Trucking Careers · Nationwide · November 4, 2026

Future Truck Drivers Can Take an Online Class A Theory Course in About Two Hours for $23, but FMCSA Has Proposed Removing the Provider, Overdrive Reports

By Big Rig Daily Staff

An online provider that sells a Class A commercial driver's license (CDL) theory course for $23, and says some students finish it in about two hours, has been issued a Notice of Proposed Removal by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Overdrive reported on Nov. 3, 2026. A proposed removal is not a final decision. The company disputes some of what Overdrive reported.

What a proposed removal means

The provider is ELDT Nation, an online company that offers entry-level driver training (ELDT) theory courses. Overdrive says it is owned by Qosmos.ai and is under audit with a proposed removal from FMCSA's Training Provider Registry. FMCSA did not say why it issued the notice, and Overdrive reports that the company still advertises itself as "FMCSA-approved."

FMCSA requires a provider with a pending removal "to notify current driver-trainees and driver-trainees scheduled for future training of the proposed removal," according to Overdrive. The magazine says neither the company's founder, Gabriel Ruimy, nor the other company representative it spoke with mentioned the notice. Ruimy told Overdrive he was cooperating and expected the company to be back in good standing soon.

The two-hour claim

Ruimy said ELDT Nation has "educated nearly 30,000 students in the last year." He said the average pass time for its Class A and Class B theory courses is three to four hours, and "we've had a number of students pass it in about two hours."

Other trainers told Overdrive that two hours is not enough. Shawn Gresham, a certified driver trainer, said his school's theory block runs 45 hours, though his course is not online. "You can click through 30 topics in two hours, and that's the difference," he said. He also pointed out that no rule bars a two-hour course: federal ELDT rules are proficiency-based and set no minimum hours, so a provider can have a student pass a quiz and report the result to the registry.

What a school owner told Overdrive

Brent Griffith, who owns Rapid CDL Denton, said he used ELDT Nation for about 100 students while his usual theory provider was briefly shut down. He told Overdrive the system "froze all the time" and that some students had to pay $23 again when a confirmation email did not arrive. Ruimy denied that any students were ever charged twice. Of three schools the company listed as clients, Overdrive says one denied using it, one used it briefly as a backup with nothing negative to report, and one called it "horrible."

English proficiency and the earlier school shutdowns

Overdrive says FMCSA shut down 110 schools in an emergency action because DOT found they had graduated 10 or more students who later received English language proficiency violations, and that many have since been reinstated. A company representative said ELDT Nation's sales had risen because of the shutdowns. Asked how an online course can check that students speak English, the representative said it was "probably something we need to tighten up more." Ruimy said "no one can take our courses and pass the assessments without speaking English." For background, see Big Rig Daily's reports on FMCSA removing more than 10,000 training providers and the training hours rule FMCSA is working on, and our explainer on the English proficiency rule.

Quick facts

• Provider: ELDT Nation, owned by Qosmos.ai, per Overdrive.
• Action: FMCSA issued a Notice of Proposed Removal. It is not a final decision.
• Price and time: $23 for Class A theory; the company says the average pass time is three to four hours.
• Federal rule: no minimum classroom hours, per a trainer quoted by Overdrive.
• Not known: why FMCSA issued the notice.

FAQ

Is ELDT Nation shut down?

No. Overdrive reports a Notice of Proposed Removal, which is a step in a process, not a final decision.

Does a theory course get someone a license?

No. Students still have to pass the DMV written test and complete behind-the-wheel training.

A question for readers

Truckers and trainers, what should a good theory course cover, and how long should it take?

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