Class B CDL
One heavy vehicle, driven as one piece. A Class B CDL covers any single vehicle rated 26,001 lbs or more, plus that vehicle towing a trailer rated 10,000 lbs or less. It is the license behind dump trucks, box trucks and city buses.
The definition, word for word
Federal rules (49 CFR 383.91) define Class B as a single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 lbs or more, or any such vehicle towing a vehicle not in excess of 10,000 lbs GVWR. Note rating, not load: an empty truck is classified the same as a full one.
What you can drive with it
| Vehicle | Notes |
|---|---|
| Dump truck | The archetypal Class B vehicle — construction and municipal work |
| Box / straight truck | Furniture, appliance and beverage delivery over 26,001 lbs |
| Transit or city bus | Needs the passenger (P) endorsement on top |
| School bus | Needs both passenger (P) and school bus (S) endorsements |
| Cement mixer | Heavy, high center of gravity, steady local demand |
| Refuse / garbage truck | Municipal pay and benefits, early starts |
| Bucket / utility truck | Line crews and tree services |
| Tow truck (heavy) | Above the rating threshold; light wreckers usually are not |
A Class B also covers every Class C vehicle. It does not cover combination vehicles — that is Class A, in every state.
What Class B work pays
The licence does not set your pay — the seat does. Transit driving out-earns the national long-haul median; school bus work sits well below it, usually on part-time hours.
| Occupation | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Bus drivers, transit and intercity | $59,050 |
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors | $49,690 |
| Bus drivers, school | $47,920 |
| Heavy and tractor-trailer drivers (Class A, for comparison) | $58,640 |
National median annual wages, Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS 2025 data. Municipal and union seats add benefits and overtime that medians do not capture; endorsements — especially HazMat and tanker — move the number more than the class does.
Class B vs Class A: the real difference
The vehicles are not the difference — the joint is. Class A exists because a trailer attached by a fifth wheel behaves like a separate object: it swings, it jackknifes, it has to be backed against the steer. Everything in Class A training that Class B skips comes down to managing that joint.
Practically: Class A takes longer and costs more, and it covers Class B work anyway. Class B gets you licensed faster for local jobs, and the skills test is materially easier because there is no trailer to back into an alley dock. Plenty of drivers start at Class B on a municipal or construction payroll and upgrade later.
The full Class A vs Class B comparison puts pay, training length and schedule side by side.
Upgrading is a real path, not a restart — but it is not free. Under ELDT, moving from Class B to Class A requires its own theory and behind-the-wheel curriculum from a registered training provider, plus the Class A skills test.
Endorsements that matter on a Class B
Class B is unusually endorsement-dependent, because so much Class B work is buses. The class itself never grants them:
- Passenger (P) — any bus, transit or shuttle.
- School bus (S) — required in addition to P, not instead of it.
- Air brakes — technically a restriction removal rather than an endorsement, but test in an air-brake vehicle or you get an L restriction that rules out most Class B trucks.
- HazMat (H) — fuel and chemical delivery; adds a TSA background check.
- Tanker (N) — liquid loads, including many local fuel routes.
How to get one, in order
- Pass the DOT physical and get your medical certificate.
- Pass the general knowledge test (plus air brakes and any endorsements) for your CLP.
- Hold the CLP at least 14 days before the skills test.
- Complete ELDT theory and behind-the-wheel training with a registered provider.
- Pass the three-part skills test — pre-trip inspection, basic control, road — in a Class B vehicle.
The pre-trip inspection is where Class B candidates most often fail, and it costs a retest fee every time — work the checklist until it's muscle memory.
Frequently asked
- What is a Class B CDL?
- A Class B CDL covers any single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 lbs or more, and that vehicle towing a trailer rated at 10,000 lbs or less. Dump trucks, box trucks, transit buses, cement mixers and refuse trucks are the classic Class B vehicles.
- What can you drive with a Class B CDL?
- Heavy straight trucks — dump, box, refuse, mixer, bucket, tow — plus buses of any size with a passenger endorsement, and any Class C vehicle. You can tow a small trailer, up to 10,000 lbs rated. What you cannot do is pull a tractor-trailer; that requires Class A.
- Can a Class B CDL pull a trailer?
- Yes, as long as the trailer is rated 10,000 lbs GVWR or less. Cross that line and the combination becomes a Class A vehicle, no matter what the truck in front is.
- How long does it take to get a Class B CDL?
- Typically three to six weeks of ELDT-compliant training, against four to eight for Class A. There is no trailer to back, so the skills test is shorter and most people need fewer practice hours behind the wheel.
- How much does a Class B CDL driver make?
- It depends far more on the seat than on the licence. BLS 2025 medians put transit and intercity bus drivers at $59,050, refuse collectors at $49,690 and school bus drivers at $47,920 — and municipal versions of those jobs often add a pension that never shows up in a wage figure.
- Is a Class B CDL worth it?
- For local work, often yes. It trains faster and costs less than Class A, and transit, municipal and construction employers hire straight into it with home-every-night schedules. If you want over-the-road freight work, go Class A instead — it covers Class B anyway.