Which driving record keeps you from applying for a B.C. commercial licence?

Four or more penalty-point offences in two years

Two speeding tickets in five years

One parking ticket in the past year

A collision you were not responsible for

Which vehicle needs a Class 3 licence in B.C.?

A dump truck with more than two axles

A two-axle pickup towing a light trailer

A taxi carrying paying passengers

A school bus seats 24 people including the driver. Which is the lowest licence class that covers it?

Class 5 with a heavy trailer endorsement

BC Class 1–4 overview

BC Class 1–4: Licence classes, endorsements and testing

Class 1 to 4 and what each covers, minimum ages, the air brake (code 15) and heavy trailer (code 20) endorsements, the driving record and medical rules, learner supervision, MELT and retest waiting periods.

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Licence classes, endorsements and testing · Question 1Score 0/0

What does the heavy trailer endorsement (code 20) allow on a Class 4 or 5 licence?

Tip: press 1–4 to answer and Enter for the next question.

Study reference: Driving Commercial Vehicles (ICBC, 2024 edition), Ch. 1 Getting your driver's licence — Licence classes, Air brake endorsement, Knowledge tests, Road testing

All 16 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

What does the heavy trailer endorsement (code 20) allow on a Class 4 or 5 licence?
1. Tow a second trailer behind a fifth wheel
2. Drive a bus seating more than 25 people
3. Drive any truck or bus that is equipped with air brakes
4. Tow a trailer over 4,600 kg if neither unit has air brakes
Which driving record keeps you from applying for a B.C. commercial licence?
1. Two speeding tickets in five years
2. One parking ticket in the past year
3. Four or more penalty-point offences in two years
4. A collision you were not responsible for
Which vehicle needs a Class 3 licence in B.C.?
1. A two-axle pickup towing a light trailer
2. A dump truck with more than two axles
3. A taxi carrying paying passengers
4. A bus carrying 30 passengers
When did MELT become mandatory for new Class 1 applicants in B.C.?
1. April 1, 2000
2. September 1, 2023
3. October 18, 2021
4. January 1, 2019
A school bus seats 24 people including the driver. Which is the lowest licence class that covers it?
1. Class 4 restricted
2. Class 4 unrestricted
3. Class 3
4. Class 5 with a heavy trailer endorsement
What vehicle must you bring for a B.C. Class 1 road test?
1. Any tractor pulling an empty flat-deck trailer of any length
2. A loaded 28,000 kg tractor-trailer with air brakes
3. A tandem dump truck towing a pup trailer
4. A bus seating at least 36 adults
Which B.C. commercial class has a minimum age of 18 rather than 19?
1. Class 2
2. Class 3
3. Class 1
4. Class 4 unrestricted
What can a Class 4 restricted licence holder drive?
1. Trucks with three or more axles
2. School buses seating up to 25 people including the driver
3. Any bus without air brakes
4. Taxis and ride-hailing cars for up to 10 people
How long is a passed air brake knowledge test result valid if the endorsement is not added?
1. Six months
2. One year
3. Two years
4. It never expires
You fail the single-unit air brake knowledge test three times. What must you do next?
1. Take MELT before retesting
2. Take an approved 7-hour air brake course
3. Wait one full year before trying the test again
4. Pass the Class 3 road test first
What is the B.C. endorsement code for air brakes?
1. Code 20
2. Code 15
3. Code 07
4. Code 51
You fail a commercial knowledge test. How long must you wait before trying again?
1. 24 hours
2. 30 days
3. 14 days
4. 7 days
In what language are ICBC commercial knowledge tests given?
1. English or French, with a translator
2. English, with a dictionary allowed
3. English only, without assistance
4. Any language through an interpreter
A learner drives a bus with a Class 2 learner's licence. Who else may ride along?
1. Only the supervisor and other Class 2 learners
2. Family members of the learner only
3. Up to 10 passengers if the supervisor agrees
4. Any passengers on a scheduled route
What is the minimum age for a B.C. Class 1 licence?
1. 18
2. 21
3. 19
4. 16
Who may supervise a commercial learner practising in a Class 1 tractor-trailer?
1. Any Class 5 driver over 25
2. A Class 3 holder with code 15
3. Any driving instructor, of any class
4. A Class 1 holder aged at least 19

Licence classes, endorsements and testing: key rules to remember

Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗

Licence classes (p. 3–4)

