A commercial Class A license, also referred to as a Class A CDL, is required to operate various commercial vehicles with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more. This is also necessary if you will be towing a trailer that is in excess of 10,000 pounds, although what your towing allowance is depends on any endorsements you obtain. While there are several different considerations involved, typically with a commercial Class A license, you will be able to drive a tractor-trailer, a truck and trailer combination, a tractor-trailer bus, tanker vehicle, livestock carrier, or flatbed truck. You might also qualify to drive some Class B and Class C vehicles with the correct endorsement in place.

A commercial Class B license, also called a Class B CDL, is required to operate commercial trucks or large busses that weight more than 26,000 pounds. With this license, you’ll be able to drive straight trucks, segmented buses, city buses, school buses, tourist buses, box trucks, dump trucks, delivery trucks, and other similar vehicles. You may need an appropriate endorsement for certain vehicles, however. In fact, with proper endorsements, you might also be qualified to operate certain Class C vehicles.