Can a C1 License Drive Yellow License Plate Vehicles?
1 Answers
A C1 driver's license does not permit the operation of yellow license plate vehicles. The C1 license allows driving manual transmission vehicles. According to Appendix 1 of China's 'Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses' regarding permitted vehicle types and codes: the scope of the C1 license includes small and mini passenger vehicles, light and mini cargo vehicles, as well as light, small, and mini specialized operation vehicles. Additionally, a C1 license holder can drive vehicles permitted under C2, C3, and C4 licenses, including automatic transmission small cars, light and mini automatic transmission cargo vehicles, low-speed cargo vehicles, and three-wheeled vehicles. Small cars are defined as those with a total mass under 4.5 tons, seating no more than 9 people, and a length under 6 meters. Therefore, a C1 license only allows driving blue license plate vehicles; yellow license plate vehicles require at least a B-class license. Yellow license plate vehicles typically refer to heavy or large vehicles. To drive a yellow license plate bus, a B1 license is required; for a yellow license plate truck, a B2 license is needed. The B1 license is for medium-sized buses, defined as those not exceeding 6 meters in length, carrying 10 to 19 passengers. 'Medium-sized buses' refer to those with 10 to 23 seats; 'medium-sized trucks' are those with a length of 6 meters or more and a total mass between 4500kg and 12000kg. Regarding yellow license plate vehicles: Two-wheeled and three-wheeled motorcycles; large buses; and vehicles used for agricultural purposes generally have yellow license plates. Examples include trucks or buses weighing over 2 tons. Most commercially operated vehicles and motorcycles also have yellow license plates. According to the 'Road Traffic Safety Law': Article 19 states that driving a motor vehicle requires legally obtaining a motor vehicle driving license. Applicants must meet the driving permit conditions set by the public security department under the State Council; upon passing the examination, the traffic management department of the public security organ will issue the corresponding category of motor vehicle driving license. Drivers must operate vehicles within the scope of their license and carry their license while driving. It is clear that both driving without a license and driving a vehicle not covered by one's license are illegal. As per the first provision of the reply from the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council regarding the interpretation and application of certain legal provisions in the 'Road Traffic Safety Law' and its implementation regulations: driving a vehicle not covered by one's license is considered unlicensed driving in nature; in terms of penalties, based on the principle of proportionality, it may be treated as driving without a license with appropriately lighter penalties. Therefore, both driving without a license and driving a vehicle not covered by one's license are subject to Article 99, Paragraph 1 of the 'Road Traffic Safety Law': driving without a motor vehicle driving license, or during the period when the license is revoked or suspended, may result in fines by the public traffic management department and up to 15 days of detention.