HC Heavy Combination Truck Licence

HC (Heavy Combination) Licence Unconditional

How many lessons will I need? (on average)

From a MR or HR Condition A or Condition B Licence – Must use Non-Synchromesh vehicle and have excellent Manual skills

• A realistic goal for this Licence is probably 12 hours of training
• Depends on individual’s ability and attitude to learning.

From an Unconditional MR or HR Licence – can use Vehicle with Automatic, Synchromesh or Non-Synchromesh gearbox

• Between 5 – 7 Lessons, if using an automatic/manual vehicle
• If using a Non-synchromesh vehicle, depends on ability
• There is no minimum or maximum lesson requirement, we just recommend you take lessons until you feel confident, test ready and employable.
• On completion of your first “assessment” lesson it will be possible to give you an estimate of what your lesson requirement will be.

How much will it cost?

• HC Driving Lessons $130 per hour GST exempt

We will only charge the HR rate ($115 per hour) until the trailer is attached

• HC Warm up drive and Test $310 GST exempt
• HC Condensed Training Course $1,600 GST exempt (for non- synchromesh gearbox)

* If using your own vehicle and trailer $80 per hour GST exempt plus Travel

Other associated costs:

• Mid-week Practical Driving Test Booking Fee $66.30 incl GST
• Saturday Practical Driving Test Booking Fee (TMR temporarily suspended Saturday testing due to Covid-19)
• Written knowledge Test (if required) $25.75

Job Opportunities

The HC unconditional Licence will open maximum doors for you and if you do progress to MC it is a lot easier pathway to obtain a Licence.

• Linehaul
• All interstate work – major freight companies
• Tipper & dog
• Quarries

If you currently hold a HR Licence, you may also be eligible for your MC Licence . Although an option it is not a preferred pathway.

HC (Heavy Combination) Licence Condition B

How many lessons will I need? (on average)

From a MR or HR Condition A Licence – Must use a Manual (Synchromesh) vehicle and have good current manual skills

• Between 5 – 7 Lessons

From a MR or HR Condition B Licence – can use either Automatic or Manual Vehicle

• Between 5 – 7 Lessons
• There is no minimum or maximum lesson requirement
• We just recommend you take lessons until you feel confident, test ready and employable.
• On completion of your first “assessment” lesson it will be possible to give you an estimate of what your lesson requirement will be.

How much will it cost?

• HC Driving Lessons $130 per hour GST exempt
• HC Warm up drive and Test $310 GST exempt
• HC Licence in a Day Course $850 GST exempt (Condition A and B only)

* If using your own vehicle and trailer $80 per hour GST exempt plus Travel

Fee for Test booking:

• Mid-week Practical Driving Test $66.30 incl GST
• Saturday Practical Driving Test (TMR temporarily suspended Saturday testing due to Covid-19)
• Written knowledge Test (if required) $25.75

Job Opportunities

The HC Condition B Licence is a good option if you don’t want to be driving vehicles with non-synchromesh gearboxes. A lot of major Transport companies are now steering towards synchromesh / automatic transmissions, for ease of use and staff availability.

• Linehaul
• All interstate work – major freight companies
• Tipper & dog
• Quarries

If you currently hold a HR Licence, you may also be eligible for your MC Licence . Although an option it is not a preferred pathway.

HC (Heavy Combination) Licence Condition A

How many lessons will I need? (on average)

• Between 5 – 7 using a vehicle with an automatic gearbox
• There is no minimum or maximum lesson requirement
• We just recommend you take lessons until you feel confident, test ready and employable.
• On completion of your first “assessment” lesson it will be possible to give you an estimate of what your lesson requirement will be.

How much will it cost?

• HC Driving Lessons $130 per hour GST exempt
• HC Warm up drive and Test $310 GST exempt
• HC Licence in a Day Course $850 GST exempt (Condition A and B only)

* If using your own vehicle and trailer $80 per hour GST exempt plus Travel

Other associated costs:

• Mid-week Practical Driving Test Booking Fee $66.30 incl GST
• Saturday Practical Driving Test Booking Fee (TMR temporarily suspended Saturday testing due to Covid-19)
• Written knowledge Test (if required) $25.75

Job Opportunities

A HC Condition A Licence is very restrictive in terms of job opportunities, however perhaps your employer has only automatic trucks in their fleet.

• You may be purchasing your own truck
• You may have a disability that prevents you from driving a manual vehicle

If you currently hold a HR Licence, you may also be eligible for your MC Licence . Although an option it is not a preferred pathway.

HC (Heavy Combination)

*This option is only available using our Automatic Truck. If you hold an unconditional licence, your outcome will be HC unconditional. The licence you currently hold will determine what licence you will obtain using this pathway, please talk to us

For Non-Synchromesh gearboxes the Licence in a Day option is not available, as the learning curve is just too steep (unless you have a lot or prior experience).

However, we can certainly arrange a condensed training course to suit your needs.

Cost $850* GST exempt

Licence in a Day is an option that is available to you, if you are busy working and struggle to find the time to do the lessons. You can take a day off work and focus on the job in hand.

This is not our preferred method of training but it can be convenient.

