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Independent Contractor
News
March 2020
FMCSA issues interim final
rule delaying entry-level
driving training regulations
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
recently released an interim final rule
that calls for a two-year delay in implementation
of the agency’s December 8, 2016, final
rule “Minimum Training Requirements for
Entry-Level Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators,”
more commonly known as the ELDT
final rule.
The FMCSA asked for comments on the
delay.
The interim final rule extends the compliance
date from February 7, 2020, to February
7, 2022.
The notice, posted in the Federal Register,
said the delay in the compliance date would
The interim final rule notice
released by the Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Administration
extends the compliance date for
the ELDT final rule to February 7,
2022.
provide the FMCSA additional time to complete
development of the Training Provider
Registry (TPR), which will allow training
providers to self-certify that they meet the
training requirements and will provide the
electronic interface that will receive and store
(ELDT) certification information from training
providers and transmit that information to
the state driver licensing agencies (SDLAs).
The FMCSA said the extension also provides
SDLAs with time to modify their information
technology systems and procedures,
as necessary, to accommodate their receipt of
driver-specific ELDT data from the TPR.
The FMCSA said it was delaying the entire
ELDT final rule, as opposed to a partial
delay, because of delays in implementation of
the TPR that were not foreseen when the proposed
rule was published.
The Federal Register notice was not a
surprise to the trucking industry because the
FMCSA in late November announced it was
preparing the notice, but did not know when it
would be published.
“Following a careful review of the public
comments regarding the Entry-Level Training
(ELDT) rule, FMCSA is extending the rule’s
implementation for two years,” said an FMCSA
spokesperson in November. “This extension is
reflective of the agency’s continued efforts to
develop a secure and effective electronic trainer
provider registry for the new rule.”
“While news of the full delay is not unexpected,
it is very disappointing to the entire
commercial vehicle training community as well
as safety advocates who have seen this as a
critical step toward improving highway safety,”
said Commercial Vehicle Training Association
President Don Lefeve, who noted that the ELDT
rule applies to both interstate and intrastate commercial
drivers seeking a CDL. Unlike numerous
state laws on commercial driver training that
provide exemptions for employers, or have lax
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