Category B driving licence (or B96)

Driving licence for a car with a trailer

Category BE - a category B passenger vehicle towing a heavy trailer with a maximum mass of up to 3,500 kg

Content

• General Information: category BE
• Course for BE drivers
• State exams for a category BE driver
• Category B with Code 96 (or B96)
• Other useful information for category BE students

General Information: category BE

Category BE includes a combination of vehicles consisting of a category B car and a trailer with a maximum mass of up to 3,500 kg (such as a boat trailer or a caravan). The total maximum mass of a combination of vehicles is up to 7,000 kg.

Course for category BE drivers

You can take a course for a category BE driver of a combination of vehicles when you hold a category B driving licence (including a provisional driving licence). Please remember that a category BE right to drive cannot be given to a person who holds a provisional driving licence.

The category BE curriculum stipulates that you will learn about traffic rules, the composition of a combination of vehicles, road safety, and traffic laws and regulations during at least three theory lessons. During the minimum of two driving lessons, you will learn to drive a combination of vehicles on a training track and to form a combination of vehicles plus acquire the necessary skills to drive a combination of vehicles safely on roads with varying traffic density. You can take a look at the category BE curriculum here.

State exams for a category BE driver

The theory test consists of 30 questions, five of which are about road safety. You are allowed a maximum of four mistakes, but only one in the case of questions about road safety. You will have 30 minutes to complete the test.

The driving test is carried out in two stages – exercises on the training track and driving on the road. You have to complete the following exercises on the training track:

• reversing onto a marked area with a turn;
• safe parking for loading cargo;
• attaching the vehicles to each other and taking them apart.

You will have up to 10 minutes to complete the first two exercises. You will have another 10 minutes to form a combination of vehicles. The diagrams, descriptions, and assessment criteria of the exercises are available here.

The road traffic part of the driving test lasts about 35–45 minutes.

For more information on state exams and assessment, please click on this here.

Once you have passed your tests, you will be issued a category BE driving licence valid for 10 years. If you hold a provisional driving licence, then you will be issued a category BE driving licence when you replace it. You can read more about the provisional driving licence here.

A category BE driving licence automatically gives you the right to drive a category T vehicle and a combination of vehicles with a maximum mass up to 18,000 kg.

Category B with Code 96 (or B96)

If you would like to tow a larger trailer than allowed by a category B licence but do not want to obtain a category BE driving licence, then there is an additional option – a category B driving licence with Code 96. This allows you to drive a combination of vehicles towing a trailer with a maximum mass over 750 kg if the maximum mass of the combination of vehicles exceeds 3,500 kg and is less than 4250 kg.

Code 96 is added to the driving licence after passing the driving test of the Transport Administration. You can take the test in your own vehicle, but make sure that the maximum mass of the combination of vehicles exceeds 3,500 kg and is no more than 4250 kg.

During the driving test of the Transport Administration, you must drive for at least 35 minutes in road traffic and complete two exercises in normal traffic:

• reversing in a straight line;
• reversing while turning left or right.

A description of the exercises is available here.

In addition, your practical skills of attaching vehicles to each other and decoupling them are checked. You will have 10 minutes to do that.

If you feel that Code 96 options are not sufficient, then you should seriously consider obtaining a right to drive category BE vehicles.

Other useful information for category BE students

At Liikluslab, you can complete a theory course for category BE drivers online.

Liikluslab also helps prepare for the theory test – check and improve the level of your knowledge. The study environment will indicate the likelihood of passing the test (if interested, read more about the AI algorithms here).

To start your training, you must first select a suitable driving school. You can read about the aspects to consider when choosing a driving school and where to find a list of driving schools along with the feedback of trainees here.

Before starting a driving course, you should obtain a medical certificate. If you already have one, check its validity. This process is described in greater detail here.

If you fail the driving test of the Transport Administration three times, you are referred back to a driving school for continued training. You can read more about it here.