An 8-chapter course for the knowledge test every Class A applicant takes. Rollover and crack-the-whip, braking and skids, off-tracking, combination air brakes, coupling and uncoupling, and inspecting a tractor-trailer.
Federal rules say a state can't issue a Class A permit or CDL unless you pass the combination vehicles part of the knowledge test. This course gets you ready for it.
You're headed for a tractor-trailer and the Combination Vehicles test stands between you and your Class A permit. This course covers everything on it.
You already know straight trucks. This course covers what's different once there's a trailer behind you — coupling, trailer air lines, and how a combination handles.
Coupling steps, off-tracking and trailer brakes trip people up. The course takes them one step at a time, in the order the CDL manuals teach them.
Real screens from Chapter 1 of this course, and the free practice app explaining each answer with the rule behind it. Everything works on a phone, a tablet or a computer, and you pick up where you left off.
ELDT.Courses is listed on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry as an online theory provider. Search the registry for ELDT.Courses and you will find us, phone number and all: tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov/Search.
Every ELDT completion we report lands on your own driver record there by midnight of the second business day (49 CFR 380.717), so your state can see it before you test.
Each chapter is a narrated lesson followed by a chapter test. Built on 49 CFR Part 383 and the model CDL manual's Combination Vehicles section.
What makes a vehicle Class A, what the test covers and how it's scored, and the name of every part of the rig from the fifth wheel to the glad hands.
What makes a combination roll over, why cargo height and speed in turns matter, rearward amplification, and the habits that prevent sudden moves.
Why an empty rig can take longer to stop, trailer and drive-wheel skids, jackknifes, and what to do if you're hung up on railroad tracks.
Off-tracking, the right way to make right and left turns, and the rules for backing a trailer.
The trailer hand valve, tractor protection valve and trailer air supply control, service and emergency lines, glad hands, and trailer brakes.
Which tractors and trailers must have ABS, where the warning lamps are, how to check an older trailer, and how to brake with ABS.
All 16 coupling steps and all 10 uncoupling steps in order, plus pintle hooks, drawbars, gooseneck hitches and safety chains.
The coupling-system walkaround, the combination brake checks, and what to expect on the Combination Vehicles test.
8 narrated chapters with a test after each one. Self-paced, lifetime access, direct instructor support.
Enroll Now — $35 →Free practice tests are a good way to check yourself. This course is where you learn the material in the first place.
| Typical practice-test site | ELDT.Courses | |
|---|---|---|
| Course content | A question bank and nothing else | Narrated chapters that teach the material before you're tested on it |
| Built from | Question banks with no sources shown | Primary sources: 49 CFR Part 383 and the model CDL manual |
| Current rules | No promise to keep up with rule changes | Updated when federal rules and regulations change |
| Quiz standard | Varies — often no defined threshold | 80% passing threshold, unlimited retakes |
| Instructor access | None | Direct email to the author, usually within 24 hrs |
Narrated chapters covering the full Combination Vehicles knowledge test, each followed by a chapter test. Self-paced.
The CDL Combination Vehicles study guide is included as a PDF download inside the course at no extra charge.
Stuck on a topic? Email me. You're not a ticket number here.
Your access doesn't expire. Come back for a refresher before a new job or a renewal.
When federal rules and regulations change, the course is updated — and enrolled students get the updates at no charge.
When you finish, a certificate with your name, the course and your completion date is emailed to you automatically. It's yours to print and frame — a keepsake of the work you put in, not a license or a federal record.
I spent 10 years as an OTR driver before founding ELDT.Courses. Pulling a trailer changes everything — how the rig turns, how it stops, how it can roll, and what can go wrong in the yard before you ever leave. This course teaches the combination material step by step, the way a driver needs to know it.
Every chapter is built on primary sources — the federal regulations in 49 CFR and the model CDL manual the state tests are built from — and written fresh, not copied from someone else's training summary. Where a federal rule has changed and the printed manuals haven't caught up, the course tells you both, so you're not surprised on test day.
I've been around commercial trucking long enough to know what the standard endorsement course looks like — a recycled DMV manual, slow narration, and a quiz at the end. Drivers deserve better.
ELDT.Courses is what I wish I'd had when I was studying. Every chapter explains the why, not just the rule. Every quiz pulls from real test material. Every minute is paid for in attention, so I made sure none of them are wasted.
Have a question before you enroll? Pick a time and I will call you. Book a free phone call.
Class A applicants. Federal rules (49 CFR 383.135) say a state must not issue a Class A permit or CDL to anyone who scores under 80% on the combination vehicles part of the knowledge test.
No. Doubles and triples is a separate endorsement with its own knowledge test. This course covers single-trailer combinations and the other hitch types the CDL manuals teach.
No. Federal ELDT (49 CFR 380.603) covers Class A and Class B training and the Passenger, School Bus, and HazMat endorsements. This course is prep for a state CDL knowledge test, built on 49 CFR Part 383. Nothing is submitted to the Training Provider Registry for this course. If you're going for a Class A CDL, you'll still need entry-level driver training from a registered provider before your skills test.
Each chapter ends with a test, and you need 80% to pass it. You can retake any chapter test as many times as you need — each attempt draws a fresh set of questions. The state knowledge test is scored by your state's licensing agency; federal rules (49 CFR 383.135) set the passing score at 80%.
No. This is knowledge test prep. The course teaches every coupling and uncoupling step so you know them before you practice in a truck.
Try it risk-free. If you enroll and decide within 7 days that it's not for you — and you haven't started the course content — just email me and I'll refund you, no questions asked. Once you begin working through the material, the course is yours for life, including all future updates. Full terms are in our Terms of Service.
8 chapters. Built on 49 CFR Part 383. Lifetime access. Real instructor support.
It's all in there. The only thing missing is you.
Enrolling multiple drivers? Fleet and volume inquiries welcome — email terry@eldt.courses or call 1-814-304-7635.
