Category C driving licence (or C1)

Driving licence for LGV, HGV, lorry or truck vehicles

Category C includes lorries with a maximum mass exceeding 3,500 kg.

Content

• General Information: category C
• Category C driver training
• Category C1 driving licence
• State exams for category C and C1 drivers
• Other useful information for category C and C1 students

General Information: category C

Just like passenger cars, lorries can carry up to eight passengers in addition to the driver. As a rule, a lorry has between one and three passenger seats. Emergency vehicles (e.g. rescue workers) and military vehicles are an exception.

With a category C driving licence you can tow a light trailer (with a maximum mass of 750 kg). A category C emergency vehicle may tow a trailer with a maximum mass of up to 3,500 kg.

The prerequisite for a right to drive category C vehicles is holding a category B driving licence for at least a year (not including the time of holding a provisional driving licence or having a limited right to drive).

Category C driver training

You must complete at least 20 theory and at least ten driving lessons at a driving school. During your theory lessons, you will learn about traffic rules, road safety, traffic psychology, etc. more thoroughly. In addition, you will learn about the peculiarities of the vehicle that you can apply in practice during the ten driving lessons when you drive the vehicle on roads with varying traffic density. You can take a look at the curriculum here.

If you hold a driving licence for subcategory C1 or categories B and C1, acquired simultaneously (so-called BC1), you must complete at least five theory lessons and at least five driving lessons. During the driving course, the driving school focuses on the specifics of driving a category C vehicle compared to a C1.

Category C1 driving licence

The C1 subcategory includes smaller lorries and buses with a maximum mass between 3,500 and 7,500 kg. The curriculum is the same as for category C, which is also why C1 courses are not very common in Estonia – the training and the price are practically identical, so people prefer to obtain the full category C driving licence.

You can also obtain a category C1 licence along with category B (the so-called subcategory BC1).

State exams for category C and C1 drivers

The rules for state exams for category C and C1 drivers are the same.

The theory test consists of 45 questions, twelve of which are about road safety. You are allowed a maximum of five mistakes, but only one in the case of questions about road safety. You will have 35 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.

In total, you will have 10 minutes to complete the two exercises. The diagrams, descriptions, and assessment criteria of the exercises are available here.

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

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

Once you have passed these tests, you will be issued a category C driving licence at 21 years of age (the category C1 driving licence is issued at 18) and the licence will be valid for five years.

A category C driving licence gives an automatic right to drive a category T vehicle and a combination of vehicles with a maximum mass of 18,000 kg.

Other useful information for category C and C1 students

At Liikluslab, you can complete a theory course for lorry 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 health 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.