Driver training rules in Louisiana

✓ Checked against official sources · 2026-10-18

Driver training rules in Louisiana for teen and adult driver's education, CDL schools, carriers that train their own drivers and school bus drivers, each with a link to the official source. Federal ELDT rules (49 CFR Part 380) apply in every state on top of these.

Driver education (teens)	Required under 18: 30 hours classroom + 8 hours behind the wheel; max 4 BTW hours per day.source 1 · source 2
Supervised practice (teens)	50 hours behind-the-wheel with a licensed parent, guardian or adult 21+, 15 at night. Learner permit held 180 days.source 3 · source 4
New adult drivers	Prelicensing course for 18+: at least 6 hours classroom + 8 hours driving (incl. skills test), from a licensed Class D/E provider.source 1 · source 2
Who licenses driving schools	Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles licenses driving schools; some secondary schools also offer courses.source 2 · source 1
CDL training: state rules beyond federal ELDT	OMV says federal ELDT sets the baseline for entry-level drivers. No state hour minimum on OMV pages.source 5
CDL schools: state license	Yes. Schools selling occupational training, truck-driving schools included, need a Board of Regents proprietary school license (La. R.S. 17:3140.1, 17:3140.3). Exempt: programs selling only nonsequential courses of 20 hours or less.source 6 · source 7 · source 8
CDL schools: state hours or curriculum	No state total hour minimum; federal ELDT sets the baseline. Every commercial driving course must include at least 30 minutes of anti-trafficking training on recognizing, preventing and reporting human trafficking, since Jan. 1, 2025 (La. R.S. 40:1464).source 9 · source 10 · source 5
CDL schools: instructor rules	No CDL instructor license. Licensed proprietary schools must use occupational instructors with a high school diploma, credential or on-the-job training evidence, and 3 years' experience (R.S. 17:3140.4, 2024).source 11
Carriers training their own drivers: license	Exempt. Employer courses for its own employees are not a proprietary school when the employer is not primarily in the business of selling courses (R.S. 17:3140.1(6)(c)(iv)).source 7 · source 12
Carriers: hours or curriculum	No state total hour minimum; federal ELDT applies. State law requires any school, agency or person offering a commercial driving course to include at least 30 minutes of anti-trafficking training, since Jan. 1, 2025; the law lists no employer exemption (La. R.S. 40:1464).source 9 · source 10
Carriers: instructor rules	Exempt. Instructor minimums in R.S. 17:3140.4 apply only to licensed proprietary schools; an exempt carrier's trainers need only federal 380.605 qualifications.source 11 · source 7
New school bus drivers	44-hour pre-service phase: 30 hours instruction by a DOE-certified school bus operator instructor, 4 hours vehicle familiarization, 10 hours on-the-bus training.source 13
School bus refresher	At least 8 hours in-service every two years (may be split into two 4-hour annual blocks).source 13

Driving manuals and handbooks

Official publications from Louisiana, checked 2026-10-19. Read them here or download them; the state's own copy is always linked.

Driving jobs in Louisiana

Rules change. Always confirm with the state agency before you rely on a rule. Something out of date? Email terry@eldt.courses.

Federal rules in every state

CDL entry-level driver training must come from a provider listed on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry, for a first Class A or B CDL, an upgrade to Class A or B, or a first P, S or H endorsement (49 CFR 380.609). See ELDT record keeping under 49 CFR 380.

Sources

1. https://legis.la.gov/legis/LawPrint.aspx?d=88372
2. https://expresslane.la.gov/omv/drivers/driver-s-education-information/student-parent-information/
3. https://legis.la.gov/legis/LawPrint.aspx?d=88384
4. https://expresslane.la.gov/omv/drivers/driver-s-education-information/upgrading-to-a-class-e-intermediate-license/
5. https://expresslane.la.gov/omv/drivers/commercial-driver-s-licenses-cdl/cdl-entry-level-driver-training/
6. https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=1148793
7. https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=1148788
8. https://www.laregents.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/PropSchoolDirectory.pdf
9. https://legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=1389138
10. https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1378147
11. https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=1148794
12. https://www.laregents.edu/divisions/spss/proprietaryschools/
13. https://www.doa.la.gov/media/zfupdhiy/28v113.docx

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