3 Critical Facts about Heavy Vehicle Operator Class

Automotive Blog

The trucking industry has a lot to offer to anyone interested in operating heavy trucks. Employers in industries such as construction and logistics are always on the lookout for younger drivers, especially now that older drivers are leaving the workforce for retirement. Therefore, if you feel that you can be a great truck driver, then you need to apply for a heavy vehicle operator course. The training and assessment you receive will prepare you well for the real-life trucking world. That said, there are a few things you should know about heavy vehicle operator classes before you enrol in one.

In-Cabin Camera 

In the past, heavy vehicles used to assess candidates did not have a video camera installed in the cabin. As such, it was difficult for authorities to know whether students genuinely passed the practical tests. To avoid such potential risks, the Department of Transport rolled out the in-cabin video camera requirements, which was meant to improve the integrity of heavy vehicle competency-based assessments. During tests, the in-cabin video camera is always turned on to record the proceedings of the assessment. Therefore, when looking for a training heavy vehicle operator class training school, ensure that you enquire whether the trucks have an in-cabin video camera for the integrity of the training.

Private Vehicle Assessment Available

When most people enrol in a heavy vehicle operator class, they believe that they will be assessed in training school vehicles. However, this is usually not the case because the transport department allows candidates to be trained and evaluated in their trucks. However, you can only be trained and tested in a private truck if it meets certain conditions. For instance, your truck must be registered and roadworthy before you can use it for a heavy vehicle operator class course. Additionally, it should be the right vehicle as far as the characteristics of heavy rigid vehicles go. For example, the vehicle must have at least 3 axles and weigh more than 15 tonnes.

Choose a Transmission Carefully 

When you enrol for a heavy vehicle operator class, you can either choose an automatic or synchromesh gearbox. Notably, the transmission you select will be indicated in your licence as a condition. For instance, if you start training with an automatic transmission, a condition will be added to your license, which indicates the type of transmission you have specialised in. It means that you can only operate a heavy vehicle with the transmission system indicated in your licence. Therefore, if your license only lists an automatic transmission, you can only operate a heavy vehicle with automatic transmission and not the synchromesh transmission.  

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