Class 1 covers semi-trailer trucks and every other motor vehicle or combination, except motorcycles; minimum age 19.
Class 2 covers buses, including school buses, special activity buses and special vehicles, plus anything in Class 4; minimum age 19.
Class 2 and Class 3: a towed trailer may weigh more than 4,600 kg only when neither the towing vehicle nor the trailer has air brakes.
Class 3 covers trucks with more than two axles (for example dump trucks and large tow trucks), a tow car towing a vehicle of any weight, a mobile truck crane, and anything in Class 5; a bus carrying passengers is not a Class 3 vehicle; minimum age 18.
Class 4 unrestricted covers buses seating at most 25 people including the driver (school buses, special activity buses, special vehicles for people with disabilities), taxis, limousines, ride-hailing vehicles and ambulances; minimum age 19.
Class 4 restricted covers taxis, limousines and ride-hailing vehicles carrying up to 10 people including the driver, ambulances, and special vehicles for people with disabilities seating no more than 10 including the driver; minimum age 19.
Class 5 covers two-axle vehicles, trailers up to 4,600 kg, motorhomes (even with more than two axles), and passenger vehicles used as school buses seating no more than 10 including the driver; Class 5 does not include Class 4 vehicles.
Heavy trailer endorsement (code 20) on a Class 4 or 5 licence: tow a trailer over 4,600 kg as long as neither the truck nor the trailer has air brakes; minimum age 18.
House trailer endorsement (code 07, formerly code 51): recreational trailers over 4,600 kg without air brakes on truck or trailer; minimum age 18.
You must hold a full-privilege Class 5 or equivalent before applying for a commercial licence, heavy trailer endorsement or house trailer endorsement.
A special activity bus runs for a school and has no set schedule.
A special vehicle seats 10 or fewer including the driver and is built or modified to carry people with disabilities.
Driving without the correct class of licence may breach your insurance, and you could have to pay for crash costs yourself.

Medical fitness and vision (p. 5)

When you apply for a commercial licence, heavy trailer endorsement or industrial air brake endorsement you complete a medical declaration and get a Driver's Medical Examination form for your doctor to send to RoadSafetyBC.
RoadSafetyBC (the Superintendent) decides whether you are medically fit to hold a commercial licence.
Commercial drivers must meet a higher vision standard than Class 5 drivers; vision is screened at the licensing office when you apply for the learner's licence.
The vision screening checks visual acuity, peripheral vision, depth perception, double vision (diplopia) and colour perception of red, green and amber.
If you need glasses or contact lenses to meet the standard, you must wear them for the screening.

Air brake endorsement (p. 5–6)

Driving an air-brake-equipped vehicle on a highway (other than a construction vehicle) requires an air brake endorsement, code 15, shown in the restrictions section of the licence.
Most vehicles with air-over-hydraulic brakes also require the air brake endorsement.
Class 1 applicants get air brake training inside MELT and do not need a separate air brake course.
Air brake knowledge test results are valid for one year; if the endorsement is not added within a year of passing, the test must be retaken.
Failing the air brake knowledge test three times means completing (or repeating) an approved 7-hour air brake course before trying again.
Air brake courses are at least 7 hours long; on completion you get a certificate or other proof.
Single-unit air brake endorsement steps: course, study, apply with ID and proof of air brake experience, pay and pass the knowledge test, then pass an air brake pre-trip inspection test in an air-brake vehicle; no road test is needed.

How to apply for a Class 1, 2, 3 or 4 licence (p. 6–7)

Prerequisites: hold or have held a full-privilege Class 5 or Class 6 (or out-of-province equivalent).
Driving record: fewer than four penalty-point offences in the previous two years and no motor-vehicle-related Criminal Code convictions in the previous three years.
No outstanding fines or debts to the court, government or ICBC (including liquor fines, tolls and Family Maintenance Enforcement arrears).
If you held a licence elsewhere in the past three years, you need a driver's abstract from that jurisdiction.
Every carrier must check your driving record before hiring you and once a year after.
At the learner stage you pay the knowledge test fee and take the knowledge and road signs tests, plus vision and medical screening.
The commercial learner's licence is valid for one year.
Your supervisor must be at least 19 and hold the licence class for the vehicle you are practising in, seated beside you or immediately behind and to the right when there is no seat beside the driver.
With a learner's licence in a bus, taxi, ride-hailing vehicle or ambulance, the only passengers allowed are the supervisor and other learners for the same class.
After passing the road test you get a temporary licence and a Driver's Medical Examination Report form for a B.C.-licensed physician.
The doctor's fee for the routine medical form is not covered by MSP, ICBC or RoadSafetyBC.
The whole commercial licensing process is in English, spoken and written, without assistance.

