You need the right class of licence for the vehicle

You need a full class 2, 3, 4 or 5 licence to drive heavy vehicles on your own.

Class 2 – medium rigid vehicles
Class 3 – medium combination vehicles
Class 4 – heavy rigid vehicles
Class 5 – heavy combination vehicles.

Full details about the vehicles each class of licence covers

You must have held the learner licence first

To apply for a full licence you must either:

  • hold a learner licence for at least six months, and then pass a practical test, or
  • complete an approved course for that class. Then you don't have to hold the learner licence for a minimum period.

More information about approved courses for heavy vehicles
Find an approved course provider near you

How to get your full licence

To get your full licence, you must apply at a driver licensing agent

You will need to:

You can then either:

  • present your present your approved course certificate, or

  • book and pass the full practical driving test.

The application fee is the same whether you present an approved course certificate or sit the test. There’s no fee to book, change or rebook a test.

It’s easy to book the test online

You can book the test online before you go into the agent. If you book online, you’ll still need to go to the driver licensing agent before your test to make your application.

If you’ve completed an approved course instead, you don’t have to book a test.

Book a driver licence test

Full licence practical test

The full licence practical test is a 30-minute test with a testing officer, who will observe your driving and assess whether it is good enough to progress to the next level of driver licence. 

More information about the full licence practical test

You need to wait before moving on to the next class

You need to wait six months before you can move onto the next class of driver licence, or at least three months if you are 25 or over.

Download Factsheet 70: Heavy vehicle driver licences [PDF, 239 KB]