Class A vs Class B CDL: which one should you get?

The legal difference

49 CFR 383.91 sorts commercial vehicles into groups by weight, not by the nickname on the door. Group A, the Class A combination, is any combination with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, if the vehicle being towed has a GVWR over 10,000 pounds. Group B, the Class B heavy straight vehicle, is a single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more, or that vehicle towing something that is not over 10,000 pounds.

Group C is the leftover case: the vehicle does not meet A or B, but it is designed to carry 16 or more people including the driver, or it is used to transport hazardous materials as that section defines them. A bus over 26,001 pounds is a Group B weight question. A smaller bus can be Group C and still need a passenger or school bus endorsement.

Sources: 49 CFR 383.91: Commercial motor vehicle groups; 49 CFR 383.93: Endorsements

Which knowledge tests each class needs

Everyone in these groups takes the knowledge tests for that group. Two results are spelled out in the passing rule. Fail the combination-vehicle test and the state must not issue a Group A permit or license. Fail the air-brake test and, if a permit or license is still issued, it has to show an air-brake restriction. Air brakes are not an extra class. They are a restriction you pick up by skipping or failing that test.

Endorsements are separate. Double and triple trailers, tank, and hazardous materials are knowledge tests. Passenger and school bus are knowledge tests plus skills tests. A learner's permit may carry only passenger, school bus, and tank. Hazardous materials waits until the full license, and it has its own threat assessment.

States add their own first test. Texas, for example, starts with Texas Commercial Rules, then General Knowledge, then Combination for Class A only, then Air Brake if it applies, then endorsements. Illinois lists General Knowledge, Combination for Class A, Air Brake if the vehicle has air brakes, and the endorsement tests.

• General Knowledge practice test
• Combination vehicles practice test
• Air brakes practice test
• Pennsylvania CDL practice test

Sources: 49 CFR 383.135: Passing knowledge and skills tests; 49 CFR 383.93: Endorsements

ELDT for a first B, a first A, and a B-to-A upgrade

On or after February 7, 2022, entry-level driver training from a registry provider is required for a first Class A, a first Class B, an upgrade to either class, and a first passenger, school bus, or hazardous materials endorsement. The Training Provider Registry FAQ puts the details in a table. Class A, including an upgrade from B, needs theory plus behind-the-wheel training on the range and on the public road before the skills test. Class B needs the same kinds of training before its skills test. Hazardous materials is theory only, and it is checked before the knowledge test, not the skills test.

There is no federal minimum number of hours for the theory or the behind-the-wheel portions. A state can require more. Finishing the Class A curriculum also makes you eligible to take the Class B skills test. The provider has to be listed on the Training Provider Registry. A practice app does not satisfy that rule.

Sources: 49 CFR 380.609: General entry-level driver training requirements; FMCSA Training Provider Registry: training-requirements FAQ; FMCSA Training Provider Registry

What each class lets you drive

Class A is the combination group. The usual example is a tractor-trailer whose trailer is over 10,000 pounds, but the rule is the weight rating, not the example. Class B is the heavy straight vehicle. With the passenger endorsement you can drive a bus that meets the Group B weight. With the school bus endorsement you also need the passenger qualification. Those endorsements are skills tests as well as knowledge tests.

A driver who passed Group A may operate Group B and Group C vehicles if the endorsements match the work. A driver who passed Group B may operate Group C the same way. Going the other direction, from B to A, means retaking the related tests. The regulation does not let a Class B holder drive a Group A combination without those tests.

Sources: 49 CFR 383.91: Commercial motor vehicle groups; 49 CFR 383.93: Endorsements

Pay, from BLS, not from license class

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish a wage for "Class A" or "Class B." It publishes wages for occupations. In May 2025, the median annual wage for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers was $58,640, or $28.19 an hour. On the delivery-driver profile, the published 2025 median pay is $43,950. The same page splits that work: light truck drivers had a median of $44,860, and driver/sales workers had a median of $38,770.

Use those figures as occupation medians. Half of workers in the occupation earned more, and half earned less. They are not a quote for a job, a school, or a license class. Bus driving is a different BLS profile and is not folded into the numbers above.

Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers; BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers

Find Class A or Class B schools near you

The counts below come from the FMCSA Training Provider Registry download stored on this site (Location-List-20261002_1801.xlsx, as of 2026-10-02). A location is counted when it is registered for theory, range, or road in that class. Many locations are in both columns. The national file lists 4,230 locations, 3,014 registered for Class A and 3,417 registered for Class B.

Class B schools in California are one filtered view. The full directory covers every state in the same download. Confirm a provider on the live registry before you enroll. Registration is not a review of teaching quality.

Sources: FMCSA Training Provider Registry

Sources and editorial notes

Editorial attribution: Evergreen Comply, LLC Editorial Staff. Each section links the official page the statement comes from. These pages do not replace your state manual, a registered training provider, or instructions from your licensing agency.

• 49 CFR 383.91: Commercial motor vehicle groups
  Group A is a combination with a GCWR of 26,001 pounds or more if the towed vehicle is over 10,000 pounds GVWR. Group B is a single vehicle of 26,001 pounds or more GVWR, or that vehicle towing a vehicle not over 10,000 pounds. A driver who passed Group A tests may operate Group B or Group C vehicles with the required endorsements.
• 49 CFR 383.93: Endorsements
  H, N, and double/triple trailers are knowledge tests. P and S are knowledge and skills tests. A CLP may carry only P, S, and N.
• 49 CFR 383.135: Passing knowledge and skills tests
  At least 80 percent on each knowledge test. Failing air brakes requires an air-brake restriction if a CLP or CDL is issued. Failing the combination-vehicle test blocks a Group A CLP or CDL.
• 49 CFR 380.609: General entry-level driver training requirements
  A first Class A or Class B CDL, an upgrade to Class A or B, and a first P, S, or H endorsement require training from a provider on the Training Provider Registry.
• FMCSA Training Provider Registry: training-requirements FAQ
  Class A, including an upgrade, and Class B need theory plus behind-the-wheel range and public road before the skills test. H needs theory only, before the knowledge test. There is no required minimum number of theory or behind-the-wheel hours. The FAQ was last updated September 27, 2022 on the Class A and H rows.
• FMCSA Training Provider Registry
  Search for a registered training provider. The school directory on this site is a copy of a registry download, not a live search.
• BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
  Median annual wage $58,640 in May 2025 ($28.19 an hour). This is an occupation, not a Class A wage.
• BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers
  The profile lists a 2025 median pay of $43,950. On the same page, light truck drivers had a median annual wage of $44,860 in May 2025, and driver/sales workers $38,770. These are not Class B wages.

Last reviewed November 1, 2026. Next source review due February 1, 2027, or earlier if the official guidance changes.

Related pages

• Which tests the permit covers
• Combination vehicles practice test
• Pennsylvania CDL practice test
• Class B schools in California
• How to get a CDL