TracyAnne

Hi All,

My family and I will be moving to Melbourne in November on a temporary visa. My husband is an HGV driver and will be looking for part time/casual work when we arrive.

Have checked on Vic Roads website and although we can drive on UK licences whilst temporary residents, I am not sure what the situation is with regards his HGV licence.

Does anyone have any experiences/ knowledge of HGV driving in Melbourne. Do you think he well have to retake his test?

Tracy

zx10r_aus

I don't know the full story behind this Tracy, but, I can tell you that I had a HGV license in Australia, and when I arrived in Glasgow the DVLA wouldn't transfer my HGV license they would only let me keep my car and motorcycle entitlements. When I spoke to the DVLA by phone they told me that the UK and Australian governments did not have an agreement to exchange these types of licenses. You could try sending VIC roads an email and ask them. Hope it all works out for you, I have been speaking to a few truck driving mates in Melbourne and they have told me that there is heaps of work for truck drivers.
Jim

kevinbloomfield

Don't know about Victoria but in Queensland you can drive HGV's if you have a UK HGV licence

chaval

I would be quite interested to know which states do/dont allow the uk HGV. Im considering taking it here before we go...just to widen my horizons...also thought it might be a good way to see the country...(or highways)

cheers

C

little miss c

Hi Tracy
My partner has a UK HGV licence, but here in Melbourne, they don't transfer it over, only car and motocycle. A friend of ours has just taken his Heavy Rigid here and passed, it cost about $750, which was a couple of days for lessons and then the test.

Badge

There is LR, MR and HR. HGV in the UK may be maybe MR. HR in Aussie is a fairly large US style truck/prime mover. I did my HR from scratch and I had a 20tonne load on the back. I spent $750 on my course too. Would not bother with LR or MR.

badge

markeh

Badge,

did you get all the other catagories transfered as well for motorcar.

Regards
Mark

Badge

This is how I did it - are you sitting comfortably. I did this in WA though.

I took my pommie license in, with no HGV or any other class.
On the strength of this, I got an automatic C(ar) class license after a quick car theory test.

I then paid a nominal fee and took a Truck Learner's Permit 10 question test. They assume 3 years on any car license as a pre-requisite. Learnt the questions in 10 mins, there were 20 I think in all and got the Truck Learners Permit. All this took 2 hours. some of that was spent buggering around.

Clutching my Truck Learner's permit, the next day, I took my lessons (4-5 hours I think) in the truck followed by a 30 min test.

Got the HR license on the spot after handing in my pass cert.

Now, seems to me, yes, you can transfer the car.

Badge

TOP TIP

If in WA, tell the examiner you want the HR ticket so you can get a job in the mines in Kal. He may be more lenient as he knows you will be driving in the middle of nowhere, eg backing the truck for the boss, once a week, rather than as a full blown truckie.

Badge

My view is that HGV is worth nothing as so many trucks are artic over here, eg HC - Heavy Combo.

Most of the HR trucks are prime movers. There are a few for transport 0- and I watch out.

Now, I know nothing about HGV in the UK but if you can get it by driving a 4 tonne truck, then you might as well go and do HR here as it is 2(3) axles(?) 8 tonne truck 'US style', 20 tonne load...seems a lot more than the little Safeway pommy ones.

Badge

kevinbloomfield

Badge

HGV over here (depending on what class) lets you drive any weight vehicle (currently 44 tonnes max) including Artics, wagon & drag etc, 4 ton vehicles are driven on car licence.

TracyAnne

Hi,
Thanks so much for your reply.
Would you by any chance be able to find out the company that your friend did the lessons/test with.

Thanks
Tracy

TracyAnne

Hi Badge,

Thanks for the info, very useful. The licence my husband has is equivalent to HC but he has been driving HR mostly for the past 15 years.
Am I write in saying that you live somewhere near Berwick? We will be moving to Berwick in November and hubby will be looking for driving work.
Would it be possible for you to email me details of where you did your lessons and also advise regarding availability of jobs etc.

Thanks
Tracy

Badge

bloody hell!!!! But as you say it depends on the class...how hard is it to get the higher classes....?

I say 4 tonne cos they were the Army trucks and the blokes were doing HGV for that - but that was 10 yrs ago

cheers

Badge

Badge

I live 15mins near Berwick, you can always post me. I learnt in WA.

kevinbloomfield

I did 10 days training to get my HGV1 licence (I think C+E in todays world), this lets me drive any truck in the UK. As far as I am aware this allows me to transfer to licence in OZ, I stand to be corrected however.