To be a professional driver, it is not enough to know how to carry a steering wheel. Nowadays, a truck or bus driver has to know how to use a tachograph, must-have notions about fleet management and, above all, must enhance driving safety and efficiency. But, of course, you also need to have the relevant permissions.
Therefore, if you have ever considered that it is the profession to which you want to dedicate yourself, we tell you what are the permits you need to achieve it, depending on the vehicle you want to drive.
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Permissions for professional drivers:
To be a truck driver
The type B driving license – the one that enables us to carry passenger cars – also allows us to drive a van or truck, as long as they do not exceed 3,500 kg. It is a fundamental permit since it must be in force to be able to access other types of licenses, such as those of type C, which we will talk about below.
The C1 Card allows you to drive a vehicle between 3,500 and 7,500 kg. To obtain it you will have to be over 18 years of age and present yourself to a theoretical exam and two practical tests, one in the circuit and the other on public roads.
If we want to access a vehicle of greater weight, we will have to opt for the Type C Truck License, which authorizes driving 3,500 kg machines onwards, with no weight limit. It will also be necessary to pass a theoretical exam and two practical tests.
If what you want is to drive a trailer, to these permits you will have to add the type E license, to attach a trailer or semi-trailer to a tractor vehicle. And if your thing is mega-trailers or mega-trucks, this document will also suffice.
To drive a bus
In this case, the type of license will depend on the number of passengers that the vehicle can transport and the size of the vehicle. For cars designed to carry a maximum of 16 passengers in addition to the driver and whose length does not exceed eight meters, a type D1 permit will be required.
To obtain it you will have to be over 18 years old and have passed the corresponding theoretical and practical tests.
If you prefer to get behind the wheel of a larger vehicle, you will have to opt for the type D license, which allows you to take buses of more than eight people, in addition to the driver, with no maximum number of passengers.
Other types of curious driving licenses
For those who like the risk and want to qualify for higher salaries, there is the ADR, which allows vehicles to transport tanks, explosive or radioactive goods. To achieve this, it is necessary, in addition to the type B permit with an age of more than one year, Chris Shilling Transport Training to pass specific training classes and pass the subsequent assessment.
