How many legislation hours are mandatory for category B?
Classroom hours are not up to the school. The curriculum annexed to the training programme approved by OMT 733/2013 sets exactly how many theory hours category B requires and how they split across subjects.
Short answer
- 1. Category B requires 24 hours of theory training — these are what people commonly call “the legislation hours”.
- 2. Of those 24 hours, the Road legislation subject takes exactly 14; the rest split between specific legislation, defensive and eco driving, first aid and vehicle knowledge.
- 3. The 24 theory hours are separate from the 30 driving hours — both are mandatory, and practice does not replace them.
- 4. The minimum course duration, theory and practice together, is 4 weeks for category B.
- 5. The 30% cut in the minimum number of hours, allowed for other categories, does NOT apply to category B.
How the 24 theory hours are split
The curriculum is annexed to the training programme in OMT 733/2013, published in Official Gazette no. 267 bis of 13 May 2013. For category B, the table row reads:
Mandatory theory training for category B — 24 hours
| Subject | Hours |
|---|---|
| Road legislation | 14 hours |
| Specific legislation | 2 hours |
| Defensive and eco driving | 4 hours |
| First aid | 2 hours |
| Vehicle knowledge and maintenance | 2 hours |
| Total theory training | 24 hours |
Why two different numbers circulate: 24 and 14
- When someone asks “how many legislation hours are there”, the practical answer is 24 — that is how many classroom hours a student must complete before the exam.
- Strictly for the subject called “Road legislation” the plan allocates 14 hours, plus 2 hours of specific legislation — so 16 hours of legislation proper.
- The remaining 8 of the 24 hours are first aid, mechanics and defensive driving — mandatory, but not legislation.
A concrete example: how the 24 hours are scheduled
- A typical group takes 2–3 theory sessions a week, 2 hours each — the 24 hours are covered in 4–5 weeks.
- Road legislation is taught in modules (sign meanings, right of way, overtaking, speed), and the 14 hours are used up in the first part of the course.
- First aid is taught by staff with relevant medical training — the school holds a contract with a medical unit or a certified person.
- Practice can start alongside theory, but the file cannot be submitted for the exam until both are complete.
Common mistakes
- The 24 theory hours get confused with the 30 driving hours — these are two separate minimums, not one you subtract from.
- People assume the 30% reduction in hours applies everywhere. The text explicitly excludes category B.
- Theory absences cannot be made up informally: a student who failed or missed the assessment completes the theory training separately.
- A school that cannot evidence completed hours is exposed at inspection — the record required is per student, not per group.
How 4driving helps
- Tracks theory hours per student, separately from driving hours, exactly as the curriculum requires.
- Shows who has accumulated the 24 hours and who has absences to make up before the file is submitted.
- Schedules theory groups and practical lessons in one calendar, without clashes.
- Exports the per-student situation as a report, for inspections.