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New Hampshire driving lesson · License Types and Rules

License classes and types

A 3-minute lesson from the New Hampshire course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
License Types and Rules
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
11

NH sorts licenses by what you drive. Most new drivers get a Class D, the everyday car license, but the test can ask where the heavier classes begin. The key numbers are the vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and the weight of anything it tows.

GVWR

Gross vehicle weight rating: the weight figure NH uses to sort vehicles into license classes (26,000 / 26,001 pounds; towed weight over 10,000 pounds).

Handbook p. 11 ↗

License classes

License classes
ClassCovers
ACombination 26,001+ lbs GVWR, towed unit over 10,000 lbs
BSingle vehicle 26,001+ lbs, or towing 10,000 lbs or less
CNot A or B; seats more than 16 (incl. driver) or hazmat
D26,000 lbs or less, not towing a trailer over 10,000 lbs
Handbook p. 11 ↗

Know the rule

A Class D license does not cover towing a trailer over 10,000 pounds, transporting hazardous materials, or a vehicle designed to seat 16 or more including the driver.

Handbook p. 11 ↗

Two-wheel licenses

Two-wheel licenses
LicenseLets you ride
MotorcycleMotorcycles, 3-wheelers, motor driven cycles, mopeds
Motor-driven cycleA bicycle with a motor of no more than 5 brake horsepower
MopedA moped
Handbook p. 11 ↗

Know the rule

You do not need a moped license if you already hold a Class A, B, C, D or motorcycle license.

Handbook p. 11 ↗
5 brake horsepower

Maximum motor on a motor-driven cycle (bicycle with motor)

Handbook p. 11 ↗

Youth Operator license

Issued to anyone 16 or older and under 21. It is printed vertically and expires on the holder's 21st birthday.

Handbook p. 11 ↗

Know the rule

Youth Operator licenses expire on the holder's 21st birthday.

Handbook p. 11 ↗

Put it into practice

You're 17 and just passed your tests. You receive a vertical Youth Operator license. It stays valid until your 21st birthday, when you'll need a regular license.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

Which New Hampshire license class covers a single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more?
  1. Class A
  2. Class D
  3. Class C
  4. Class B

Answer: Class B

Class B covers a single vehicle of 26,001+ pounds GVWR, or one towing under 10,000 pounds.

Handbook p. 11 ↗
A Class D license lets a driver operate a vehicle of 26,000 pounds or less as long as they are NOT doing which of these?
  1. Driving after sunset
  2. Driving on an interstate highway
  3. Towing a trailer over 10,000 lbs
  4. Carrying more than one passenger

Answer: Towing a trailer over 10,000 lbs

Class D excludes towing trailers over 10,000 pounds, hauling hazmat, or seating over 16.

Handbook p. 11 ↗
How much brake horsepower can a bicycle-with-motor have and still be operated under a motor-driven cycle license?
  1. No more than 10 brake horsepower
  2. No more than 2 brake horsepower
  3. No more than 15 brake horsepower
  4. No more than 5 brake horsepower

Answer: No more than 5 brake horsepower

A motor-driven cycle is a bicycle with an attached motor of no more than 5 brake horsepower.

Handbook p. 11 ↗
Which drivers do NOT need a separate moped license to ride a moped in NH?
  1. Holders of a Class A, B, C, D, or motorcycle license
  2. Only holders of a motorcycle license
  3. Only drivers who are 21 or older
  4. Only holders of a Class A or B license

Answer: Holders of a Class A, B, C, D, or motorcycle license

Drivers do not need a moped license if they already hold a Class A, B, C, D or motorcycle license.

Handbook p. 11 ↗
At what age does a Youth Operator license expire?
  1. On the holder's 21st birthday
  2. One year after issue
  3. On the holder's 20th birthday
  4. On the holder's 18th birthday

Answer: On the holder's 21st birthday

Youth Operator licenses are issued to those 16 to under 21 and expire on the 21st birthday.

Handbook p. 11 ↗
Youth Operator licenses in New Hampshire are printed horizontally, the same as adult licenses.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False

Youth Operator licenses are printed vertically and expire on the holder's 21st birthday.

Handbook p. 11 ↗
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