Lorry licence categories and requirements

Driving a lorry is a bigger responsibility than driving a car. The vehicle is heavier and longer and demands more of you as a driver. That is why there are several different licence categories (behörigheter), higher age limits and stricter medical requirements. In this chapter we go through what each category entitles you to drive and what you need to get the licence.

The four lorry categories

A heavy lorry (tung lastbil) is a lorry with a gross vehicle weight (totalvikt) of more than 3.5 tonnes (Road Traffic Definitions Act (lag om vägtrafikdefinitioner) 2 §). So it is the gross vehicle weight in the registration certificate that decides, not what the lorry happens to weigh at the moment.

• C1 – medium-sized lorry. Lorries and cars with a gross vehicle weight over 3,500 kg but no more than 7,500 kg. You may tow a light trailer of no more than 750 kg gross weight.
• C1E – medium-sized lorry with a heavy trailer. The same vehicles as C1, but you may tow one or more trailers as long as the combined gross weight of the vehicle and trailers does not exceed 12,000 kg.
• C – heavy lorry. Heavy lorries and cars with no upper weight limit. Here too you may only tow a light trailer of no more than 750 kg.
• CE – heavy lorry with a heavy trailer. The same vehicles as C, and you may also tow one or more trailers with no weight limit.

(Driving Licence Act (körkortslagen) 2 kap. 5 §.)

A common misunderstanding is that C is enough to tow any trailer behind a lorry. It is not. A trailer weighing more than 750 kg requires CE, even if the lorry itself is small compared with the trailer.

Categories you must hold first

You cannot take C straight away without an ordinary car licence. A licence with C1, C, D1 or D may only be issued to someone who already holds category B (körkortslagen 3 kap. 6 §). For the trailer categories, you must hold the category for the towing vehicle. So you can only get CE once you have C (3 kap. 7 §). There is no requirement to have held C for a certain time before you take CE.

Age limits

The age limits are set out in körkortslagen 3 kap. 1 §:

• C1 and C1E: 18 years.
• C and CE: 21 years.

There is an important exception. Anyone who has obtained initial driver qualification (grundläggande yrkesförarkompetens) through initial training (grundutbildning) under the Professional Driver Competence Act (lagen om yrkesförarkompetens) can get C and CE from the age of 18 (körkortslagen 3 kap. 1 a §). This applies to those who have completed the full 280-hour initial training. With the accelerated initial training of 140 hours, you may only drive goods transport from the age of 21 (lag om yrkesförarkompetens 3 kap. 3–4 §§).

Practice driving

To practise driving (övningsköra) a lorry, you need a learner's permit for group 2 (körkortstillstånd för grupp 2). The age limits for private practice driving are set out in körkortslagen 4 kap. 2 §:

• C1 and C1E: from 18 years.
• C and CE: from 20 years.

Practice driving with C and CE may only be done by someone who holds category B or has previously held a licence for that type of vehicle (4 kap. 4 §). Just as when practising in a car, the supervisor (handledare) must have a supervisor's certificate (handledarbevis) and is the person regarded as the driver during the practice drive.

Medical requirements

The health requirements are higher for lorries and buses than for cars, because the consequences of a crash with a heavy vehicle are greater. Two examples:

• Eyesight: You must have a visual acuity of at least 0.8 in the better eye and 0.1 in the worse eye. Glasses and contact lenses are allowed.
• Epilepsy: Normally you must have been free of seizures for ten years, and during that time as a rule without medication.

Sleep and wakefulness disorders, for example sleep apnoea (sömnapné), can also be an obstacle if they are judged to be a road safety risk. The doctor must then take into account that the risk is greater with the heavy categories. If you have diabetes treated with medication, a medical certificate (läkarintyg) is required.

Theory test and driving test

The theory test (kunskapsprovet) for the C categories has 60 questions. Five of them are trial questions that do not count, so you can score a maximum of 55 points. To pass you need 44 points. A passed theory test is valid for one year, and within that time you must pass the driving test (körprovet).

The driving test consists of a safety check (säkerhetskontroll) and driving in traffic. The driving itself lasts at least 45 minutes, in built-up areas and on rural roads. In the safety check you must work systematically and be able to check, among other things, lights, brakes, tyres, load, steering and fluids. For C and CE you must also be able to describe the risks a fault involves and suggest what to do about it. For CE, coupling the lorry and trailer is also included.

If the safety check is failed but the rest of the test is passed, the passed parts remain valid for one year. You then only retake the safety check, but the theory test must still be valid at the retest.

Renew your licence every five years

Category B is renewed within ten years, but the heavy categories C1, C1E, C and CE must be renewed every five years (körkortslagen 3 kap. 14 §). On renewal you must show that you still meet the medical requirements (3 kap. 12 §).

What you need to send in depends on how old you are when the category expires:

• Under 45: a health declaration (hälsodeklaration) and a basic eyesight certificate (synintyg).
• 45 or older: a medical certificate (läkarintyg).

The application may be submitted no earlier than one year before the expiry date. If you forget to renew, the heavy category becomes invalid on the day after the date on the licence. You will then need a new licence showing the categories you still hold.

A licence is not enough for professional driving

If you are going to carry goods professionally, you also need a Certificate of Professional Competence (yrkeskompetensbevis, YKB) (lag om yrkesförarkompetens 3 kap. 1 §). The certificate is valid for five years and is renewed through 35 hours of periodic training (fortbildning). YKB is described in more detail in the YKB part of the theory.

Remember

• C1 applies up to 7,500 kg, and C1E up to 12,000 kg for the whole combination.
• With C or C1 the trailer may weigh no more than 750 kg. Heavier trailers require CE or C1E.
• You must hold B to get C, and C to get CE.
• The age limit is 21 for C and CE, but 18 with professional driver training.
• The eyesight requirement is 0.8 in the better eye and 0.1 in the worse eye.
• The theory test requires 44 out of 55 points and is valid for one year.
• Heavy categories are renewed every five years. From the age of 45 a medical certificate is required.
• Professional goods transport also requires YKB.