TORONTO — If you carry a Class-A license in Ontario, be warned: In the event you fail or fail to submit the medical exam that you need every five years, your license will be downgraded to a Class G.

(For non-Ontarians, a Class A is the equivalent of a CDL. A Class G just lets you drive light pick ups and regular non-commercial cars and vans.)

It’s a subtle but significant legal change that came packaged with another announcement from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation earlier this week.

Until the new law was announced, if you failed the medical or didn’t submit it, your license would be downgraded to a Class D. Which meant you could still drive truck, but not a tractor trailer; just a straight job.

According to the MTO, a Class-D lets you drive “any truck or motor vehicle combination exceeding 11,000 kg provided the towed vehicle is not over 4,600 kg.”

A Class G, on the other hand, only lets you drive any car, van or small truck or combination of “vehicle and towed vehicle up to 11,000 kg provided the towed vehicle is not over 4,600.”

According to a statement from Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) President David Bradley, the OTA is concerned that “some drivers may not submit medical information, not because they have a medical issue, but simply because they want to move to a shorter haul job. By dropping these drivers down to a Class G license, some may become unemployable for a time. The association says MTO should provide further analysis of the scope of the problem they are trying to address and what the impact on the industry will be.”

There will be no impact to drivers who have previously been downgraded from a Class A, B or C license to a Class-D license. Currently, a medical is not required for a Class-D license.