What Happens on an HR Driving Course?

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What Happens on an HR Driving Course?

16 July 2020
 Categories: , Blog


If you are considering taking one of the many HR driving courses on offer in Australia, then it is likely you will already know that doing so will allow you to drive larger vehicles than a standard licence. To be clear, when HR driving courses are passed, it becomes possible to drive eight-tonne GVM trucks or buses with three or more axles. This means that a huge number of commercial vehicles can be driven, such as prime movers, many types of mobile crane and road rangers. In many situations, drivers seeking work at an Australian mine will be required to have an HR driving licence even if they won't be asked to drive such large vehicles.

If you sign up for an HR driving course, what can you expect?

What Do You Need to Begin?

Not everyone is eligible for the HR driving courses available. Firstly, drivers must already have held a car licence for at least two years plus and LR or an MR licence. Some medical conditions on your licences may require additional clarification for you to proceed, too. Additionally, anyone who intends using their HR driving licence to drive buses will need an authorisation from the Department of Transport and Main Roads.

HR Unconditional Licenses

There are several HR driving courses you could sign up for. The most flexible is a so-called unconditional licence training course because passing it will allow you to drive the greatest number of vehicles. Typically, you will need ten to twelve hour-long lessons, split between automatic and manual vehicles. Prices vary according to the different training providers but you can usually obtain a discount if you already own a vehicle and use it for training. Practical driving tests are about half the price if you book them in the middle of the week.

Condensed HR Driving Courses

It is possible to obtain an HR licence within a few days of training. Typically, this will mean booking onto a condensed training programme which will involve three to four hours behind the wheel over a few days. Most drivers still need the same length of time in training as they would without a condensed schedule. The main advantage of booking onto this type, of course, is that it means being able to enter the HR driving workforce much more rapidly. Either way, an hour-long practical test will be needed along with a written knowledge test.