Swiss Truck and Bus Theory Study Guide 2026

The additional theory test

To drive trucks or buses you need an extra theory test, the additional theory test (Zusatztheorieprüfung). You do not repeat the car basic theory test. Like all Swiss theory tests, it is taken on a computer at your cantonal road traffic office (Strassenverkehrsamt).

Test	Questions	Errors allowed	Time
Category C (trucks)	40	4	60 minutes
Category D (buses)	40	4	60 minutes
Subcategories C1/D1	30	3	set by your canton
CZV written test (goods or passengers)	40	4	60 minutes

These tests use single-choice questions: each has exactly one correct answer. This is different from the car test, where one or two answers can be right.

There is no official licensed learning app for these categories. Driving schools and trade organisations offer courses and their own materials. A theory pass from 1 January 2021 onwards stays valid with no time limit.

Truck and bus licence categories

Category	What you may drive	Minimum age
C1	Motor vehicles over 3,500 kg up to 7,500 kg, trailer up to 750 kg	18
C	Motor vehicles over 3,500 kg (not buses), trailer up to 750 kg	18
C1E	C1 vehicle with a trailer, combination up to 12,000 kg	18
CE	C vehicle with a trailer over 750 kg	18
D1	Passenger vehicles with more than 8 and up to 16 seats besides the driver	21
D	Passenger vehicles with more than 8 seats besides the driver	21

What you need first

C and C1: category B, at least as a learner's permit.
CE: category C, at least as a learner's permit. There is no extra theory test for CE.
D: category B held for at least 2 years, or category C held for at least 3 months.
D1: category B, plus at least one year of regular driving with B (or three months with C).

No first aid course and no traffic knowledge course (VKU) are needed for these categories.

Medical requirements

Every applicant for C, C1, D or D1 needs a traffic medical examination. Minimum standards include:

Eyesight of at least 0.8 in the better eye and 0.5 in the worse eye.
For D1, a horizontal field of vision of at least 140 degrees and good enough hearing for normal speech.
People with diabetes treated in a way that can cause low blood sugar cannot get categories D or D1.
People with epilepsy need an assessment from a specialist.

Learning and the practical test

A learner's permit for C, C1, D or D1 is valid for 24 months.
Your companion must be at least 23 and have held the matching licence for at least 3 years, no longer on probation.
A category C learner's permit also allows learning drives with category B vehicles.
Category D needs minimum training with a driving instructor: 52 lessons if you hold B, C1 or D1.

Test vehicle	Minimum requirements
Category C	At least 12 t operating weight, 8 m long, 2.30 m wide, 80 km/h, closed body
Category C1	At least 4 t total weight, 5 m long, 80 km/h, closed body
Category D	Bus at least 10 m long, 2.30 m wide, 80 km/h
Category D1	At least 4 t total weight, 5 m long, 80 km/h

The CZV certificate of professional competence

The Driver Licensing Ordinance (Chauffeurzulassungsverordnung, CZV) was adopted in 2007 to match an EU directive. For most paid transport, drivers of C, C1, D and D1 vehicles need a certificate of professional competence (Fähigkeitsausweis) for goods, for passengers, or for both.

When you do not need it (examples from Art. 3 CZV)

Private, non-commercial trips.
Vehicles with a top speed of 45 km/h or less.
Vehicles of the army, police, fire service, customs, civil protection or rescue services.
Test drives, learning and exam drives, and emergencies.
Carrying your own work materials, if driving is no more than half of your working time on weekly average.
Transport inside a company's own site.

The CZV exam

Written CZV theory test: 40 questions in 60 minutes, at your canton's road traffic office, after the normal additional theory test.
Two e-tests, each 45 minutes with five practical questions answered by drag and drop.
An oral exam (30 minutes) about everyday situations in goods or passenger transport.
A practical exam (30 minutes) with a hands-on task.

Failed parts can be retaken. The exam content covers vehicle operation, goods transport (including load securing), passenger transport, the driver's duties such as working time and the tachograph, and emergencies.

Keeping the certificate

The certificate is valid for 5 years.
To renew it you need 5 days of training within 5 years, usually as seven-hour course days.
If you already hold it for goods and want passengers too (or the reverse), you take only the oral and practical exams.
Driving commercially without a required certificate is punished with a fine.

Working time, tachographs and driver cards

Working, driving and rest times of professional heavy-vehicle drivers are set in ARV 1 (Chauffeurverordnung). ARV 2 covers drivers of light passenger transport vehicles.

A regular weekly rest is at least 45 hours; a reduced weekly rest at least 24 hours, under set conditions.
Drivers who drive vehicles with a digital tachograph need a personal driver card, ordered from ASTRA. It is valid for 5 years.
If your card is lost or broken, apply for a replacement within 7 calendar days and make signed printouts at the start and end of each working day.
Inspectors may ask for records of the current day and previous days (56 days from 2025).
Employers keep driver records for 3 years and download the vehicle unit at least every 3 months.

From 1 July 2026, vehicles over 2.5 t used in international transport also fall under ARV 1 when the driver spends more than half of working time driving. Domestic rules for these vans do not change.

Other rules for heavy-vehicle drivers

Truck drivers and drivers in professional passenger transport are under the alcohol ban: more than 0.10 per mille is an offence.
Vehicles that pay the heavy vehicle fee do not need the motorway vignette.
Cross-border transport of dangerous goods follows the international ADR; Swiss rules (SDR) are based on it.