Keith Moon

Asha!

Are there any truckers on here who have emigrated to Oz, and gone through the Heavy Rigid licensing route? Any chance of any advice feed back?

I am in Cleveland, for now anyway, so i am looking for a driving school as close as possible to the Batside area. I have only ever driven a 7.5 ton curtain side in the UK. How many lesson do you think i might need? As i have no idea how big a Heavy Rigid truck is in Oz?

There is plenty of work around for a good trucker, got a nice big creamy yorkie bar aswell!

Thanks for any advice, oh yeh, keep trucking!

Keith

renth

I did. I had about 10 or 12 lessons. Cost about $1,700.

simnmax

I did my HC in September over 3 half days for $1360 but I had had my uk class 1 for 21 years so it was pretty easy, the test consists of a number of assessments that your instructor will sign off as he thinks your competent at them, then a easy half hour test that covers a lot of the practiced items, you might have to do 12 months on a LR licence before HR, or you could baffle them with bulls##t like I did & go straight to HC.
I now have my own trucking business & the profits look much better than In UK.
Cheers Sim

Keith Moon

Renth, cheers mate, yep about $120 a lesson, 10 lessons, then $380 for the test, and about $100, to the Queensland Transport people, so all in all about $1700.

What worries me is; i have no Australian experience as a driver of any kind, i only have limited experience in the UK as a 7.5 ton driver, i am not really a commercial driver, but it would seem a route to full employment in Oz?


Now i can go straight to my HR license, as i have held a UK license or class "c" in Oz, or car license in the UK for more than two years.

Would i struggle to get any work due to my lack of experience as a driver? Will it be another load of dosh up the wall, you know spending $1700 on a HR license, then getting no work?

I have spoke to some agencies, they check your work history? Mine would be somewhat elusive with regards to driving?


Thanks for any more feed back, just do not want to waste any money on training, when i could spend it wisely on wine, women and gambling!


Keith

renth

Not having work experience is going to cause difficulties IMO. Plus most of the Aussie HR trucks have crash boxes which take some getting used to.

Keith Moon

Ummmmmmmm! Thought so! Waste of 1700 blucks then? Same in the UK, little experience little work?

Start at LR maybe!

So Renth, you had experience prior to taking your HR?

Cheers for any halp here folks, just chancing me arm really?


Keith

BadgeIsBack

Best money I invested. I think I paid about the same pro-rata. No prior experience.

I presented a UK car license which showed I'd held a full car licence for at least 3 years.
I took a multiple choice test after boning up on the phamplet for 15 minutes. With this pass and a fee, I got a learner's permit.

I had about 5 lessons, then passed (by the skin of my teeth). This was in Perth. It's a necessity for getting a mine job. When you are going through the small-talk in the exam - tell the examiner that you are getting the license for an off-sider's job and he might even go nicely on you - spin a yarn about having a young family.

I had to be able to double de-clutch and work my way through a Ford box with 13 gears. I started in 3, then when I got through one range, I flicked a switch and used the next.

This is done with something like a 10 tonne prime mover with a 10 tonne load. (Memory may fail me here).

Most transport trucks are HC. (Artic). The HR is used mainly for prime-movers (if that makes sense) and dump trucks on sites. That's my impression - I am normally wrong in these matters.

That HR license got me an off-sider's job in Kalgoorlie within 48 hrs.

renth

I didn't have any prior truck driving experience but I did it so I could drive the larger fire trucks. They require an MR license but I figured I'd spend a bit extra and get the HR because it would come in handy if I needed a job some other time, if I got sacked or bored with the University. I was toying with going back to the mines (used to work in Kalgoorlie in the late 80's) but decided my life at the University was too cushy to give up for more money.

Keith Moon

Don't know what to do? $1700 bucks is a lot of beer tokens. The drink link will be dry?

Any takers, what would you do? No experience in commercial driving, well not in Oz?

Toughy?

Keith

simnmax

Well you'll not get any experience without a licence, plus the drivingschool won't give you a licence unless they think you're a competent driver, so you could bluff your way into a job & just take it easy while you get used to the extra weight, keeping safe gaps & being aware of load shift on corners & roundabouts. You'll need to learn your load restraint rules as well.
I'd go for it & look for a truck for sale with work, you can earn decent money but be aware the hours can be long.
Cheers sim

BadgeIsBack

I got my license after about 5 hours. Looking back on it I'm not sure if I was just incredibly lucky!

moneypenny20

You've just spent how much getting a visa and moving over? If it's something you think you'd like to do and the work is there I'd say give it a go. Concentrate, learn and you get through and have the licence - another string to your bow. You won't get the trucking work without it, nothing to lose but some drinking money. I'd do it if I were you.

mr mover

Most of the large companys , today buy trucks with Automatic boxes ,save on wear and tear as most of the "younguns" cant drive a Roadranger gear box {eaton] and a lot of them find the Syncro-ed ZF boxes [volvo,scania,Merc} to hard..........i started driving a Commer "Knocker" back in 1980 that was totally weird to drive....mm

Keith Moon

Cheers boys and girls,

Food for thought, liquid for lunch?

I am going to phone around, call about some positions, see what response i get? There is no point going to the trouble to train as anything unless employers will offer you some kind of initial work?

I like the pay to train, then claim the cost back in tax relief, great, but we cannot afford to train for anything which will not reward me in tokens!

As always Keith

fairwayskid

Hey Keith

Let us know how you get on as I am thinking of doing the same myself.

Paddy

Ps it sure is a lot of beer tokens