Class 1 Mandatory Entry Level Training (p. 7–8)

MELT became mandatory for all new Class 1 applicants on October 18, 2021.
MELT aligns with the national Class 1 entry-level standard under the National Safety Code and includes theory, practical training, on-highway driving and air brakes.
MELT is a one-time requirement; you must qualify for the Class 1 learner's licence before starting it.
Class 1 applicants must study the air brake material in the guide to pass the knowledge test even though no prior air brake course is needed.
A Canadian Class 1 holder with more than 24 consecutive months of Class 1 experience, licence expired no more than three years, does not need MELT.
Holders with 12 to 24 months of Class 1 experience and no accepted MELT get two B.C. road test attempts before MELT becomes required.
All Class 1 drivers licensed outside Canada must take B.C. MELT.
If you switch to Class 2 or Class 3 instead of Class 1, you need air brake experience or an air brake course before the road test.

Knowledge tests and road testing (p. 9–13)

Knowledge tests are in English only, multiple choice, taken without assistance; the answers are in the guide.
One of the knowledge tests is a traffic signs test (chapter 11 plus signs in other chapters).
Every road test has a pre-trip inspection, an air brake pre-trip inspection if the vehicle has air brakes, and the drive.
Class 1, 2, 3 or 4 unrestricted applicants must also complete and submit a written trip inspection report.
With manual slack adjusters, you must perform a brake adjustment during the test, so bring the tools.
A Class 1 road test takes about two hours; Class 2, 3, 4 and heavy trailer tests take less than two hours.
Coupling and uncoupling is tested for Class 1 and the heavy trailer endorsement (code 20).
A no-show without 48 hours' notice or a valid reason is charged a fee; arrive at least 15 minutes early.
Taking a Class 1, 2 or 3 road test in an automatic restricts the licence to automatic transmissions.
Typical test vehicles: Class 4 restricted any car or pickup; Class 4 unrestricted a full-size van or small school bus seating at least 11 adults; Class 3 a large tandem or tridem truck; Class 2 a bus seating at least 36 adults.
A Class 2 test in a bus seating 25–34 adults adds restriction 51 (maximum 34 passengers).
Class 1 test vehicle: loaded tandem or tridem tractor-trailer with air brakes, at least 28,000 kg on the road, semi-trailer at least 13 m long (7.5 m for a pintle-hitch trailer).
Code 20 test: loaded truck and trailer without air brakes; trailer and load at least 4,600 kg.
Test vehicles may not carry dangerous goods, unbaffled liquids or dry bulk, livestock or oversize loads.
Bring wheel blocks plus wrenches, a pry bar, chalk or marker and a watch/timer; wear sturdy clothing, hard hat, eye protection, boots and a safety vest.
Temporary spare tires may not be used on a road test.
Example: a 50% seasonal axle-weight restriction limits a five-axle combination legally rated 40,500 kg to 20,250 kg.

Re-test waiting periods

Knowledge tests and pre-trip tests: wait 7 days after any unsuccessful attempt.
Class 1–4 road tests: 14 days after the first failure, 30 days after the second and later failures.
Endorsement 20 road tests: 14 days, then 30 days, then 60 days after the third and later failures.

Air brake courses, keeping and changing your licence (p. 14–15)

A certified air brake course has 7 hours of theory plus four hours of practical pre-trip training; passing the provider's pre-trip assessment may replace ICBC's air brake pre-trip test.
A non-certified course has 7 hours of classroom theory.
Even if exempted from the course for experience, you must pass the air brake knowledge test and air brake pre-trip test.
Commercial drivers (and code 18, 19 and 20 holders) must submit a Driver's Medical Examination Report regularly under the National Safety Code.
Routine medical forms are sent at ages 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45; 48, 51, 54, 57, 60 and 63; and every year from age 66.
Your licence may be cancelled if you do not return the medical form.
A commercial driver medical examination processing fee is charged when you obtain or renew a commercial licence or industrial air brake endorsement.
Upgrading to another commercial class means repeating all steps, including a new learner's licence.
Not returning a routine medical form does not downgrade your licence; you must apply at a licensing office to downgrade.

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