Important Things to Know Before Taking an HR Driving Course

An HR licence allows you to operate heavy rigid vehicles. These are vehicles that have three or more axles, for example, buses and trucks. You can also operate a mobile crane or a prime mover with a gross vehicle mass of 8 tonnes or higher. Gross vehicle mass is the total weight of a car on the road minus the trailer if you are towing. It is the total weight of the driver, passengers, engine, chassis, cargo, accessories, fuel and body of the vehicle.

What Is An HR Driving Licence?

To get a better understanding of an HR driving licence, you need to know about the other heavy vehicle driving licences. You may come across a Light Rigid Truck Licence, abbreviated as LR, Medium Rigid Truck Licence, abbreviated as MR, Heavy Combination Truck Licence, abbreviated as HC and Multi Combination Truck Licence, abbreviated as MC. These licences have a kind of "hierarchy" where LR is the lowest and MC the highest. HR lies between MR and HC and can be considered as a minimum entry-level requirement for a wide variety of heavy vehicle operation jobs.

There is another licence, C, which stands for car. This is not a licence for heavy vehicles. It allows you to operate a typical car with a gross vehicle mass of 4.5 tonnes.

A light rigid truck licence allows you to operate a bus or truck that does not exceed a gross vehicle mass of eight tonnes. You can also tow a trailer that does not exceed eight tonnes.

A medium rigid truck licence allows you to operate a bus or truck that exceeds a gross vehicle mass of eight tonnes but does not exceed two axles. You can also tow a trailer that does not exceed nine tonnes.

A multi-combination truck licence allows you to operate trucks with two or more semitrailers. You might come across the term B-double truck licence. A B-double is a prime mover that tows two semi-trailers.

How Do You Obtain An HR Driving Licence?

You, of course, have to apply for an HR driving course from a reputable driving school. The minimum requirement is that you need to have held a class C driving licence for at least two years. If you have held an LR or MR licence for one year, you also qualify to take HR driving courses. A medical report is also needed to prove that you are healthy enough to operate a heavy rigid vehicle.

You are required to pass a theory test and an on-road and off-road driving test before getting the licence.