Class A vs Class B CDL: What Is the Difference?
One number decides it: what the trailer is rated. A Class A covers everything a Class B covers, which is why the comparison is really a question about what you intend to tow.
The difference in one paragraph
A Class A CDL covers a combination rated over 26,001 pounds where the unit being towed is rated over 10,000 pounds. A Class B CDL covers a single vehicle rated 26,001 pounds or more, towing nothing rated over 10,000 pounds. Both are defined on the manufacturer's ratings in 49 CFR 383.91, not on what is loaded on the day.
The licenses are a ladder. A Class A holder may drive Class B and Class C vehicles, and a Class B holder may drive Class C, provided they hold any endorsement the specific vehicle or cargo requires.
What each one lets you drive
- Class A
- Tractor-trailers, truck and trailer combinations, tankers, flatbeds and livestock trailers, plus everything in Class B and Class C.
- Class B
- Straight trucks, dump trucks, concrete mixers, refuse trucks, large buses and box trucks, towing a trailer rated no more than 10,000 pounds, plus Class C vehicles.
- Class C
- A vehicle too light for A or B that still needs a CDL, because it carries 16 or more passengers including the driver or placarded hazardous material.
Where people get it wrong
- Assuming a big truck means Class A. A dump truck rated 60,000 pounds pulling nothing is a Class B vehicle.
- Assuming an empty trailer does not count. The rating on the plate decides the class, whether the trailer is loaded or not.
- Forgetting the combination is rated too. A Class B truck towing a trailer rated over 10,000 pounds becomes a Class A combination.
- Treating air brakes as an endorsement. It is a restriction, and it applies to Class A and Class B alike.
Endorsements apply to both
The six endorsements are H for hazardous materials, N for tank vehicles, P for passengers, S for school buses, T for doubles and triples, and X, which combines H and N. None of them is tied to a class: you can carry hazardous material in a Class B straight truck, and a school bus can require a Class A, B or C depending on its rating.
Which should you train for?
Train for the license the job needs, not the biggest one available. A Class A takes longer, costs more and adds the Combination Vehicles knowledge test, and plenty of well-paid local work is Class B: refuse, concrete, utility, transit and dump.
That said, a Class A is the broader license and the ladder only runs one way, so if you expect to pull a trailer within a year or two it is usually cheaper to train once rather than upgrade later.
Upgrading from Class B to Class A
An upgrade is not a new license from scratch, but it is not automatic either. You take the Combination Vehicles knowledge test, get a learner's permit for the new class, complete ELDT for the upgrade if this is your first Class A, and pass a skills test in a combination vehicle.
The 14 day permit rule applies to the upgrade the same way it applies to a first license, so plan the calendar around it.
Study for the knowledge tests
Practice tests, study guides rebuilt from the state CDL manual, and narrated audio. 120 days of access, extendable to 180 or 365
Class A CDL Study Material
You save $18.80
Pulling a trailer over 10,000 lbs takes a Class A. Three written tests stand between you and that license: General Knowledge, Air Brakes, and Combination Vehicles. This covers all three, plus the skills test.
- General Knowledge
- Air Brakes
- Combination Vehicles
- Skills Test
- CDL Manual Audio
120, 180, 365 days of access · No subscription
Class B CDL Study Material
You save $15.85
Straight trucks, dump trucks, and buses over 26,001 lbs need a Class B. If that is the vehicle you will drive, this is the study material for its knowledge and skills tests, without the Class A combination-vehicle content you do not need.
- General Knowledge
- Air Brakes
- Skills Test
- CDL Manual Audio
120, 180, 365 days of access · No subscription
CDL Class B to A Upgrade Study Material
Current Class B CDL holders upgrading to Class A.
120, 180, 365 days of access · No subscription
The theory course is not available to buy yet.
No subscription. If more time is needed, it’s your choice.
Questions people ask
Is a Class A better than a Class B?
It is broader, not better. A Class A covers Class B and Class C vehicles too, so it opens more jobs, but it costs more to train for and adds the Combination Vehicles test. If the work you want is local and does not involve a trailer, a Class B is the faster route to driving.
Can I drive a dump truck with a Class B?
Yes. A dump truck is a single vehicle, so as long as it is not towing a trailer rated over 10,000 pounds it is a Class B vehicle, however heavy it is. Add a heavy pup trailer and the combination becomes Class A.
Do I need a new test to upgrade from B to A?
Yes. You take the Combination Vehicles knowledge test, hold a learner's permit for the new class for at least 14 days, and pass a skills test in a combination vehicle. First-time Class A upgrades also require ELDT.
Does a Class A cover buses?
It covers the vehicle class, but not the passengers. Carrying 16 or more people including yourself requires the P endorsement, and a school bus requires S on top of P, whatever class the bus itself falls into.
Next steps
This page explains the federal rules in 49 CFR Part 383. States may be stricter and several have their own intrastate exemptions, so the fees, the waiting periods and the edge cases are decided by your state’s CDL licensing agency. BeginCDL.com is independent and not affiliated with any state agency.