With the option of Saturday testing, you may not even have to take a day off work

Breakdown of Cost:

Price includes:

• 1 hour Assessment Lesson
• 4 hours of training (breaks as required) plus your actual practical driving test (approx. 90 minutes).
• Our vehicle to use during these allotted times

Price does not include:

Other associated costs:

• Mid-week Practical Driving Test Booking Fee $66.30 inc GST
• Saturday Practical Driving Test Booking Fee (TMR temporarily suspended Saturday testing due to Covid-19)
• Written knowledge Test (if required) $25.75

Outline of Process

1. It is recommended that an assessment lesson is done 7-10 days prior to your Licence in a Day (included within the price).
   This is necessary to:-
   • a) Assess your current driving ability and make you aware of any “habits” you need to rectify before the day of your practical driving test.
   • b) To ensure you feel comfortable in the vehicle you are going to be driving
   • c) To ensure that the Licence outcome you are going to achieve is what you actually need.
2. We book your driving test and the rest of the training you need into our diary at a time convenient to you
3. Return on the scheduled day (we will remind you) to finalise all of your training and undertake your practical driving test with a Driving Examiner from the TMR

Licence in a Day – no prior Assessment Lesson

It is possible to undertake all your training on the same day, combining the assessment lesson, the practical training and the driving test altogether.

However, this is at your own risk and it is not our preferred method – it is a lot of money to invest in a day course if this is not a suitable pathway for you to get your HC Licence. An assessment lesson gives you an opportunity to see what is actually involved and it gives your trainer the chance to verify that this training pathway is the best way of achieving a first time successful outcome for you.

No driving school can guarantee an outcome for you and it is unethical to advertise such. However, we will try our best!

Booking Process

To book the Licence in a Day you can complete the online enquiry form or call our office on 07 55378101 or 0406 539613. Our office staff will then organise your training schedule with you.

To confirm the booking, we will need your Driving Licence number and you will need to pay the practical driving test booking fee.

Please see full details of our payment terms and conditions

* If you currently hold a HR Licence, you may also be eligible for your MC Licence . Although an option it is not a preferred pathway.

HC Unconditional (Non-Synchromesh gearbox) Condensed Training Course

This course is an option if you are in a position that you need to learn how to use a road ranger / crash gearbox over a few days and you are on a really limited timeframe, perhaps on a “fly in fly out” roster. This is an intense process and you need to be able to dedicate yourself to your training.

All your training can be booked in by email prior to your arrival.

If you live local and are not in a rush, we would not recommend this pathway. You may still want to get the Licence quickly and this is fine, we can still schedule your training in over a few days / weeks without you having to “commit” to undertaking a condensed course, or the pressure that comes alongside it. You never know you may even save yourself a few $$.

The total cost is $1,600 GST exempt

Breakdown of Cost:

Price includes:

• 12 hours in total (11 hours of practical training incorporating pre-test warm up and approx.90 minutes practical driving test)
• Our vehicle to use during these allotted times

Note: After years’ experience of delivering HC unconditional Licences, we know that on average it takes around 12 hours in the seat to achieve competency with a road ranger gearbox. However, in the event that you require further training with the double clutching technique this would be charged at an hourly rate of $110 or $130 per hour, this would be discussed with you as you progress through your course.

Price does not include:

Other associated costs:

• Mid-week Practical Driving Test Booking Fee $66.30 incl GST
• Saturday Practical Driving Test Booking Fee (TMR temporarily suspended Saturday testing due to Covid-19)
• Written knowledge Test (if required) $25.75

Outline of Process

The training would be undertaken in one of our non-synchromesh HC configurations, where you have to double clutch to change gear. Once we start you in one of our vehicles, you will stay in that vehicle for all of your training and driving test, unless your instructor feels a change of vehicle would be beneficial for you. This would be done in consultation with you and with your consent.

1. The training would be arranged in blocks of 2 or more hours at a time, over a period of 3 – 4 days with the schedule arranged to suit you.
2. We book your practical driving test for you
3. The practical driving test is taken by an examiner from the Department of Transport and Main Roads.

Booking Process

To book the HC Unconditional Condensed Training you can complete the online enquiry form or call our office on 07 55378101 or 0406 539613. Our office staff will then organise your training schedule with you.

To confirm the booking, we will need your Driving Licence number and you will need to pay the practical driving test booking fee.

Please see full details of our payment terms and conditions

* If you currently hold a HR Licence, you may also be eligible for your MC Licence . Although an option it is not a preferred pathway.

Tips about this Licence

We often find that students benefit with a 90 minute lesson rather than 1 hour , this allows time to couple and uncouple the trailer, practice reversing and just general driving.

If you are upgrading to an Unconditional Licence, we use the truck without a trailer first and focus on the basics of learning the double clutching technique before we attach the trailer. We will only charge you the HR rate.

The double clutching technique can then be polished whilst you are then learning all the necessary trailer craft.

A lot of students want to skip from HR to MC, many employers may not like this process as it is a big step, plus it can also cause insurance issues.

From a student’s point of view, you do not want to find yourself in a position of having to drive a MC vehicle when you are not confident to do so.

We would highly recommend doing your HC and getting some trailer experience and completing your MC later.

If you currently hold an unconditional MR or HR Licence, obtaining a HC can be a relatively simple process. The Department of Transport and Main Roads permit you to use an automatic truck to tow the trailer and you will end up with an unconditional HC Licence. Demonstration of Road Ranger / Crash gearbox is not necessary as you already hold this licence.

If you have not driven a road ranger gearbox for a long time (you may never of used one, if you have obtained an open licence through the process of “time” rather than “demonstrated ability”), you may want to come back and undertake some refresher training so that your skill level is at the level it should be to confidently apply for jobs requiring an open HC Licence.