A driver who needs all three is $60; a Class B holder adding the two endorsements is $40. Georgia fleets can put a card on file and be billed as they enroll, or prepay seats on a PO with a W-9 and a quote. No minimum and no contract. The federal explainer, pricing comparison and who-this-is-for detail are on the bus driver overview.

Questions schools ask

Is ELDT still required for Georgia school bus drivers if they finish Georgia's 24-hour initial training under GaDOE Rule 160-5-3-.08?

Georgia's 24-hour initial training under GaDOE Rule 160-5-3-.08 satisfies Georgia. It does not satisfy FMCSA. A driver getting a Class B, Passenger or School Bus endorsement for the first time since February 7, 2022 also needs a federal ELDT record from a provider on the Training Provider Registry before the GA skills test. The two records live in two different systems: the state training with the Georgia Department of Education, the ELDT with FMCSA.

Who teaches the Georgia part?

Your local school system, using GaDOE-certified instructor trainers and the state training manual.

How often do Georgia drivers repeat it?

Annual in-service training under O.C.G.A. 20-2-1125. ELDT has no refresher.

Can a Georgia system count ELDT toward the 24 hours?

No. GaDOE Rule 160-5-3-.08 sets the 24 hours as Georgia training delivered through the local system with certified instructor trainers. ELDT is a separate federal record. In practice most Georgia systems have new hires knock out the online ELDT theory the week before the 24-hour block so the instructor trainer never has to think about it.

Our system is not on the FMCSA registry. Who files behind-the-wheel?

Then nobody is filing it, and your drivers cannot take the skills test. Registering the school system as a BTW provider is free on tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov and takes an afternoon; your GaDOE-certified instructor trainer qualifies as the BTW instructor. We can walk your transportation director through it.

What stays with our GA program and what moves to ELDT365?

Moves to us: the federal theory for Class B, Passenger and School Bus, and the FMCSA filing. Stays with you: Georgia's 24-hour initial training under GaDOE Rule 160-5-3-.08, behind-the-wheel, the physical, drug testing and background checks. Nothing about your Georgia certificate changes.

Get your Georgia drivers filed this week

Free school account, $20 per course per driver, filed to the FMCSA registry the same day. Georgia's 24-hour initial training under GaDOE Rule 160-5-3-.08 stays exactly where it is.

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