Getting Your CDL
What the training actually requires, how to pay for it, and the news that affects anyone starting out.
56 stories
What ELDT actually requires
Entry-level driver training under 49 CFR Part 380, and why it only counts from a registered provider.
Free CDL training through WIOA
Who qualifies, what documents to bring, and what happens at the Job Center.
Carriers that pay you to train
Company-sponsored training with no tuition up front, if a grant does not come through.
CDL schools in your state
Every school checked against the FMCSA training provider registry.
- CDL LifeRegulations
FMCSA approved only 76 drivers for the 18 to 20 pilot program in the year 2025
Only 76 drivers ages 18 to 20 were approved for the FMCSA driver apprenticeship program in the year 2025, leaving Congress to determine the future of the program. The 76 drivers were approved between...
Read the full story at CDL Life - Commercial Carrier JournalTraining
Driver training regs keeping cheap labor out of the market, Schneider CEO says
CEO Jim Filter says supply, not demand, is driving the market, and capacity may not have bottomed yet.
Read the full story at Commercial Carrier Journal - Overdrive OnlineRegulations
California’s non-domiciled CDL program could roar back to life
Two major lawsuits in federal court will be decided any day now. If FMCSA doesn't get its way, California may soon be able to...
Read the full story at Overdrive Online - Federal RegisterRegulations
Notice: Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation; Metronet Application for Exemption
FMCSA requests public comment on an application from Metronet for an exemption from the requirement that all exterior lighting devices be steady burning. The exemption would allow Metronet to use Grote Industries LLC's (Grote) amber brake-activated pulsating lamp on its commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), including pickup truck service vehicles not covered by the exemption FMCSA previously granted to Grote, in addition to the steady-burning brake lamps required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs).
Read the full story at Federal Register - Overdrive OnlineRegulations
2-hour CDL class? ELDT Nation's rapid rise after FMCSA's 'sham' school shutdowns
ELDT Nation says its two-hour CDL Class A Theory course has educated 30,000 students, and business is booming after FMCSA shut...
Read the full story at Overdrive Online - CDL LifeTraining
TCA Now Accepting Nominations for the 2027 Professional Drivers of the Year Award
Alexandria, VA – The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) is now accepting nominations for its prestigious 2027 TCA Professional Drivers of the Year program. Nominations will be accepted through...
Read the full story at CDL Life - Transport TopicsTraining
More states halt non-domiciled CDL programs
Louisiana and Wyoming have ceased issuing non-domiciled commercial driver licenses, while Ohio is ending its program and downgrading credentials.
Read the full story at Transport Topics - Overdrive OnlineLicensing
Louisiana skills tester charged for falsifying test results
The tester allegedly submitted false entries to the Commercial Skills Test Information Management System. Also: DUI charges for...
Read the full story at Overdrive Online - Transport TopicsTraining
FedEx Freight posts mixed results in first report
FedEx Freight offered mixed results in its first earnings report, pointing to transitional bumps as the company learns to stand on its own.
Read the full story at Transport Topics - CDL LifeLicensing
New York DMV supervisor sentenced in CDL exam cheating scheme involving ‘harebrained disguises’
A former New York Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) supervisor was sentenced this week for a scheme involving various disguises to help applicants fraudulently pass commercial driver’s license (CDL)...
Read the full story at CDL Life - Transport TopicsLicensing
Rail company says it tested the longest freight train ever
The train was 4.7 miles long and consisted of 696 freight wagons, according to Transnet, South Africa's state-run transport and logistics company.
Read the full story at Transport Topics - Federal RegisterRegulations
Notice: Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation; Application for Exemption Renewal From Loomis Armored US, LLC
FMCSA announces its decision to grant an exemption renewal to Loomis Armored US, LLC (USDOT 252201) (Loomis) to allow the company to continue operating armored vehicles with welded-shut cab doors and the addition of two doors behind the cab. FMCSA has analyzed the exemption renewal application and the public comments and determined that the exemption, subject to the terms and conditions set forth below, is likely to achieve a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than the level that would be achieved absent such exemption.
