Course
Heavy Rigid (HR) Licence – ACT Drivers
An HR licence which will allow you to drive a truck or bus with 3 or more axles with a GVM of more than 8 tonnes, and to pull a trailer with a weight of up to a 9 tonne GVM (and within gross combination mass limits).
You will need to determine what type of vehicle you will need to be driving once you have your HR licence. Trucks will generally have one of three different gearboxes:
Automatic Transmission
A type of transmission (vehicle gearbox) that requires no input from the driver to change forward gears and thus removes the need for a clutch pedal and gear shifter
Synchromesh Transmission
A gearbox in which the speeds of the gears are matched or ‘synchronised’ by means of in-built synchronising clutches before they are meshed (Transport for NSW). It ensures smooth transmission of engine power to the wheels.
Non-Synchromesh Transmission
A gearbox, often referred to as a ‘crash box’, that does not use the synchronising system. This gearbox requires the driver to manually match the engine speed to that of the road speed and is more difficult to learn and operate as it requires greater input from the driver. It takes an average of 20 hours before someone is competent in the use of a non-synchromesh gearbox. Training sessions are recommended in 2 hour or 4 hour slots.
Automatic or Synchronous Gearbox
One Day Course = $1,745 (your vehicle) or $1,870 (our vehicle)
2 hour Training = $475 (your vehicle) or $500 (our vehicle)
Assessment = $500 (your vehicle) or $535 (our vehicle)
Non – Synchronous Gearbox
One Day Course = Not applicable
2 hour Training = $500 (your vehicle) or $535 (our vehicle)
Assessment = $535 (your vehicle) or $565 (our vehicle)
- All pricing includes GST
- Full payment must be made at time of booking
The one day courses run from 8:00am until 5:00pm, alternatively, individual training and assessment sessions can be booked in the following time blocks:
- 8:00am – 10:00am
- 10:15am – 12:15pm
- 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Automatic or Synchromesh Gearbox – Students that have no experience in driving a heavy rigid vehicle often require more than 6 hours of training before attempting the assessment. We suggest a minimum of an initial 2-hour training session prior to attempting the one-day course of 6 hours training, followed by the assessment.
Non-Synchromesh Gearbox – This can be quite a challenging gearbox to operate. New students take an average of 10 x 2-hour training sessions to be deemed competent in operating this gearbox. As a result, we recommended to only book 2 – 4 hours of training at a time, and then book an individual assessment when confident.
- Have a moderate level of English language. You may be required to complete a Language, Literacy and Numeracy assessment prior to enrolment
- Be confident in driving a manual vehicle
- Have held a current driver licence (provisional licence accepted) for a minimum of two years
- Be a minimum of 19 years old
- Pass the Heavy Vehicle Knowledge Test at a Road Ready Centre
- Pass the ACT Commercial Driver’s Health Assessment for MR – MC
*ACT students are not required to complete a knowledge test if they already hold a LR or MR licence and are upgrading up to HR.
- Your current driver licence
- Your passed certificate for the Heavy Vehicle Knowledge Test
- A high visibility vest if you have one
- Food for lunch (a fridge, microwave, tea, coffee and biscuits are provided)
If you want to use your own vehicle, please note the following:
- Someone who is licensed to drive this class will need to accompany you or drop off and collect the vehicle.
- Your vehicle must be ACT or NSW registered. (It cannot be federally registered)
- Must be 60% loaded – this load cannot be dangerous goods, livestock, or fluid (excludes busses) – we will require a weighbridge ticket.
- Must have two or more seats, all fitted with full seatbelts.
The course is assessed with a practical demonstration that meets the heavy vehicle licensing assessment requirements set by the ACT Government. If you are deemed ‘Not Yet Competent’, you will need to enrol in another individual assessment at a later date and pay the associated fee.
Students who are found competent will not be licenced to drive a HRvehicle just yet. You will need to present the documentation provided by our Assessor to an Access Canberra Shopfront to be issued an upgraded driver licence. The fees do not include the cost for issuing a new driver licence.
To confirm your booking we will need your driver licence, knowledge test, enrolment form and payment. We do not accept any tentative bookings.
Any cancellations made less than 7 days prior to this course commencing will not be eligible for a refund. Failure to attend training on the day will also not result in a refund. We may, at our sole discretion, offer to rebook you on a later course upon the presentation of a medical certificate.
Before making a booking, you will need to answer some qualifying questions to determine if you meet the licence class prerequisites.
If you are eligible to enrol for this course, you will be directed to the booking page where you will need to upload the printed page with your details from your Heavy Vehicle Competency Based Assessment Logbook and a copy of your current Driver Licence. Please ensure you have this ready to complete the online booking.