Driving the chip truck: licence classes by country
Which driving licence class each country's official pages attach to a given vehicle weight, so you can read where a chip truck, a chipper trailer or a bucket truck falls.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 5, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
Tree crews drive heavy vehicles and tow chippers. This page lists how official licensing pages define the classes by weight. The weight that counts is the one the source names, and it is usually a rating on the vehicle plate, not what the truck weighs empty.
United States
A commercial driver license (CDL) is issued by a state under federal groups. The federal rule, 49 CFR 383.91, defines them in terms of weight rating. GVWR is the gross vehicle weight rating of a single vehicle, and GCWR is the gross combination weight rating.
| Group | Vehicle | Weight line |
|---|---|---|
| A | Combination | GCWR 26,001 lb or more, towed unit over 10,000 lb GVWR |
| B | Single heavy vehicle | GVWR 26,001 lb or more, towing up to 10,000 lb GVWR |
| C | Smaller vehicle | Carries 16 or more passengers or hazardous materials |
The rule also says a driver who has passed the tests for a combination vehicle (Group A) may operate a heavy straight vehicle (Group B) or a small vehicle (Group C), with the endorsements needed. The text is at the eCFR section 383.91.
Canada
Licence classes are set by each province. Three are described below.
Ontario
The Ministry of Transportation truck handbook says a Class D licence allows you to drive a motor vehicle exceeding 11,000 kilograms (24,000 lb) gross weight or registered gross weight, or a combination of that vehicle and a towed vehicle not exceeding a total of 4,600 kilograms (10,000 lb). Class A covers towed vehicles that exceed a total gross weight of 4,600 kilograms. It adds that a licensed driver learning to operate a truck must hold a class G or higher licence. Class D applicants must be 18 and hold a class G or higher licence. The handbook also says that from January 1, 2027, drivers taking the Class A road test must have held a Class G or higher licence for at least 6 months. See the Ontario truck handbook page.
Ontario's Z endorsement is a separate item. The province says you need a Z endorsement to drive a vehicle with an air brake or an air-over-hydraulic brake system. Details are on the Ontario page get a truck driver's licence.
British Columbia
ICBC describes a Class 5 licence as covering cars, vans and trucks with 2 axles maximum, towing trailers or vehicles up to 4,600kg. Class 3 covers trucks with more than two axles, such as dump trucks and large tow trucks, and trailers or towed vehicles exceeding 4,600 kg provided neither the truck nor the trailers have air brakes. See ICBC licence classes and types.
Alberta
The Alberta government page lists Class 3 as a single motor vehicle with 3 or more axles, or one with 3 or more axles towing a trailer with one or more axles if the trailer is not equipped with airbrakes. To upgrade to a commercial licence you need a full Class 5 licence and must be at least 18. See upgrade to a commercial licence.
United Kingdom
GOV.UK sets categories by maximum authorised mass (MAM), the weight of the vehicle including the maximum load it can carry safely, normally shown on a plate.
| Category | Vehicle | Trailer |
|---|---|---|
| B (tests from 1 January 1997) | Up to 3,500kg MAM, 4,250kg for zero emission | Up to 3,500kg, combined 7,000kg or less |
| BE | 3,500kg vehicle | Trailer size by licence date |
| C1 | 3,500 to 7,500kg MAM | Up to 750kg |
| C1E | C1 vehicle | Over 750kg, combined 12,000kg or less |
| C | Over 3,500kg | Up to 750kg |
The categories page says category B held from before 1 January 1997 usually allows a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8,250kg MAM. On BE, it says the trailer size depends on the date the category is valid from. Before 19 January 2013 any size trailer within the towing limits of the vehicle. On or after that date, a trailer up to 3,500kg MAM. Details are on the GOV.UK page driving licence categories.
The towing page says licences from 1 January 1997 can tow a trailer up to 3,500kg MAM, known as category BE, and that DVLA adds BE to a physical licence at renewal. For heavier combinations it lists a provisional licence for a medium-sized lorry and trailer (category C1+E), the lorry theory test and the C1+E driving test, after which you can drive vehicles and trailers with a combined weight of up to 12,000kg MAM. See towing with a car. The GOV.UK pages linked here do not explain how B+E rules changed in December 2021.
Australia
Licence rules are set by each state. VicRoads says you need a Victorian heavy vehicle licence to drive a vehicle with a gross mass of more than 4.5 tonnes. See VicRoads heavy vehicle licence.
The New South Wales government lists five heavy vehicle classes and says holders can also drive vehicles covered by a lighter class, except motorcycles.
| Class | Vehicle | Weight line |
|---|---|---|
| LR, Light Rigid | Small trucks | GVM up to 8 tonnes, trailer up to 9 tonnes GVM |
| MR, Medium Rigid | Trucks, 2 axles | GVM over 8 tonnes, trailer up to 9 tonnes GVM |
| HR, Heavy Rigid | Trucks, 3 or more axles | GVM over 8 tonnes, trailer up to 9 tonnes GVM |
| HC, Heavy Combination | Articulated, 3 or more axles | Trailer over 9 tonnes GVM |
NSW says applicants for LR must have held a class C car licence for 1 year or more. The fifth class, Multi Combination (MC), covers B-doubles and road trains. See the NSW heavy vehicle licence page. Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania set their own rules.
New Zealand
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) sets classes by weight, using GLW for gross laden weight of a vehicle and GCW for a combination.
| Class | Vehicle | Weight line |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Any vehicle, or tradesperson's vehicle | GLW or GCW 6000kg or less |
| 2 | Rigid vehicle | GLW 6001kg to 18,000kg |
| 2 | Combination | GCW up to 12,000kg |
| 3 | Combination | GCW 12,001kg to 25,000kg |
NZTA defines a light trailer as one with a GLW of 3500 kg or less, and says holders of class 2 or 4 can tow it behind a rigid vehicle. All vehicles over 3500kg must have a certificate of loading, usually displayed on the windscreen. Class 1 also lists a learner or restricted tradesperson's vehicle at 6000kg GLW or less with an on-road weight of 4500kg or less. NZTA lists classes 1 to 6, from car to motorcycle. Classes 2 to 5 are the medium and heavy rigid and combination licences, and some vehicles also need an endorsement. See what you can drive.
For what employers ask of the people on the crew, see the guide on certifications by country.
Sources
- US eCFR, 49 CFR 383.91 commercial motor vehicle groups, read October 5, 2026
- Ontario Ministry of Transportation, truck handbook, class A and D licences, read October 5, 2026
- Government of Ontario, get a truck driver's licence, read October 5, 2026
- ICBC British Columbia, licence classes and types, read October 5, 2026
- Government of Alberta, upgrade to a commercial licence, read October 5, 2026
- GOV.UK, driving licence categories, read October 5, 2026
- GOV.UK, towing with a car, read October 5, 2026
- VicRoads, heavy vehicle licence, read October 5, 2026
- Service NSW, getting a heavy vehicle licence, read October 5, 2026
- NZ Transport Agency, what you can drive, read October 5, 2026