What an AZ licence lets you drive
Ontario’s licensing page lists it: a full Class AZ licence lets you drive "any truck/tractor trailer combination", "a combination of motor vehicle and towed vehicles where the towed vehicles exceed a total gross weight of 4,600 kg (10,000 lbs) and has air brakes", "a vehicle pulling double trailers", plus everything under Class D and Class G. It does not cover a bus carrying passengers, a motorcycle or a moped. The "Z" is the air brake endorsement; without it a Class A licence cannot be used on a vehicle with air brakes at all.
The class itself, in the MTO Truck Handbook: "The class A driver’s licence allows you to drive a motor vehicle and towed vehicles where the towed vehicles exceed a total gross weight of 4,600 kilograms (10,000 lb)". Compare Class D, which covers a truck over 11,000 kg gross or registered gross weight, or a truck and towed vehicle over 11,000 kg where the towed vehicle is not over 4,600 kg. The towed weight is the dividing line: a heavy trailer needs A, a heavy truck alone needs only D.
Full A, restricted A and the transmission restriction
| Licence | Road test vehicle | What it adds or takes away |
|---|---|---|
| Full Class A | A trailer with a manufacturer’s GVWR of at least 4,600 kg, a full air brake system on both truck/tractor and trailer, and a manual transmission of at least eight forward gears with a high-low range | Everything above. Requires MELT. |
| Restricted Class A (condition R) | Trailer of at least 4,600 kg GVWR without air brakes | Smaller truck-trailer combinations such as recreational, horse or utility trailers. Cannot pull a trailer with air brakes, drive a full-size tractor-trailer or double trailers, or train another driver on a full Class A vehicle. No MELT required; MELT is required to upgrade to full A. |
| Manual transmission restriction | Road test taken in an automatic, semi-automatic or automated-manual vehicle | Since 1 July 2022, a driver who tests in one of those "cannot drive class A/AR vehicles with a manual transmission". The restriction goes on the licence and record; it does not apply to lower classes such as D or G. |
The vehicle you bring to the road test decides which licence you leave with. If it does not meet the full Class A requirements you may reschedule (and pay again) or take the test knowing you will get a restricted A or a transmission restriction.
The requirements, in order
- Age and licence. "Be at least 18 years old" and "hold a valid Ontario licence other than G1, G2, M, M1 or M2". From 1 January 2027, "drivers taking the Class A road test must have held a Class G or higher driver’s licence for at least 6 months".
- Vision. For classes A to F: acuity not poorer than 20/30 with both eyes open and 20/100 in the weaker eye, with or without corrective lenses, and a horizontal visual field of at least 150 continuous degrees with 20 degrees above and below fixation. Ontario assesses commercial drivers against the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators’ national medical standards.
- Medical report. A medical report is required on application and periodically afterwards; the medical form is completed by a physician (a nurse practitioner may also complete it) and filed with the ministry.
- Knowledge test. "A knowledge test about operating large trucks and tractor-trailers", based on the Official MTO Truck Handbook. The AZ practice test on this site follows the handbook’s chapters.
- Mandatory entry-level training. At least 103.5 hours with an approved provider (details below). Your driving record is updated automatically when you finish; the training "will be valid for life".
- Air brake (Z) endorsement. A course or the DriveTest knowledge and practical tests; see the air brake endorsement page and the Z practice test.
- Road test in a full Class A vehicle at a DriveTest centre. It includes a daily vehicle inspection test: you "inspect six randomly generated items from the schedule", demonstrate and describe how each is inspected, explain potential defects and what you would do about them, plus an in-cab check where you point to or touch every item listed.
Mandatory entry-level training (MELT)
Ontario’s page: "Mandatory entry-level training will include at least 103.5 hours of instruction and cover the entry-level knowledge and skills needed to safely operate a large truck on Ontario’s roads." It must be taken with an approved provider: a registered career college (truck schools must register under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005) or an organisation under the ministry’s Driver Certification Program, which includes approved Ontario colleges. Providers set their own prices; the province’s career college search lists who delivers MELT and what they charge. Funding named on the page: Better Jobs Ontario for unemployed and laid-off workers, WSIB for injured workers, Ontario Works, band funding, and the Ontario Job Grant for employers.
Who must take it: anyone going for a first full Class A; a restricted A (AR) holder upgrading; a driver whose full A has been invalid for three or more years; a driver with a commercial licence from another country; and a driver who has held a Class 1 from another province for less than 12 months (12 to 24 months gives a choice between MELT and the Class A knowledge and road tests). A valid full Class A holder does not repeat it. The programme is compared with the other provinces on the MELT across Canada page.
Cost
Three kinds of cost. Training, priced by the school, is by far the largest and is where the funding programmes above apply. The medical exam is charged by the physician. DriveTest’s licence, knowledge test, road test and air brake test fees are published on the ministry’s fee list; they are modest next to the training and change from time to time, so check the current list when you book.
After the licence
An AZ licence is the start of the compliance chain, not the end. Driving for a carrier means the federal or Ontario hours of service rules and, for most, an electronic logging device; the carrier needs a CVOR certificate, explained on the CVOR page, and your convictions and inspections go on your CVOR driver abstract. Schools that deliver MELT in Alberta are listed in the truck driving school directory; Ontario’s approved providers are found through the career college search.
Common mistakes
- Testing in an automatic to make the test easier, then finding the manual restriction on the licence.
- Bringing a trailer without air brakes and leaving with a restricted A.
- Expecting MELT to be waived because of experience abroad. A foreign commercial licence still requires it.
- Forgetting the Z endorsement is separate. A Class A without Z cannot drive an air-braked truck.
- Planning a 2027 start without the six months on a G licence.