Ontario Class A (AZ) Road Test: What to Expect and How to Pass

The Class A road test checks how you inspect, couple, back up and drive a tractor-trailer. Here is what happens in each part, what to bring and how to prepare, based on official MTO and DriveTest information.

What the Class A road test includes

The Official MTO Truck Handbook lists three main parts: a daily inspection, a backing test and an on-road test. For Class A, there is also an uncoupling and coupling test after the inspection.

1. Daily inspection test. You show that you can inspect the vehicle and find minor and major defects listed in Schedule 1 of Ontario Regulation 199/07.
2. Uncoupling and coupling test (Class A only).
3. Backing skills test. You reverse the combination into a marked space.
4. On-road driving test. You drive in traffic and obey signs, signals and the rules of the road.

Before you book: mandatory entry-level training (MELT)

You must complete Ontario's mandatory entry-level training before you try the Class A road test. DriveTest says the training must be completed and recorded on your driver's record before the road test.

• The training includes at least 103.5 hours of instruction.
• Take it with an approved provider: a registered career college or an organization in the MTO Driver Certification Program (this includes approved Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology).
• Your driving record is updated automatically when you finish.
• You do not need the training if you already hold a valid full Class A licence.

Other conditions before the road test:

• Pass the vision test, give a satisfactory medical report and pass the Class A knowledge test. Practise with our Class A (AZ) practice test.
• From January 1, 2027: you must have held a Class G or higher licence for at least 6 months before the Class A road test.
• You must take the road test within one year of passing the knowledge test.

Vehicle requirements for a full Class A

You must bring your own working vehicle in good condition. To get a full Class A licence with no restrictions, the test vehicle needs:

• A trailer with a Manufacturer's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of at least 4,600 kg.
• A full air brake system on both the truck/tractor and the trailer.
• A manual transmission with at least eight forward gears and a high-low range.
• Current annual inspection stickers, or valid paper copies.

If the vehicle does not meet these rules, you can reschedule (extra fee) or test and get a restricted licence. Without air brakes on both units, you get a restricted Class A (AR). Since July 1, 2022, if you test in an automatic, semi-automatic or automated-manual truck, you get a restriction and cannot drive manual Class A or AR vehicles.

What to bring

For Class A (including AR) tests, the handbook says you must bring:

• Wheel chocks or blocks
• A way to keep time in seconds (for example, a watch with a second hand)
• A way to hold the brake pedal in the applied position
• A device to measure pushrod stroke
• A valid, completed daily inspection report and the schedule for your vehicle

If an item is missing, the test is declared out of order and you lose 50% of the road test fee. Recommended (not required): protective headgear and eyewear, a brake adjustment limits chart, and chalk to mark the pushrod.

Part 1: Daily inspection test

The vehicle is parked with the parking brake on and the wheels chocked. You may look at the schedule during the inspection.

1. Exterior inspection. You inspect four randomly chosen items. For each one, show and describe how you inspect it, explain the defect, and say what you would do about a minor or major defect.
2. Air brake checks. For a full Class A test, or any test in a vehicle with air brakes, be ready to check air pressure build-up, audible leaks, air loss rate, pushrod stroke, the tractor protection valve and the low-air warning. Review them with our air brake (Z) practice test. For example, losing more than 4 psi per minute on a Class A vehicle is a major defect.
3. In-cab check. Start the vehicle. Point to or touch each listed item, such as gauges, mirrors and wipers, and say what you are checking.
4. Interior inspection. You inspect two more randomly chosen items in the same way.

You are allowed errors on only one item in the daily inspection.

Part 2: Uncoupling and coupling

The vehicle is in a safe, chosen spot. You uncouple first, then couple. The handbook steps include:

• Secure both units: parking brakes on, trailer wheels chocked.
• Lower the landing gear, disconnect the air and electrical lines, then unlock the fifth wheel.
• To couple, back up slowly at a walking pace and check the trailer height and alignment.
• Do a tug test: pull forward against the kingpin in the lowest gear with the trailer brakes set.
• Get out and look: no gap between the upper plate and the fifth wheel, the release lever locked, and the jaws closed around the kingpin.
• Connect the lines (blue is service, red is supply/emergency), raise the landing gear fully and check for air leaks.

You are allowed up to two errors in total for uncoupling and coupling, and you must couple using no more than 5 pull-ups.

Part 3: Backing skills test

You do one manoeuvre: a 90-degree alley dock (driver's side), an offset left or an offset right. The examiner stays outside and will not guide you.

• Before backing, get out and check the path. Then turn on the four-way flashers and sound the horn.
• Reverse at a walking pace and watch your mirrors.
• Do not hit the cones. Finish as straight and as close to the target as you can.
• Too many pull-ups count as errors.
• You must finish the backing in less than 10 minutes.

Part 4: On-road driving test

You will drive through left and right turns, intersections, lane changes, curves, an expressway section and a roadside stop and start. You must finish without a collision or a moving violation. You are allowed up to 30 errors for the on-road and backing parts together.

Tips for passing

• Check your mirrors all the time, and check traffic before every intersection and railway crossing.
• Use the right-most lane you can safely use.
• Keep your speed within 10 km/h of the limit when conditions allow, but never over it.
• Cancel your turn signal by hand. Most commercial vehicle signals do not cancel on their own.
• Keep both hands on the wheel, except to shift or use controls.
• Shift and brake smoothly. Use the clutch properly and slow down gradually.
• Practise the inspection out loud. Say what you check, the defect and the action.

If you fail, you must wait at least 10 days before you take the road test again.