Heavy vehicle licence
You will be required to pass a practical driving test if you want to upgrade your licence to a heavy vehicle (class LR, MR, HR, HC). You may also be required to pass a heavy vehicle road rules test.
Test vehicles
For your driving test, you must drive a vehicle that is representative of the class of vehicle authorised to be driven under the particular class of licence.
Standard test vehicles for each class of licence
| Licence class | Vehicle requirement |
|---|
| LR (light rigid) |
A bus or truck more than 4.5 tonne GVM but not more than 8 tonne GVM. |
| MR (medium rigid) |
A bus or truck more than 8 tonne GVM, with not more than two axles. |
| HR (heavy rigid) |
A bus or a truck more than 15 tonne GVM, with at least three axles.
Note: the test cannot be taken in a bobtail prime mover. |
| HC (heavy combination) |
A prime mover more than 15 tonne GVM with at least three axles and semi-trailer with at least two axles. A truck more than 15 tonne GVM with at least three axles and trailer more than 9 tonne GVM with at least two axles. |
A vehicle of more than 12 tonne gross vehicle mass (GVM) must be equipped with at least three portable warning triangles for the test.
On-road driving test times
The on-road driving test times for the different heavy vehicle licence classes are:
- LR – 25 to 35 minutes
- MR and HR – 60 to 70 minutes
- HC – 70 to 80 minutes.
Unless the test is terminated for any reason, the minimum drive time will be 25 minutes for a class LR test, 60 minutes for MR or HR test, and 70 minutes for an HC test.
Uncontrolled and unpredictable events such as road works and traffic crashes may affect the duration of a test.
