Class 3 Air Brakes 2026: Class 1, 3 and 5 Rules, MELT Hours

Can you drive a Class 3 with air brakes?

Alberta: a Class 3 covers single vehicles with 3 or more axles, and those towing a trailer only if the trailer isn’t equipped with air brakes. Drivers with Class 1 to 5 need the Q endorsement for air brakes.
New Brunswick: a Class 3 can tow a trailer over 4,500 kg only if it isn’t equipped with air brakes; a truck towing a trailer with air brakes needs a Class 1.
British Columbia: Class 3 applicants study the air brake chapters of Driving Commercial Vehicles, and the endorsement is added to the licence you hold.
Manitoba and Saskatchewan: a Class 3 or 5 vehicle with air brakes registered or licensed as a farm vehicle doesn’t need the endorsement.

Alberta’s Q endorsement →ICBC’s air brake endorsement →

Class 5 with air brakes

You don’t need a commercial licence to get an air brake endorsement. In British Columbia you need at least a valid licence for passenger vehicles, in Nova Scotia a Class 1 to 6 licence, and in Alberta the Q is for Class 1 to 5 drivers.

Class 1 and Class A: air brakes are part of it

Ontario: the full Class A is the only licence that covers full air brake systems on both tractors and trailers. A restricted Class A can’t pull a trailer with air brakes.
Alberta: the Class 1 Learning Pathway adds an 8-hour air brake course if you don’t already have the Q. The Air Brake Program sets its classroom session at 6.5 hours or more, followed by practical training and the assessment.

British Columbia builds air brake training into Class 1 MELT, and Manitoba’s Class 1 road test includes the air brake test; their pages have the details.

ICBC’s Class 1 air brake rules →Manitoba’s Class 1 road test →

Mandatory entry-level training (MELT) for Class 1

Province	Training	Required since
Alberta	Class 1 Learning Pathway: 40-hour Entry Program, then 67-hour Core Learning Program	April 1, 2025 (replaced MELT)
British Columbia	MELT course at a school approved by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia	October 18, 2021
Manitoba	MELT, at least 121.5 hours	September 1, 2019
Ontario	Class A MELT, at least 103.5 hours	Not listed
New Brunswick	MELT, at least 112 hours	Licences issued from April 1, 2024
Newfoundland and Labrador	Entry Level Training at an approved institute	January 3, 2024

Alberta’s Core Learning Program grew from 60 to 67 hours on September 1, 2026. Ontario says its training is valid for life.

Alberta.ca: Class 1 Learning Pathway ↗Ontario Ministry of Transportation: Mandatory training for Class A ↗Manitoba Public Insurance: Mandatory Entry-Level Training ↗

Changes in 2027

Ontario: 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.
Alberta: students who signed a Class 1 training contract on or before August 31, 2026 can finish under the previous hours and fees, but must finish by March 31, 2027.

Air brakes in Ontario →

Sources: Alberta.ca · Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors · Government of New Brunswick and 11 more. Checked October 2026.