What CDL Do I Need to Be a Lineman?
Linemen are not licensed as linemen. They are licensed for whatever the crew drives, which is the part job postings tend to be vague about. Here is what those trucks actually are.
There is no lineman CDL. The truck decides it: a full size digger derrick or line truck is a Class B, and most utility employers want a Class A because crews tow pole and reel trailers.
Why a lineman falls where it does
A line truck is a single vehicle, so the Class B rule applies: a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more. A digger derrick or a material handling bucket truck clears that easily. A light service body bucket truck on a one ton chassis often does not, which is why some service and telecom crews run trucks that need no CDL at all.
What pushes most of the work into Class A is what gets towed. Pole trailers, reel trailers and wire pullers are rated over 10,000 pounds, and once one of them is behind a truck and the combination is rated over 26,001, that is a Class A vehicle. It is why utility and line contractor postings so often say Class A when the truck on its own would only be a Class B.
The numbers that decide it
The federal classes are defined on the manufacturer's ratings, not on what is loaded today.
- Digger derrick or full size line truck, GVWR 26,001 lbs or more
- Class B CDL, plus air brakes.
- Line truck towing a pole or reel trailer rated over 10,000 lbs
- Class A CDL, once the combination clears 26,001 lbs. This is what most postings ask for.
- Light service bucket truck under 26,001 lbs
- No CDL for weight alone. Common on smaller service and telecom crews.
- Crew truck or pickup with a light trailer
- No CDL for weight alone.
Air brakes
Full size line trucks and digger derricks have air brakes, so the restriction has to come off your license before you can drive one. Light service trucks on a one ton chassis generally have hydraulic brakes, where the air brake test does not apply.
Air brakes is not an endorsement. It is a restriction that stays on your license until you pass the air brake knowledge test, and it bars you from every air braked vehicle while it is there.
When the answer is different
The apprenticeship usually decides this for you. Many line apprenticeships and utility contractors want a CDL before they will take you, or within a set period after you start, and most of them name Class A. Ask the program you are applying to what it requires and by when, because that deadline matters more than the federal minimum does.
States also differ on intrastate utility work, so if all your driving will stay inside one state, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is the one that can tell you what applies.
What people get wrong
- Looking for a lineman endorsement. There is no such thing. Only H, N, P, S, T and X are endorsements, and none of them covers utility work.
- Reading the utility exemption as a CDL exemption. The one people have heard of is 49 CFR 395.1(n), and it relaxes the hours of service rules for utility service vehicles. It does nothing to the class of license needed to drive one.
- Getting a Class B because the bucket truck is a Class B, then finding the crew tows a pole trailer and the job needed a Class A all along.
Not sure this is what you will end up driving?
The CDL Selector asks a few yes or no questions and tells you the class and the endorsements your plans actually need, which is worth doing before you pay for a knowledge test.
Study material 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
Kentucky Class A CDL Study Material
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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
Kentucky 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
No subscription. If more time is needed, it’s your choice.
Questions people ask about being a lineman
Do you need a CDL to be a lineman?
Usually yes, because the trucks a line crew runs are rated over 26,001 pounds. There is no lineman CDL as such: you need whatever class the truck requires, which is a Class B for the truck on its own and a Class A once it tows a pole or reel trailer rated over 10,000 pounds.
Do linemen need a Class A or a Class B CDL?
Both are used and most employers ask for Class A. The truck by itself is a Class B vehicle; the trailers a crew tows are what make the combination a Class A. A Class A also covers Class B and Class C vehicles, so it leaves nothing off the table.
Is there a lineman endorsement?
No. The endorsements are H, N, P, S, T and X, and none of them is for utility work. What the job needs is the right class and the air brake restriction removed.
Does the utility exemption mean I do not need a CDL?
No. That exemption is 49 CFR 395.1(n) and it is about hours of service for utility service vehicles, not about licensing. The class you need still follows the weight ratings. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet can confirm what your state does for intrastate utility work.
Other vehicles, other classes
Next steps for a lineman
This page explains the federal class definitions in 49 CFR Part 383. States may be stricter and several have their own intrastate exemptions, so the edge cases are decided by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. BeginCDL.com is independent and not affiliated with any state agency.