How long does it take to upgrade from a B2 driver's license to an A2?

[LeColton]

In 2021, to upgrade from a B2 driver's license to an A2, you need to have held the B2 license for at least three years. Additionally, all previous traffic violations must be resolved before applying for the upgrade. During this period, you must not have accumulated 12 or more penalty points within any three consecutive scoring cycles. Age requirements for applying for an A2 license: Applicants must be between 24 and 50 years old. For students undergoing full-time vocational driving education, the age requirement for applying for a tractor (A2) license is between 20 and 50 years old. Physical requirements for applying for an A2 license: Height: At least 155 cm. Vision: Unaided or corrected visual acuity must reach at least 5.0 on the logarithmic visual acuity chart (corrected vision refers to achieving 5.0 with glasses). Color vision: No red-green color blindness. Hearing: Must be able to discern the direction of sound with each ear at a distance of 50 cm from a tuning fork. Upper limbs: Both thumbs must be intact, and each hand must have at least three other fingers intact with normal movement and function. Lower limbs: Both lower limbs must be intact with normal movement and function, and the length difference between them must not exceed 5 cm.

[AbigailDella]

I remember this question very clearly. My cousin just went through this process last year. You need to have a B2 license and drive a truck continuously for two years before you can apply for the A2 upgrade. It's especially important that you don't have a single instance of losing all 12 points in any scoring cycle during those two years. My cousin went to the driving school in his third year, and the entire upgrade process took about four months. He failed the Subject 2 test once before passing. He said the hardest parts were the reverse parking and continuous obstacle courses, which were much tougher than during the B2 test. Now, driving a semi-trailer truck has doubled his salary. One thing to note is that from the moment you start preparing to apply, you can't afford any slip-ups. Even if you suddenly get 6 points deducted right before applying, you'll have to restart the two-year safety period calculation.

[AbigailFitz]

I learned the process from Captain Zhang of the freight company, and the key point of upgrading to an A2 license is actually a clean driving record. You need to have held a B2 license for a full 24 months, during which there should be no records of drunk driving or major violations resulting in 12 penalty points at once. Special attention must be paid to the age requirement—you must be at least 24 years old. If you're underage, the DMV system will automatically reject your application. Our team member Xiao Wang learned this the hard way two years ago—his driving experience met the requirement, but he was still three months short of his 24th birthday, so he had to rejoin the queue. Additionally, you need to obtain a medical examination certificate from a designated hospital. For those with myopia, it's time to get a new pair of glasses, as the current vision requirement is 4.9 or above.

[DiTyler]

I only found out when I saw the new fee schedule posted by the driving school. The fastest time to upgrade from B2 to A2 is two years. However, many driving schools recommend applying after two and a half years to allow time for retakes in case of failing the driving test. Last year, a friend encountered new regulations when upgrading their license—they had to complete 48 hours of nighttime driving training, which alone took over twenty days. The tuition now costs around 8,000 yuan, about one-third more than two years ago. The test vehicles are all 10.5-meter semi-trailers with heavy steering wheels, leaving hands shaking after practice.