Category T driving licence

A tractor driving licence

Content

• General Information: category T
• Course for category T drivers
• State exams for a category T driver
• Which category licences allow driving a tractor?

General Information: category T

A category T vehicle is a tractor, mobile machinery, and a combination of vehicles. Before starting your course, you should check the validity of your medical certificate and get a new certificate if necessary. In the case of category T, a health check is required every five years. For more information on the medical certificate, click here.

The minimum age of a category T driver is 16 years; the minimum age of a driver with a limited right to drive is 15.

Course for category T drivers

The topics and driving requirements for a category T curriculum are available here. The theory course consists of 50 lessons and you must also complete ten driving lessons. Unlike other categories, the theory course for category T cannot be completed fully online.

If you have a category B driving licence, then the instructor can reduce your workload of theory and driving by up to 50%, depending on your prior training. In this case, the theory part of the training would consist of 25 lessons and the practical part of five driving lessons.

The minimum age for driving lessons for category T:

• a category T motor vehicle with a maximum mass up to 18,000 kg (alone or with a trailer) – 14.5 years of age;
• a category T motor vehicle with a maximum mass over 18,000 kg (alone or with a trailer) – 17.5 years of age.

A 15-year-old minor can be given a limited right to drive a category T motor vehicle if the maximum mass of the vehicle (alone or with a trailer) does not exceed 8,000 kg. In this case, the limited right to drive remains in force until the person turns 16. A driving licence for a limited right to drive will be replaced for a category T driving licence without tests within 12 months after the limited right to drive expires.

When driving a category T motor vehicle with a maximum mass up to 18,000 kg (alone or with a trailer), the minimum age for being issued a driving licence is 16 years. The minimum age limit for a category T motor vehicle with a maximum mass over 18,000 kg (alone or with a trailer) is 18 years.

State exams for a category T driver

After completing the curriculum, you can take the required theory and driving tests of the Transport Administration. It is important to remember that you can take theory and driving tests for the right to drive after you have reached the minimum age for the driver of a specific category required by law.

The theory test for a category T driver consists of 40 questions (ten questions are about road safety) and you have 35 minutes to answer them. You are allowed five mistakes to pass the test; however, you can only answer incorrectly once to a question about road safety.

A category T driving test begins with safety checks of the vehicle and the trailer, which must be completed independently. The driving test takes place in two stages: in the first stage, you will have 10 minutes to complete the exercises, and the second stage of the driving test (conducted with a combination of vehicles) lasts at least 35 minutes. You will have an additional 10 minutes to form and decouple a combination of vehicles. Once you have passed the required tests, you will be granted a category T driving licence.

A category T driving licence is issued for ten years.

Which category licences allow driving a tractor?

A person who has a right to drive category B, is also allowed to drive a category T vehicle and a combination of vehicles with a maximum mass up to 8,000 kg.

The following are allowed to drive a category T vehicle and a combination of vehicles with a maximum mass up to 18,000 kg:

• a person who has a right to drive category BE, C, or D motor vehicles or subcategory C1 or D1 motor vehicles;
• a person who has been issued a category B driving licence before 1 July 2011 (or before the current Road Traffic Act took effect).

Therefore, if you have held a category B driving licence since 2008, for example, you may drive category T vehicles and combinations of vehicles with a maximum mass up to 18,000 kg.

The following persons may drive a category T vehicle and a combination of vehicles without any restrictions on the maximum mass:

• persons who hold a driving licence for category CE or DE combination of vehicles or a subcategory C1E or D1E combination of vehicles.

If you have the right to drive category C or D motor vehicles or subcategory C1 or D1 motor vehicles, you must only pass a driving test to be allowed to drive a category T motor vehicle and a combination of vehicles (maximum mass over 18,000 kg).