What is a C4D driver's license?

[DeJoseph]

After upgrading from a C4 driver's license to a D license or from a D license to a C4 license, the combined license becomes a C4D driver's license. A C4D driver's license allows the holder to drive tricycles, ordinary three-wheeled motorcycles, ordinary two-wheeled motorcycles (with an engine displacement greater than 50ml or a maximum design speed exceeding 50km/h), and light motorcycles (with an engine displacement of 50ml or less and a maximum design speed of 50km/h or less). The requirements for obtaining a C4D license are: having held a C4 driver's license for at least 2 years with driving experience and meeting the examination requirements for a C4 license. Alternatively, if the applicant already holds a D license and wishes to add the C4 vehicle category, they must not have accumulated 12 penalty points in the current or previous scoring cycle. This means that one can apply to upgrade to a C4 license one year after obtaining the D license. Eligible applicants should bring their ID card and driver's license to a driving school to apply for the upgrade. The correspondence between driver's license levels and vehicle types is as follows: C1: Small cars and C2, C3, C4 (passenger vehicles with fewer than 9 seats, such as sedans, are considered small cars); C2: Small automatic transmission cars; C3: Low-speed trucks and C4; C4: Tricycles; C5: Small automatic transmission passenger cars for disabled individuals (referring to five categories of people: those with right lower limb disabilities, both lower limb disabilities, hearing impairments, missing right thumbs, or missing finger end joints); D: Ordinary three-wheeled motorcycles; other permitted vehicle types: E, F. E: Ordinary two-wheeled motorcycles and F; F: Light motorcycles. According to the relevant legal provisions of the "Road Traffic Safety Law": Article 19: To drive a motor vehicle, one must legally obtain a motor vehicle driver's license. The application for a motor vehicle driver's license must meet the driving license conditions stipulated by the public security department of the State Council; after passing the examination, the traffic management department of the public security organ will issue the corresponding category of motor vehicle driver's license. Drivers must operate motor vehicles according to the vehicle types specified on their driver's licenses; they must carry their motor vehicle driver's license when driving. Therefore, it should be clear that both driving without a license and driving a vehicle that does not match the permitted vehicle type on the license are illegal acts. According to the first provision of the reply from the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council on the "Letter Concerning the Understanding and Application of Certain Legal Provisions in the 'Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China' and Its Implementation Regulations": Driving a motor vehicle that does not match the permitted vehicle type on the license should, in nature, be considered unlicensed driving. In terms of applicable penalties, based on the principle of matching punishment to the offense, it can be appropriately mitigated according to the penalties for driving without a license. Therefore, both driving without a license and driving a vehicle that does not match the permitted vehicle type on the license should be subject to the first provision of Article 99 of the "Road Traffic Safety Law": Those who drive motor vehicles without obtaining a motor vehicle driver's license, whose motor vehicle driver's license has been revoked, or whose motor vehicle driver's license has been temporarily suspended shall be fined by the public security traffic management department and may also be detained for up to 15 days.

[LolaMarie]

I just got my driver's license recently and happened to research this topic. I suspect 'C4D' might be a typo—the standard license type is C4, which is specifically for operating three-wheeled vehicles like delivery trikes or agricultural vehicles used in rural areas. The requirements for obtaining a C4 license are similar to a regular C1 license: you need to pass exams from Subject 1 to Subject 4. However, the vehicle types differ—C4 only allows you to drive three-wheelers, while C1 covers small cars and similar vehicles. If you're considering getting one, the cost is usually around 2,000 to 3,000 yuan, and it's relatively simpler to learn since three-wheelers are more straightforward to operate. My neighbor, a courier, found it much more convenient for work after getting his C4 license, though it's less common in urban areas. I recommend checking the official traffic management department's website or app for specific categories and rules to avoid confusion caused by typos.