In the United States, almost 233.5 million drivers were licensed as of 2020. This number is the largest proportion of Americans. But, just because you have a driver’s license doesn’t mean that you are allowed to drive any kind of vehicle.
Each driver’s license gives the holder the ability to drive a particular type of vehicle. A Class C license is the standard license. This license allows you to drive passenger cars, but not commercial vehicles.
Commercial Vehicles
A commercial vehicle is any vehicle that is more than 13 tonnes. These vehicles can be further divided into different classes according to their shape, size, number of axles, and other factors:
Commercial Class A – Drivers who have a Class A Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), are also allowed to drive most Class B or C commercial vehicles, they are also the largest commercial vehicles:
- Semi-trucks
- Tanker trucks
- Flatbed trucks
- Livestock carriers
- Vehicles with multiple trailers
Commercial Class B – are smaller and have fewer axles than the Class A vehicles. These vehicles are also mostly rigid and do not have a tow section.
- Passenger buses
- Dump trucks
- Box trucks
Commercial Class C – The smallest commercial vehicles are in the last class. These vehicles are often smaller than passenger cars. Commercial vehicles are vans that can hold 16 passengers or more.
CDL Endorsements
There are many classes of licenses, but there are also endorsements. Endorsements permit you to drive certain types of commercial vehicles.
These endorsements are available in California:
- School Bus (S),Lets operate a school bus
- Passenger: You can operate a commercial vehicle with passenger
- Tanker N: You can drive a vehicle that has individual tanks that hold over 119 gallons liquid or gas
These endorsements can be used on the smallest vehicles, but they allow you to obtain a limited CDL without any additional requirements.
Summarized from an article by M&Y Personal Injury Lawyers.
