A driver who is 18, 19, or 20 years old (“Young Adult”), who already has a valid New York State Driver’s License, and who meets all CDL requirements will be able to qualify for a Class A Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) by completing the CDL A Young Adult Training Program.

Important details for this program include:

• Young Adults can now apply for their CDL Permit.
• This license will restrict the Young Adult driver to operations in New York State only. The Class A license will not be valid outside of New York State.
• Young Adult applicants must self-certify to driving type Non-Excepted Intrastate (NA) or Excepted Intrastate (EA) on the Application for Permit, Driver License, or Non-Driver ID Card (MV-44) (PDF).
• Young Adults cannot obtain a Hazmat (H) endorsement or a School Bus endorsement.

For more information, see the full text of the law.

Participants in the CDL A Young Adult Training Program must complete the Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) program that is federally mandated for all new CDL drivers, even if they obtained their Class A CDL in another state prior to 2/7/2022. You can find information about ELDT requirements, including how to find a training provider, on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website. 

In addition to successfully completing Class A ELDT, young adults applying for a Class A CDL license must complete at least 300 hours of behind-the-wheel training under the immediate supervision and control of an experienced driver before obtaining their license. The experienced driver must meet ALL of the following criteria:

• At least 21 years of age
• Have at least 1 year of licensed experience in Class A
• At least 1 year of experience driving, in commerce, a Commercial Motor Vehicle that can only be operated with a Class A Commercial Driver License
• Not have been the operator of a motor vehicle for at least 1 year who was involved in a crash reportable to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
• Not been convicted of a serious traffic violation as defined in Section 510(a) of the Vehicle and Traffic Law
• Not been convicted of any violation of Title VII of the Vehicle and Traffic Law for which points are assessed
• Not disqualified from operating a commercial motor vehicle.

You can get your supervised driving from one driver or multiple drivers. You need to keep track of who provides you with the training. All or part of the supervised driving can be provided by a driving school. The part of ELDT that includes range or on-the-road practice can be counted towards the 300 hours of supervised driving, as long as the ELDT behind-the-wheel training is provided by an experienced driver.

Behind-the-wheel training must be conducted on-road and may be supplemented with range driving. The Young Adult driver must have control of the power unit. Simulators cannot be used to meet behind-the-wheel requirements.

Training should focus on basic vehicle control skills and the mastery of basic maneuvers including, but not limited to:

• vehicle inspection (Pre-Trip, En route, Post Trip)
• backing (Straight Line Backing, Alley Dock Backing, Off-Set Backing)
• parking
• coupling/uncoupling
• vehicle controls
• shifting
• extreme driving conditions
• safe driver behavior
• any other operations/maneuvers your experienced driver deems necessary for you to operate a Class A Commercial Vehicle (e.g., operating with cargo).

You can find these and other behind-the-wheel training activities in Appendix A to Part 380 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.

New young adult drivers can use the New York State Commercial Driver's Manual to prepare for their CDL skills test. Supervising experienced drivers can use the manual to help ensure all aspects of CDL operation are covered in a Young Adult driver’s 300 hours of behind-the-wheel training.

Proof of ELDT completion will be electronically transmitted to DMV from FMCSA. You must complete and present the MV-44CDL (PDF) to the Motor Vehicle Representative at the DMV office after completion of the road test.