Read the full story at Federal Register - Federal RegisterRegulations
Notice: Commercial Driver's License: PAM Transport, Inc.; Application for Exemption
FMCSA requests public comment on PAM Transport Inc.'s (PAM) application for an exemption from the requirement that a holder of a commercial learner's permit (CLP) who has successfully passed the commercial driver's license (CDL) skills test but not yet been issued CDL credentials be accompanied by a CDL holder in the front seat, while the commercial motor vehicle (CMV) is driven by the CLP holder. PAM states that the CDL holder would remain in the CMV while the CLP holder is driving, but not necessarily in the passenger seat of the vehicle. FMCSA is required by statute to publish a notice expl
Read the full story at Federal Register - CDL LifeTraining
Truck driver arrested after New Hampshire police find 170 beer bottles in cab
A truck driver was arrested on multiple charges after police located dozens of beer bottles in the cab of his vehicle in New Hampshire last week. On October 23, 2026, the Bow Police Department (BPD)...
Read the full story at CDL Life - Transport TopicsLicensing
Mack adds 270 staff at production plant in Pennsylvania
The production line additions are the latest example of an industrywide trend predicated on rising demand for trucks and the ongoing freight market recovery.
Read the full story at Transport Topics - Commercial Carrier JournalTraining
Startup turns human expertise into autonomous work for freight companies
Evos' software sits on top of the TMS and other existing systems and learns from the operations team's behavior and decision patterns...
Read the full story at Commercial Carrier Journal - Commercial Carrier JournalRegulations
Railroad HOS relief extended by FMCSA
The Association of American Railroads and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association were granted relief from the...
Read the full story at Commercial Carrier Journal - Federal RegisterRegulations
Notice: Hours of Service of Drivers: Association of American Railroads and American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association; Application for Exemption Renewal
FMCSA announces its final decision to renew and modify the exemption granted to the Association of American Railroads and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association and member railroads (the Associations) from the hours-of-service (HOS) prohibitions against driving after the 14th hour after coming on duty (the 14-hour rule) and against driving after accumulating 60 hours of on duty time within 7 consecutive days, or 70 hours of on duty time within 8 consecutive days (the 60-hour/70-hour rule). The exemption will enable covered drivers to respond to unplanned events that occur ou
Read the full story at Federal Register - CDL LifeIndustry
Man handed 30 year sentence for death of 53 migrants inside sweltering tractor trailer
A man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for his involvement in one of the deadliest human smuggling incidents in US history. 53 migrants died in June of 2022 after being left inside of a...
Read the full story at CDL Life - Federal RegisterRegulations
Notice: Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation; Application for an Exemption From Grote Industries, LLC
This notice advises the public of new information that FMCSA believes is relevant to the application from Grote Industries, LLC (Grote) for an exemption from the requirement that exterior lighting devices on commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) be steady-burning. If granted, the exemption would allow motor carriers to operate CMVs equipped with auxiliary warning lamps controlled by Grote's Rear-End Collision Warning (RCW) system. Following publication of the Agency's notice seeking comment, Grote provided additional information to FMCSA staff concerning the design and operation of the RCW system,
Read the full story at Federal Register - Federal RegisterRegulations
Notice: Hazardous Materials: Notice of Actions on Special Permits
In accordance with the procedures governing the application for, and the processing of, special permits from the Department of Transportation's Hazardous Material Regulations, notice is hereby given that the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety has granted or denied the application described herein.
Read the full story at Federal Register - Federal RegisterRegulations
Notice: Hazardous Materials: Notice of Applications for Modification to Special Permits
In accordance with the procedures governing the application for, and the processing of, special permits from the Department of Transportation's Hazardous Material Regulations, notice is hereby given that the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety has received the application described herein.
Read the full story at Federal Register - Federal RegisterRegulations
Notice: Hazardous Materials: Notice of Applications for New Special Permits
In accordance with the procedures governing the application for, and the processing of, special permits from the Department of Transportation's Hazardous Material Regulations, notice is hereby given that the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety has received the application described herein.
Read the full story at Federal Register - Transport TopicsRegulations
FMCSA seeks emergency review of chameleon CDL schools
The trucking industry has coped with so-called chameleon motor carriers, brokers or freight forwarders that quickly reopen under new names.
Read the full story at Transport Topics
What to do next
CDL schools by state
Every school we list is checked against the FMCSA training provider registry.
DOT physical locations
You need a medical certificate before you can hold a CDL permit.
Compliance and endorsement training
Hazmat, hours of service and the supervisor courses carriers ask for.
Carriers hiring now
Who is hiring in your state, including carriers that take drivers with a few months in.
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- FMCSA regulatory updates
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Each story links to the publication that reported it. For anything that affects your licence or your medical card, check the official FMCSA source before you act on it.