A Class 1 is the top driver's licence in BC. It lets you drive semi-trucks — the big rigs you see on the highway, made of two parts: a powerful truck cab pulling a long trailer that connects behind it. A Class 1 also lets you drive almost every other kind of truck on the road. If you want a career hauling freight, running long-haul or local routes, or working anywhere in the trucking industry, this is the licence that opens the most doors.
To get a Class 1 in BC, you complete a training program called MELT. This guide explains what MELT is and walks you through the whole process, step by step. The short version: you do your training with us, and you do your testing at ICBC — the government office that handles driver licences in BC.
What is MELT?
MELT stands for Mandatory Entry-Level Training. It's a training program that every new Class 1 driver in BC is required to complete. The BC government sets the rules: at least 140 hours of training, covering classroom lessons, behind-the-wheel driving, highway driving, and air brakes.
The good news is you only have to do MELT once. As long as you keep your Class 1 licence active after you pass your road test, you never need to repeat it.
What you need before you start
You need a full BC Class 5 licence. That's the regular driver's licence most people have for driving a car. "Full" means you've finished the new-driver stages — you're not on your L (learner) or N (novice) anymore. It also has to be a BC licence: if you moved here with a licence from another province or country, switch it over to a BC licence at ICBC first.
You also need to be at least 19 years old. If you have a full BC Class 5 and you're 19 or older, you're ready to begin.
You do not need any air brake training before you start. Air brakes are taught inside MELT (more on that below).
Step 1: Get your Class 1 learner's licence
A learner's licence is a permit that lets you start practising behind the wheel of a Class 1 truck with an instructor. You get it by passing a knowledge test — a written, multiple-choice test about the rules of driving a commercial truck. Here's how:
- Study the handbook. The test questions come from ICBC's Driving Commercial Vehicles handbook. You can read it for free online at icbc.com, or pick up a paper copy at any ICBC office. To see if you're ready, try our free practice tests — they ask the same kinds of questions as the real test.
- Take the knowledge test. Go to any ICBC office and ask to take the Class 1 knowledge test. It's done on a computer, and it's multiple choice.
- Get your learner's licence. Pass the test, and ICBC gives you your Class 1 learner's licence the same day. Now you can start MELT with us.
Step 2: Complete your MELT training with CSTT
This is where you learn to drive the truck. Your MELT training comes in two parts.
First, two weeks of classroom learning. Everyone starts here. These first two weeks are spent in the classroom, learning the theory behind safe commercial driving. This part is required for every student — there's no skipping it.
Then, behind-the-wheel driving lessons. After the classroom weeks, you move into driving lessons. Every lesson is one-on-one — just you and your instructor. Depending on the size of your class, you'll have between one and four lessons each week.
A few things to know about the lessons:
- ✓Most lessons are four hours long.
- ✓A couple of them are full eight-hour days. These longer days take you onto real highways and through the mountains, so you get experience in the kind of conditions you'll actually face on the job.
- ✓Air brakes are built right into the program. Big trucks use air brakes — a braking system that uses pressurized air to stop heavy loads safely. Driving a truck with air brakes requires special training, and that training is part of MELT. There's no separate air brake course to sign up for.
Step 3: Pass your road test
The road test is the final driving test, where an ICBC examiner rides along and checks that you can drive the truck safely. Once you've completed the required training hours and passed your in-program assessments, and your instructor sees that you're ready, we book the road test for you — you don't have to arrange it yourself. Pass it, and you're a fully licensed Class 1 driver.
Step 4: Complete your driver's medical
Every commercial driver in BC has to pass a medical exam. After you pass your road test, ICBC gives you a Driver's Medical Examination Report form. Take it to a BC doctor, who fills it out and sends it to RoadSafetyBC — the provincial office that decides whether you're medically fit to drive commercial vehicles. Your photo licence is mailed to you once your medical is approved.
Two things to know: the doctor's fee for the medical isn't covered by MSP or ICBC, and you'll be asked to repeat the medical on a set schedule for as long as you hold a commercial licence.
What it costs
Contact us for a clear quote on Class 1 / MELT training. We'll show you exactly what's included, so there are no surprises.
What we need from you to get started
We can hold a spot for you once you have your Class 1 learner's licence. Your enrolment in MELT is confirmed once we receive your deposit. So the order is simple: get your learner's licence at ICBC first, then contact us and pay your deposit, and we'll build a schedule that works for you.