Three ELDT providers pulled from FMCSA's registry over English proficiency are back, and their appeals are closed
FMCSA's emergency removals on Aug. 31 cited drivers the schools had certified who were later cited for failing the English standard. Here is how the removal, appeal and reinstatement process worked.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has closed the appeals of three entry-level driver training (ELDT) providers it removed from its Training Provider Registry (TPR) at the end of August, after reinstating all three.
FMCSA Chief Safety Officer Steven Dowling signed three orders on Nov. 10 dismissing the providers' petitions for administrative review as moot, because the agency had already given them what they asked for. The cases are:
- Elegant E-Learning Inc., doing business as Driving-Tests.org (docket FMCSA-2026-3301)
- Penn CDL LLC (docket FMCSA-2026-3238)
- Start CDL Inc. (docket FMCSA-2026-3699)
Why they were removed
FMCSA served all three with a notice of emergency removal from the TPR on Aug. 31, 2026. According to the agency's reinstatement letters, the deficiencies were tied to an FMCSA audit that identified drivers to whom the providers had issued ELDT certification and who were later cited for failing to meet the English language proficiency (ELP) standard.
The timeline
- Aug. 31: FMCSA serves emergency removal notices on all three providers.
- Sept. 4, Sept. 10 and Sept. 28: Penn CDL, Start CDL and Elegant E-Learning, in that order, file petitions for administrative review.
- Oct. 29: FMCSA reinstates Elegant E-Learning.
- Nov. 4: FMCSA reinstates Penn CDL and Start CDL.
- Nov. 10: The chief safety officer dismisses all three petitions as moot and closes the dockets.
In each case, the director of FMCSA's Office of Safety Programs asked for the petition to be dismissed, telling the chief safety officer that the reinstatement was based on corrective actions the provider took to fix the material deficiencies cited in the removal notice.
Reinstated, with conditions
The reinstatement letters to Penn CDL and Start CDL, signed by FMCSA Deputy Administrator Jesse Elison, say the reinstatement is conditioned on the provider fully implementing the corrective action it submitted. A provider that fails to "fully and expeditiously" implement it will be subject to removal from the TPR, and both remain subject to continuous monitoring by FMCSA.
Start CDL's letter adds that it covers only the provider's corrective actions on English proficiency. If FMCSA identifies a different area of noncompliance from its recent onsite investigation of Start CDL's ELDT program, the letter says, the provider will be notified separately.
How TPR removal works
Under 49 CFR 380.723, FMCSA normally starts an involuntary removal with a notice of proposed removal, which gives the provider 30 days to respond and up to 60 days to complete corrective action. Providers that get that notice must tell current and scheduled driver-trainees about it.
Emergency removal skips that step. The rule allows FMCSA to remove a provider immediately in cases of fraud, criminal behaviour, willful disregard of the ELDT rules, or where public health, interest or safety requires it. A removed provider can ask for administrative review within 30 days, and can apply for reinstatement no sooner than 30 days after an involuntary removal, with documentation that it completed the required corrective action.
The rule also says any training conducted after a provider's removal date is invalid when a removal takes effect after the provider fails to respond to a proposed removal, and that FMCSA may retroactively invalidate training where driver-trainees knowingly took part in fraud or criminal behaviour by a provider.
What to check
For carriers and driver-trainees, the practical step is the same in every case: confirm a provider's current listing on the TPR before training starts, and keep records of when the training took place. Providers can reach the TPR team at TPR@dot.gov.