What is a dfz license?
Your Air brake certification is a two day course and is done at the school under the Truck Training School Association of Ontario approval with the MTO. Medical Forms are available at our office or at Service Ontario licensing offices. A Class B licence lets you drive a school bus with seating for more than 24 passengers. Persons with an Ontario Class F licence are licenced to drive vehicles with a maximum of 24 passenger capacity such as airport shuttle buses, para-transit. must have a valid DFZ (or AZ) class driver's license. i have my DFZ license and obtained it through Conestoga and Humber College.
The type of truck licence you need in Ontario depends on:
All licences require a written test and a road test. You may also need to take a government-approved training course.
If you have a truck driver’s licence from another province, your Ontario licence will be the same class. To upgrade your licence, you must take the tests in an approved vehicle.
The full Class A truck licence is the only licence that covers full air brake systems on both tractors and trailers.
A full Class AZ (air brake endorsement) truck licence lets you drive:
A Class A licence does not allow you to drive a bus carrying passengers, a motorcycle or a moped.
To get a full Class A licence with no restrictions, you must:
For your road test, your vehicle must have:
If your vehicle does not meet requirements for a full Class A, you may either:
You can get a restricted Class A (condition R) licence to operate smaller truck-trailer combinations, such as a recreational, horse or utility trailer.
As of July 1, 2022, the type of transmission in the vehicle you use for your road test will determine what types of Class A trucks you can drive in Ontario.
With a restricted Class A licence, you can also drive:
With a restricted Class A licence, you can't:
To get a restricted Class A licence, you must:
To upgrade your licence to a full Class A, you must successfully complete a road test using a vehicle with a full Class A vehicle configuration.
As of July 1, 2022, you must complete your Class A or Class A restricted (AR) road test in a vehicle with a manual transmission that consists of at least eight forward gears with a high-low range or you will get a restriction on your licence. If you have a restriction, you cannot operate Class A/AR vehicles with a manual transmission in Ontario. You can only operate automatic, semi-automatic or automated-manual transmission Class A/AR vehicles.
A motor vehicle is considered to have a manual transmission if it has:
The restriction will be noted on your driver record and driver’s licence. It will not apply when operating lower-class vehicles such as Class G or D.
This restriction does not apply to anyone who completed their Class A/AR road test before July 1, 2022.
A Class D licence lets you drive:
With a Class D licence, you can also drive a car or light truck covered by a G Class licence.
To apply for a Class D licence, you must:
To apply and take the required tests, visit:
You will need to bring original identification that shows:
See the complete list of accepted documents
You will need to pay a fee to apply for a licence and take the written test.
See the list of fees
Ontario's Official MTO Truck Handbook will help you prepare for your written knowledge test. It covers the special regulations and driving skills truck drivers need to know. You can read the handbook online, or buy a hard copy online, at a DriveTest and ServiceOntario centres or other retail stores.
The road test will test the knowledge and skills required to safely operate a commercial vehicle. It will include a daily vehicle inspection test where you will be required to:
There will also be an in-cab check portion of the test where you must:
For all commercial class road tests, you must provide the driver examiner with a valid daily inspection report as well as the schedule for your vehicle or your road test will be cancelled and you will lose 50% of your pre-paid road test fee. You are encouraged to refer to your schedule as necessary during the daily vehicle inspection component of the test.
To book a road test appointment, you will need to provide:
You can book, cancel or reschedule a road test appointment directly through DriveTest:
You must cancel a test at least 48 hours before your appointment to avoid a cancellation fee.
Important notice: a mandatory entry-level training course must be successfully completed by all new Class A applicants before attempting their Class A road test.
If you want to drive a vehicle with an air brake or an air-over-hydraulic brake system, you need a Z endorsement on your driver’s licence in Ontario. You can do this by attending an air brake endorsement course, or by doing tests at a DriveTest centre.
You can take an air brake endorsement course from a:
If you have a Class A (Z) licence that you want to upgrade, you can take the course through any of the three options.
If you have a B, C, D, E, F or G licence, you need to take the course with a vehicle fleet owner.
You will receive a referral envelope. Take the envelope to a DriveTest centre within 6 months to get your air brake endorsement.
Ontario's Official Air Brake Handbook will help you prepare for your knowledge test. It will introduce you to the knowledge and skills you need to drive a vehicle with air brakes. You can read the handbook online or buy a hard copy online, at a DriveTest centre or other retail stores.
You will need to take an air brake knowledge test at a DriveTest centre.
You will need to pay a fee to take the air brake (Z) endorsement knowledge test or the practical test.
See the list of fees
After your knowledge test, you can book a practical test appointment. To book your test, you need:
You can book, cancel or reschedule a practical test appointment directly through DriveTest.
You need to cancel a test at least 48 hours ahead of your appointment to avoid a cancellation fee.
There are two versions of the practical test.
If you drive a commercial vehicle with a tractor-trailer air brake system, you will need to take Version 1 of the practical test.
If you do not have a tractor-trailer air brake system, you can take Version 2.
Bring the following with you to your practical test:
Qualified drivers with AZ or DZ licenses are very much in demand in Toronto. These drivers already have a Class G license which can be upgraded to A and D licenses used for commercial driving. There are driving schools in Toronto which help drivers qualify for these licenses.
An AZ license is required when you drive any truck/tractor-trailer combination, a combination of a motor vehicle and towed vehicle with air-brakes when the towed vehicle weighs over 4,600 kg (10,000lbs), or a vehicle pulling double trailers. A full Class A truck license in Toronto is the only license which takes care of full air brake systems in trucks as well as trailers.
An AZ license also permits drivers to drive vehicles covered under Class G, Class D, or restricted Class A truck licenses. However, it does not allow drivers to drive a motorcycle or a bus carrying passengers.
AZ drivers do not require to load or unload their trucks. Their profile involves both daily work and longer runs i.e. away from home for a few days maybe.
On the other hand, a DZ license is required to drive a motor vehicle with usually weighs over 11,000 kg (24,000lbs), or a combination of a vehicle with the same weight towing a trailer which is less than 4,600 kg (10,000lbs). As soon as the weight of the towing vehicle increasing more than 4,600 kg, the driver needs to have a full Class or restricted Class A license.
Drivers with DZ license can drive fire trucks, straight trucks, cement trucks, dump trucks, garbage trucks, and even rescue trucks.
In order to apply for a DZ license, a driver should hold a valid Class G license with at least 12 months of driving experience. Besides this, they need to take up the training program related to DZ driving at an accredited driving school in Toronto and clear the test to be able to drive with DZ license.
DZ drivers have physical aspects of loading and unloading their trucks in their profiles. It’s a daily basis work and does not involve longer runs, unlike the AZ drivers.
For both AZ and DZ licenses, drivers need to hold a valid G or M license. And drivers with AZ license automatically qualify to drive DZ vehicles. However, both the licenses require specific training and certification. And a well-trained truck driver from an accredited training school in Toronto is always on high demand. So, what are you waiting for! Apply Now!
For more information about AZ license training or obtaining a DZ drivers’ license in Toronto, get in touch with us by calling 416 222 4190. We’ll be glad to help you!
