What is the difference between Class A, B and C?

Class A is for a combination — a power unit pulling one or more trailers. Class B is for a single heavy vehicle or a large bus. Class C is for a smaller vehicle carrying passengers or hazardous materials. The guide explains what each lets you drive.

Which class do most commercial driving jobs need?

Class A opens the widest range of work because it covers combinations. But the right class is the one that matches the job you actually want, and getting the wrong class for the job is a common and expensive mistake — the guide explains how to avoid it.

What is the difference between Class A, B and C?

Class A is for a combination — a power unit pulling one or more trailers. Class B is for a single heavy vehicle or a large bus. Class C is for a smaller vehicle carrying passengers or hazardous materials. The guide explains what each lets you drive.

Which class do most commercial driving jobs need?

Class A opens the widest range of work because it covers combinations. But the right class is the one that matches the job you actually want, and getting the wrong class for the job is a common and expensive mistake — the guide explains how to avoid it.

CDL classes A, B and C

What each licence lets you drive, and the common mistake of getting the wrong class for the job you want.

The class of your commercial licence decides which vehicles you may drive, and it is written on the licence as a letter. The three classes are defined by weight and configuration, not by the job.

Class A is for a combination — a power unit and one or more trailers coupled together. It is the class most people think of for long-haul work, and it covers the most ground, because a driver who holds Class A may also drive the vehicles a Class B licence allows.

Class B is for a single heavy vehicle — one unit over a certain gross weight — or a large bus. A driver who holds Class B may drive a single heavy vehicle but not a combination.

Class C is for a smaller vehicle that still needs a commercial licence because it carries passengers or hazardous materials.

The exact weight and passenger thresholds are federal and state numbers this site states only once verified. The common mistake is choosing the class by what a job sounds like instead of by what the vehicle is — and getting it wrong means re-taking tests. The requirement matrix on the home page is the place to work out which class your plan actually needs.

Common questions

What is the difference between Class A, B and C?: Class A is for a combination — a power unit pulling one or more trailers. Class B is for a single heavy vehicle or a large bus. Class C is for a smaller vehicle carrying passengers or hazardous materials. The guide explains what each lets you drive.
Which class do most commercial driving jobs need?: Class A opens the widest range of work because it covers combinations. But the right class is the one that matches the job you actually want, and getting the wrong class for the job is a common and expensive mistake — the guide explains how to avoid it.

Common questions

What is the difference between Class A, B and C?: Class A is for a combination — a power unit pulling one or more trailers. Class B is for a single heavy vehicle or a large bus. Class C is for a smaller vehicle carrying passengers or hazardous materials. The guide explains what each lets you drive.
Which class do most commercial driving jobs need?: Class A opens the widest range of work because it covers combinations. But the right class is the one that matches the job you actually want, and getting the wrong class for the job is a common and expensive mistake — the guide explains how to avoid it.