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If you not only dream big but want to drive even bigger, why not take up some heavy vehicle training? Whether you want to drive medium vehicles such as courier trucks, or have your sights set on the big rigs, Major Training offers a number of licences for heavy combination, medium rigs, muti combination vehicles, and more.
What Is A Heavy Vehicle?
A heavy vehicle is a vehicle with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) or aggregate trailer mass (ATM) of more than 4.5 tonnes. The GVM of a vehicle is specified by the manufacturer, and refers to the maximum it can weight when fully loaded.
Examples of heavy vehicles include:
- B-double freight trucks
- Semi-trailers
- Passenger buses
- Livestock and agricultural vehicles.
All of these vehicles require heavy vehicle training to be able to hit the road.
Classes of Heavy Vehicles
When talking about heavy road vehicles, they are divided into a number of categories and classes, with the two key types of heavy vehicles being General Access Vehicles and Restricted Access Vehicles.
General Access Vehicles (also known as GAVs) comply with weight and size requirements and do not require a notice or permit to operate on the road. By contrast, Restricted Access Vehicles (RAVs) include Class 1, 2 or 3 vehicles that operate under a notice or permit.
Class 1
Class 1 vehicles include agricultural vehicles, oversize overmass vehicles and numerous special purpose vehicles.
Class 2
Class 2 heavy vehicles include freight vehicles such as B-doubles, B-triples, and road trains, buses, vehicle carriers, and livestock vehicles.
Class 3
Class 3 heavy vehicles are unique in that by definition they are a heavy vehicle which, together with its load, does not comply with previously mentioned weight or size requirements and is also not a class 1 heavy vehicle.
Heavy Vehicle Training at Major Training
At Major Training, we offer daily lessons to get you up to speed. You can obtain a Heavy Rigid Licence to handle everything from furniture delivery, couriers or construction deliveries, or drive a truck or bus over 8 tonnes. Or you can opt for Multi Combination Licence so you can go the distance with a B-Double or Road Train.
Here are all of the heavy vehicle licences we offer at Major Training.
Medium Rigid Licence
If you have held a (C) class driving licence for at least 12 months, you could pursue a career in the transport industry with a medium rigid licence. This will allow you to safely drive a 2-axle GVM of more than 8 tonnes. With an MR licence in hand, you’ll be able to legally drive and control a variety of vehicles used in the transport industry, including motorhomes, buses, certain types of trucks, tow trucks and local freight vehicles.
Heavy Rigid Licence
With a heavy rigid licence (HR licence), you can automatically drive medium rigid or light rigid vehicle classes as well, making it one of the best choices if you’re seeking heavy vehicle training for employability purposes. An HR licence will let you drive larger vehicles such as semi-trailers, prime movers, truck and dogs, pig trailers, floats and low loaders.
Heavy Combination Licence
A heavy combination licence (HC licence) will give you the skills to drive even bigger rigs, allowing you to drive the biggest trucks that are legally allowed to be on the road. This includes various trucks, prime movers and mobile cranes with a trailer of more than 9 tonne GVM.
Multi Combination Licence
Earning an MC licence with Major Training qualifies you to safely drive a B-double or road train anywhere in Australia. It also means you can drive any heavy combination unit towing one or more trailers, with each trailer having a gross vehicle mass of greater than 9 tonnes.
What Licence Do I Need To Drive…?
Still not sure what licence you need to drive a particular vehicle? Here are a few of the most common questions and answers.
What licence do I need to drive a motorhome?
All you need to drive a motorhome on Australian roads is a standard car licence – no heavy vehicle training required.
What licence do I need to drive a bus?
If you’re looking to drive a bus, the best licence to get is a heavy rigid licence (HR licence) with a B condition, meaning that can drive both synchromesh and automatic gearboxes.
What licence do I need to drive a tow truck?
In addition to holding a licence suitable for the class of tow truck you intend to drive, you will also need tow truck driver certificate.
At Major Training, we have daily courses available no matter what heavy vehicle training you seek. Call us today and find out more about our courses and flexible delivery options.
