Any one know of my chances of employment and rates of pay as a heavy goods driver in Aussie???

Not much chance of getting a hgv driving job,the oz govt make them take on local people, I had a job offer about 10 years ago driving buses as I have an N.V.Q. in bus driving and safe driving awards , and defensive driving certificates and the govt would not let them give me a start, I like you also have a class2 H.G.V , so dont hold your breath.

Thanks for that mate!
Oh well !!!! cant understand their attitued towards driving trades! No mention of it as a skilled trade! If you think of how much any country relies on its transport industry, and how valuable skilled drivers are.... shame !

Not sure where you are going to be based, but CareerOne in the Mail on Saturday and teh online searches have plenty driving jobs around Brisbane - one I looked at was a Bris-Sydney-Melbourne run and it paid something like 29c per km so a weeks drive gave you well over $1000 in your pocket. Most of them don't seem to have problems with UK drivers - I know a few guys over here are driving and loving it

I've known people, from the UK, that have got HGV driving jobs as soon as they get the HGV licence here.


In what area does "the oz govt make them take on local people" ? I haven't heard of that before and I am curious.

Hi,

We have been here 2 months now and hubby has had lots of job offers for HC/MC truck driving, we are just waiting for his 457 visa as we are here on my student visa, so he doesn't have permisssion to work at the moment.

If you do local driving Class 1 or 2 Hc/HR then you are looking at about $20 per hour. If you do intertsate driving (you will need to get an MC licence when you get here) then you are looking at between 30c to 34 c per km which works oout at about $1000 per week takehome or maybe a bit more.

Hope this helps. Are you coming out here on your wifes skills or are you hoping to get visa your self?

Tracy

Jeeeez,
What a load of old tosh!!

The governement would not let them give you a start?????
Did you even have a visa??

You don't need an MC licence to drive interstate - it's a licence for a class of vehicle, not a licence to cross 'borders'

AT LAST - me 'n Rob agree on something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is truly a cause for

Blimey Charlie.....well knock me down with a feather!!

Actually 232, now we're on the subject, I wouldnt mind a bit of advice re: License conversion. I know you did yours in QLD, we are going to WA, but figured it would be a similar process.

How long did it take from start to finish.....I am hopig to get licenses sorted and on the road asap!
Would it be worth (or easier) me doing my class 1 in the UK before arriving in OZ?

Ta

Welcome mate....

There are a few 'truckies' on the forum, myself included!

ZX10R_aus....an aussie in Canberra
232Bar......a Brit just moved to QLD
Me.........moving out to Perth in July

I'll help if I can but from what I can gather, there are a shed load of jobs out there and the money aint all bad. The only hassle is converting licenses, depending on where you go, you have to sit tests etc.....

Not sure for Perth, but for QLD I did a theory which was simple (providing you read their 'Highway Code' first). Only 10 questions covering driving hours, load restraint etc, but as I said only 10 questions. I then had to do a practical test. As I've had a Class 1 (sorry C+E) for 18 years, I knew I had a few habits to correct so booked with Ian Watson Driver Training for 2 x 2 hour 'lessons' before my test. Was worth doing that as I still tended to double clutch, one hand on gear lever, one on wheel etc (as you do). Had my test on teh Friday which was MUCH more relaxed than my UK test - guy stuck his clipboard on the bunk and we just chatted about all sorts of s*it while I drove around for 40 mins. Only mark I got was 1 minor for not indicating left to pull back into the kerb at the test centre Got my new licence straight away an the Friday then on the Monday went for my MC Licence. This wasn't even a test - just an assessment by the instructor - go out for the day driving a B-Double (tractor unit coupled to a 30' trailer coupled to a 40' trailer) and let me tell you - 9am driving through Brisbane rush hour traffic with that behind you - bit stressfull LOL. All in all I found it all pretty easy - cost me $1800 for the whole thing which isn't exactly cheap but it got it over and done quickly. Can't comment on WA unfortunately as not had any experience of their system. The guys as Watsons think the whole thing is a farce making us do the test instead of just an assessed drive but, c'est la vie, that's the QLD rules. As for taking your Class 1 in UK, not sure if it's worth it or not - seems much more relaxed over here for the test, roads aren't too busy and I guess depends how confident you are - have you driven artics before or starting from scratch?

To be honest, I hope I never have to use mine to earn a living. I converted as I had the licence and didn't want to lose it when I came here and I did the MC for the hell of it basically, but it's always something to fall back on. Have you done a DEFINITE check on WA driving agency site to see if it is a straight cross-over or a test yet?

Took me 3 days for teh HC but spread over a couple of weeks to fit around my availability - could have lashed it out in 3, or even 2, if I'd been available - MC only took 1 day after that

I never said you had to get an MC licence to driver interstate, but as 90% of the interstate driving jobs are driving a B Double then a) you would have a better choice of jobs and b) generally you earn more per km if you are driving a B double. So in summary, it would be worth getting the MC licence.

This information is based on our findings in Melbourne, as you well know these things vary from state to state.

Thanks for that info 232

From looking at the WA driving agencies site, it implies that I need only do a 10 question oral test and voila, it is a straight conversion to the equivalent Aussie license! Does seem too good to be true though, especially considering your circumstances and what you had to go through!
I think I will try and get my class 1 (sorry C+E) here in the UK before we arrive. That way, I will have 'some' experience of artics and may find the MC a little less nerve wracking!!
I have had a look at various job sites re: salaries but it is difficult to get a good understanding of the sort of pay available to drivers. Are you able to shed any light on this at all?
Thanks again