Driver licence classes and the LMV weight rule explained

Hiring a driver usually starts with a look at his licence. The questions that matter are whether it is valid, whether it covers the class of vehicle he will drive, and, for tankers, whether it carries the hazardous-goods endorsement. This article walks through each, including the light motor vehicle weight rule that the Supreme Court settled.

Licence classes in brief

A driving licence lists the classes of vehicle the holder may drive. The classes that matter for goods fleets are:

• LMV (light motor vehicle): cars, jeeps and light goods vehicles.
• Transport vehicle classes: for medium and heavy goods vehicles and passenger vehicles used for hire. The class names on the licence follow the vehicle categories in the rules.

The licence record on SARATHI shows each class the driver holds and the validity of each. Always check the record, not only the card: classes can be added, and a card in the driver's pocket may be an old one.

How long a transport licence lasts

Since the 2019 amendment, a licence to drive a transport vehicle is valid for five years. A hazardous-goods endorsement is valid for one year. A driver who holds both has two dates to track, and the endorsement comes round five times as often.

Driving without a valid licence is an offence under Section 181: up to ₹5,000. Allowing an unlicensed person to drive is a separate offence for the owner under Section 180, also up to ₹5,000. States can set different compounding amounts. An expired licence counts as no licence.

The LMV weight rule

For years there was a dispute over whether a driver with only an LMV licence could drive a light goods vehicle used for hire, which is a transport vehicle. Insurers sometimes refused claims on that ground.

The Supreme Court settled it in Mukund Dewangan (2017), and a Constitution Bench upheld that view in November 2024. The position is that an LMV licence holder may drive a transport vehicle whose gross vehicle weight does not exceed 7,500 kg.

The gross vehicle weight is on the RC and on the VAHAN record. Do not go by the size or the make: check the number.

This is a general explanation of the ruling, not legal advice. Hazardous-goods vehicles have additional driver requirements regardless of weight.

What this means for a fleet

• For each driver, record the classes held and the validity of each, read from SARATHI.
• For each truck, record the gross vehicle weight, read from VAHAN.
• Before assigning a driver to a truck, check that one of his classes covers it.
• For hazardous cargo, check the endorsement is current as well as the licence.
• Track licence renewal dates as closely as vehicle dates. A driver whose licence lapses is off the road just as surely as a truck without fitness.

Hiring drivers from other states

Licences issued in any state are valid across India, and SARATHI holds them all, so a driver from another state can be checked in exactly the same way. The licence number format includes the issuing state's code.

Checking a licence before you hire

1. Take the licence number from the card itself, not from a photocopy or a broker's message.
2. Look up the record on SARATHI and check that the name and date of birth match the person in front of you.
3. Check every class the driver will need, and the validity of each class, not only the first one listed.
4. For tanker work, check the hazardous-goods endorsement and its date separately.
5. Keep a copy of the record with the driver's file, and set the renewal dates in your calendar on the day he joins.

A driver who has let his licence lapse may still be carrying the old card. The card does not change when the validity runs out, so a glance at the gate will not catch it. Only the record will. The same is true of the endorsement: a driver trained three years ago and never re-endorsed holds a card that looks complete but does not allow him to carry hazardous goods today.

Where PRACHSO fits

PRACHSO reads each driver's licence validity, vehicle classes and hazardous-goods endorsement from SARATHI and puts them in the same calendar as the truck dates. Drivers get their own renewal reminders on WhatsApp in their language. See the transport driving licence guide and the hazardous-goods endorsement guide.