Driver licensing
Getting your commercial driver's licence
If you want to drive a taxi, bus or other commercial vehicle, here's how to get licensed.
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If you want to drive a taxi, bus or other commercial vehicle, here's how to get licensed.
Before applying for a commercial licence, make sure that you meet the requirements.
To get your licence, you'll need to get a learner's licence before taking your road test for a full-privilege licence.
To get your learner's licence you'll need to pass a:
knowledge test
road signs test and
meet medical standards.
If you'll be driving with air brakes, you'll also have to take the air brake knowledge test.
To get your full licence, you'll need to pass a commercial road test, which includes a:
pre-trip inspection test (including air brakes if applicable)
road test, and
driver's medical exam
Driving experience
A full-privilege B.C. driver's licence (Class 5 or 6) or an out-of-province equivalent.
If you're new to Canada, see moving to B.C.
Driver training
To become a Class 1 licensed commercial driver you may need to complete B.C.’s new Class 1 Mandatory Entry-Level Training (MELT) course. See the MELT FAQs 
for more information.
Age
19 for a Class 1, 2 or 4 licence
18 for a Class 3 licence or heavy trailer endorsement
Commercial driving record
A commercial driving record with less than four penalty point incidents in the past two years, plus
no driving-related criminal convictions within the past three years.
Fines and debts
All fines and debts owing to ICBC must be paid.
Medical conditions
Some medical conditions may prevent you from getting a commercial licence. These include, but are not limited to:
Certain types of epilepsy
Certain psychiatric conditions
Certain neurological conditions
Certain heart conditions
Certain diabetic conditions
Certain sleep disorders
The existence of a medical condition does not necessarily mean you will be ineligible to obtain a commercial licence. It is important that you disclose your conditions during your application process so that an individual determination can be made early in the process. To facilitate this, additional information about any relevant condition that you have may then be provided by your doctor when completing a Drivers Medical Examination Report.
Physical disabilities
If you're an amputee or have another physical disability that may affect your driving ability, you might need a prosthetic device or specific vehicle modification to help you qualify.
