License classes — North Carolina Permit Test

Most drivers need only a Regular Class C license to operate personal automobiles and small trucks.

The classes exist for heavy and combination vehicles. A car or pickup is Class C, and that is the license this handbook is for.

Most drivers need only a Regular Class C license to operate personal automobiles and small trucks.

The type of vehicle you will operate determines the class of license you must have, and the driving skills test must be taken in a vehicle representative of that class.

A license for a tractor-trailer proves nothing if the test was taken in a hatchback. The test vehicle has to match the class.

The type of vehicle you will operate determines the class of driver license you must have and the type vehicle in which you must take the driving skills test.

A Regular Class C license covers any noncommercial single vehicle with a GVWR of less than 26,001 pounds.

The weight line is where a vehicle stops handling like a car. Above it the state wants a heavier class of license.

Class C: Required to operate any noncommercial single vehicle with a GVWR of less than 26,001 pounds; and a vehicle towing a vehicle which has a combined GVWR of less than 26,001 pounds operated by a driver 18 years old or older.

A Regular Class A license is required for a combination of vehicles exempt from CDL requirements when the towed unit has a GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more.

A heavy trailer pushes the car that tows it. Past a certain weight the state wants proof you can handle the pair.

Class A: Required to operate a combination of vehicles that is exempt from CDL requirements when the towed unit has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,001 pounds or more.

A commercial driver license is required for a vehicle designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver.

A bus full of people is a different responsibility from a car. The passenger count is where the law draws the commercial line.

Is designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver;

You do not need a CDL to drive recreational vehicles, military equipment, fire or emergency equipment, or certain farm vehicles, but a regular license of the right class is still required.

A motor home is big, but it is not a business. The commercial license is for carrying people and goods for a living.

You do not need a CDL to drive recreational vehicles, military equipment, fire and/or emergency equipment or certain farm vehicles. However, a regular license of the appropriate class is required at all times.

A person must have a license with a motorcycle endorsement, or a motorcycle learner permit, before operating a motorcycle on public roads.

Balancing a motorcycle in traffic is a skill a car license never tested. The endorsement is the proof that somebody did.

A person must have a regular or commercial license with a motorcycle endorsement or a motorcycle learner permit before being entitled to operate a motorcycle on public roads.

A school bus driver must be at least 18, have at least six months of driving experience, and hold a Class B or C CDL with S and P endorsements and a School Bus Driver’s Certificate.

Forty children behind you is the heaviest cargo there is. The state wants age, experience, the right license and special training.

The driver of a school bus must be at least 18 years of age, have at least six months driving experience and hold either a Class B or Class C CDL with an “S” (school bus) and a “P” (passenger) endorsement along with a School Bus Driver’s Certificate.

Which license do most drivers need for personal cars and small trucks?

A Regular Class C license. The classes exist for heavy and combination vehicles. A car or pickup is Class C, and that is the license this handbook is for. North Carolina Driver Handbook, p.10: “Most drivers need only a Regular Class C license to operate personal automobiles and small trucks.”