Internal prototype — noindexed, not linked from public navigation yet.

Cal. VEH § 15278

This is the official text of Cal. VEH § 15278, part of California’s Vehicle Code — governs traffic laws, driver's licenses, and vehicle registration.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Official statutory text

(a) A driver is required to obtain an endorsement issued by the department to operate any commercial motor vehicle that is any of the following:

(1) A double trailer.

(2) A passenger transportation vehicle, which includes, but is not limited to, a bus, farm labor vehicle, or general public paratransit vehicle when designed, used, or maintained to carry more than 10 persons including the driver.

(3) A schoolbus.

(4) A tank vehicle.

(5) A vehicle carrying hazardous materials, as defined in Section 353, that is required to display placards pursuant to Section 27903, unless the driver is exempt from the endorsement requirement as provided in subdivision (b). This paragraph does not apply to any person operating an implement of husbandry who is not required to obtain a driver’s license under this code.

(b) This section does not apply to any person operating a vehicle in an emergency situation at the direction of a peace officer pursuant to Section 2800.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in California?

Find a California lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.