What is Class B ELDT?
What a Class B lets you drive
Any single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, and that vehicle towing a trailer under 10,001 pounds. That covers dump trucks, cement mixers, garbage trucks, delivery box trucks, and with the right endorsements, transit buses, motorcoaches, and school buses.
What the theory covers
The same five units as Class A, written for single vehicles: basic operation, safe operating procedures, advanced practices, vehicle systems and malfunctions, and non-driving activities. The combination-vehicle and coupling material is not part of Class B.
Behind-the-wheel for Class B
You still need BTW training with a registered provider in a Class B vehicle. Class B school programs are shorter and cheaper than Class A, commonly $1,500 to $4,000, and many transit agencies and school districts train bus drivers for free.
Class B first, then upgrade?
Some drivers get a Class B for a local job and later want a Class A. That upgrade has its own ELDT curriculum, the Class B to A upgrade theory, which only covers the combination material you skipped.
Questions drivers ask
Does Class B ELDT cover buses?
It covers the vehicle class. To carry passengers you also need the Passenger endorsement, which has its own ELDT theory, and School Bus for a school bus.
How long does it take?
About 2 hours online for the theory. Behind-the-wheel varies by school, often 1 to 3 weeks.
Do I need air brakes?
If you test in a vehicle with air brakes you take the air brake knowledge test. Otherwise your CDL carries an air brake restriction.
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