Is an exam required to upgrade from a C1 to a B2 driver's license?
3 Answers
An exam is required. Below are the conditions for upgrading from a C1 to a B2 license: Hold a small car C1 driver's license for at least 3 years, with no full-point records in the last three consecutive scoring cycles, aged between 20 and 50 years old, have not been involved in a traffic accident resulting in death with equal or greater responsibility; have not driven under the influence of alcohol; and have not had the driver's license revoked or canceled within the past ten years. C1 is a code for a type of driver's license. According to the 'Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driver's Licenses' (Ministry of Public Security Order No. 123), C1 refers to a license that permits driving small and micro passenger vehicles, light and micro cargo vehicles, as well as light and micro special-purpose vehicles. It also allows driving vehicles under the C2, C3, and C4 license categories. A B2 license permits driving heavy and medium-duty cargo trucks or large, heavy, and medium-sized special-purpose vehicles. Heavy and medium-duty cargo trucks are mainly trucks, such as the large dump trucks commonly seen on roads, which fall under the category of heavy trucks. Large, heavy, and medium-sized special-purpose vehicles refer to vehicles equipped with specialized equipment or tools, such as water sprinklers, concrete mixers, fire trucks, etc. Article 14 of the 'Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driver's Licenses' states that first-time applicants for a motor vehicle driver's license may apply for license categories such as city buses, large trucks, small cars, small automatic transmission cars, low-speed cargo vehicles, three-wheeled cars, small automatic transmission passenger vehicles for the disabled, ordinary three-wheeled motorcycles, ordinary two-wheeled motorcycles, light motorcycles, wheeled self-propelled machinery, trolleybuses, and trams. For those who already hold a motor vehicle driver's license and wish to add additional license categories, the categories that can be added include large buses, tractors, city buses, medium-sized buses, large trucks, small cars, small automatic transmission cars, low-speed cargo vehicles, three-wheeled cars, ordinary three-wheeled motorcycles, ordinary two-wheeled motorcycles, light motorcycles, wheeled self-propelled machinery, trolleybuses, and trams. Article 15 states that those who already hold a motor vehicle driver's license and wish to add additional license categories must not have accumulated 12 points in the current scoring cycle or the most recent scoring cycle before the application. Applicants wishing to add medium-sized buses, tractors, or large buses must also meet the following requirements: Applicants for adding a medium-sized bus license category must have held a city bus, large truck, small car, small automatic transmission car, low-speed cargo vehicle, or three-wheeled car license for at least three years and must not have accumulated 12 points in the last three consecutive scoring cycles before the application. Applicants for adding a tractor license category must have held a medium-sized bus or large truck license for at least three years or a large bus license for at least one year and must not have accumulated 12 points in the last three consecutive scoring cycles before the application. Applicants for adding a large bus license category must have held a city bus, medium-sized bus, or large truck license for at least five years or a tractor license for at least two years and must not have accumulated 12 points in the last five consecutive scoring cycles before the application. Full-time driving vocational education students who have obtained a small car license while in school and have not accumulated 12 points in the current scoring cycle or the most recent scoring cycle before the application may apply to add large bus or tractor license categories.
Upgrading from a C1 to a B2 driver's license absolutely requires taking exams. This is because a B2 license allows you to drive large trucks, which operate completely differently from small vehicles and pose higher safety risks. The licensing regulations mandate passing exams to ensure you have sufficient capability. Having driven for many years, I understand that this upgrade exam includes the theoretical Subject 1, where you need to review rules related to large vehicles, followed by the practical Subject 2 for skills like reversing and hill starts in a controlled area, and finally the road test Subject 3 to assess real-world driving. Don’t think about skipping the exams to save trouble—I’ve seen accidents caused by drivers who didn’t prepare properly. Safety always comes first. I recommend enrolling in a professional driving school to train properly. Passing the exams will make driving large trucks for work more reliable and safer. Regularly practice handling large vehicles and familiarize yourself with differences in braking and steering to reduce on-road risks.
I recently upgraded my driver's license from C1 to B2, and had to go through the entire examination process. The theoretical test was slightly more challenging as it covered knowledge about large vehicles, and it took me two weeks of revision to pass. Then came the yard test, which included reverse parking and parallel parking with a large vehicle. I was all thumbs when I first started practicing, and it wasn't until I switched several instructors that I got the hang of it. Finally, the road test involved driving in the city, with the examiner watching every brake I applied—my palms were sweating from nervousness. My advice is to sign up early and find a driving school with a good reputation; don't try to figure it out on your own as it wastes both time and money. After the upgrade, there are more truck driving jobs and higher income, but the examination period was truly a test of endurance. Looking back now, it was worth it because controlling large vehicles is no easy feat.
