How to Check Your ELDT Record on the FMCSA TPR

When you finish entry-level driver training, your provider sends a completion record to FMCSA's Training Provider Registry (TPR). Before your CDL skills test, or before the hazmat knowledge test, your state looks that record up. If it is not there, you do not test that day.

You can see the same record yourself before you go. FMCSA runs a free lookup for drivers on the registry website, and it takes about a minute. This guide walks through each field, explains what the result means, and covers what to do when nothing comes up.

Where to check

Go to tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov and choose Check my driver record under "I want to...". The page is called Check Your Record, and its direct address is tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov/Check.

You do not need an account, a password or Login.gov. The login button on the registry is for training providers, not drivers. If you were sent to a login screen, you are on the wrong page; our guide to the TPR login explains who that is for.

What to enter

The page asks you to enter your information "exactly as it appears on your driver's license, commercial learner's permit (CLP), or commercial driver's license (CDL)." It has five fields:

• Number. Your license or permit number, the same number you gave your training provider. If you trained on a CLP, use the CLP number. If you already hold a CDL and are adding an endorsement or upgrading, use your CDL number.
• State. The state that issued that license or permit, not the state where you trained.
• Date of birth. Month, day and year, picked from the lists.
• First name and last name. As printed on the license.

You also tick a box certifying that the information is your own. The registry treats this as a covered transaction, and entering someone else's details or false information can carry penalties under federal law. Only look up your own record.

Then submit the form.

What the result shows

If your provider has submitted your training, the result lists your completion records. Each record shows the type of training (for example Class A theory, Class B behind-the-wheel or hazmat theory), the provider that reported it, and the date. For theory, the provider also reports your assessment score.

This is the same information your state licensing agency sees. FMCSA shares the provider's registry ID, the completion date and the training type with the state. If it appears on the Check page, the state can see it too.

Look for every record you need:

• Class A or Class B CDL: a theory record and a behind-the-wheel record for that class.
• Passenger (P) or school bus (S): a theory record and a behind-the-wheel record for each endorsement.
• Hazmat (H): a theory record only.

Theory and behind-the-wheel are often done with different providers, and each one reports its own part. Having one does not mean you have the other.

If nothing comes up

A "no record" result has only a few causes. Work through them in this order.

1. Check the timing. Providers must submit by midnight of the second business day after you complete training. If you finished on a Friday, the deadline is the end of Tuesday. Our guide on how long TPR submission takes explains the business-day rule in detail.

2. Check what you typed. Compare each field with your physical license or permit. The number, issuing state and date of birth have to match what the provider submitted. Small differences are the most common cause of a missing result: a digit off in the date of birth, a transposed character in the license number, or a hyphenated last name or middle name typed differently.

3. Ask the provider what they submitted. Contact your provider and ask them to confirm the record was sent and to read back the exact name, date of birth, license number and state. If their data has a typo, you will not find the record under your correct details, and your state will not either.

4. Have the provider correct it. Drivers cannot enter or edit anything in the registry. Only a registered provider can submit or correct your record. If you moved and changed your license number or state after enrolling, give the provider your new details.

5. Escalate if the provider will not respond. A provider that routinely fails to report can be removed from the registry. FMCSA's TPR technical support can be reached through the contact form on the registry site or at 877-688-2984 (option 8). To file a formal complaint about a provider, use Submit a complaint on the registry home page.

Before your test day

Check your record a day or two before your skills test, not on the morning of it. If something is missing or wrong, that gives your provider time to fix it and you time to reschedule if needed.

Bring what you have to the appointment: the completion certificate from your provider and a screenshot of the Check page result. The examiner will rely on the registry, not your paperwork, but the screenshot helps you and the office work out what is wrong if the state's system shows something different.

If you are still choosing where to do behind-the-wheel training, our CDL school directory lists every registered location by state. Contact the schools directly to confirm their courses, prices and schedules.

How we report your record

Lowest Cost ELDT submits your theory record to the registry automatically, usually within minutes of passing your final module, as long as your license or permit number is in your profile. You can look it up on the Check page right after, and you can contact support if anything does not match your license.

For the bigger picture of what the registry is and how states use it, see the FMCSA Training Provider Registry explained.