oz hr test

[igloo mike]

I have just arrived in oz and before I do my mc 1 day conversion( no test) I have to do a hr test.

I have got my car licence and done my 10 heavy vehicle questions.

The question is what does the hr test consist of.

Thanks.

[bullitt]

Is this what you mean.....

https://www.transport.wa.gov.au/licensi ... nce-hr.asp

https://www.transport.wa.gov.au/mediaFi ... MRHRHC.pdf

Lucky you, I would love to be able to get to Oz and drive. WA or the NT.

[igloo mike]

Here in Qld I keep getting told its a drive round for an hour with a couple of hill starts and a reverse around a left hand bend.But i am trying to find a bit more about the test.

[igloo mike]

Well just passed my hr ( 18 tonner) test and yes it was a 45 minute drive round 1 hill start and a reverse around a left corner.

Now the big one. Monday a one day conversion course to drive a road train(no test). I may have a class 1 uk licence but this is a diffrent kettle of fish.

Wish me luck.

[igloo mike]

Well that was a busy few days.

I now have my open mc unrestricted licence( road train crash gear box) and my dangerous goods(hazmat less explosives/nuclear) once ive had my medical tomorrow.

I just need a job now.

wish me luck.

[Big Truck]

Good luck there lad.

Sent from my SM-J500FN using Tapatalk

[Duck]

Well done... I guess the work visa situation must be a bit more complicated than the driving test though...

[igloo mike]

wow. ive got a job and it sounds ok,

its self employed driving a hc (uk class 1) auto box man less than 3 months old.
its collecting containers from the local port and delivering them up and down the coast and in land a bit where you self unload.
the company are not accredited so its basically 12 0n 12 off.
its home most nights but if I'm away then i get put up in a room at the local truck stop.
i get paid 45 percent of what the wagon earns with a guaranteed take home of 1400 dollars( about £850) for Monday to Friday but out of that i have to pay my tax and super ( about 250 dollars).
and its only 25 mins from where i live.

so excited.

[igloo mike]

that was an interesting week. i lasted 2 days In the job before we agreed i wasn't a "good fit".

day 1 bald tyre on the trailer( its on the inside wheel no one will notice)
there is only 3 twist locks on the trailer (thats ok 3 is legal here)

day 2 asked to work nearly 13 hours (only 12 is legal here)

wednesday out looking for work.
thursday offered 2 jobs
took the job mon to fri night trunk up to gympie (about 2.5 /3 hours) tip reload back down to coopers plains tip and back to the depot. should be no more than 11 hours.

oh well another week in paradise.

[Spardo]

that was an interesting week. i lasted 2 days In the job before we agreed i wasn't a "good fit".

day 1 bald tyre on the trailer( its on the inside wheel no one will notice)
there is only 3 twist locks on the trailer (thats ok 3 is legal here)

day 2 asked to work nearly 13 hours (only 12 is legal here)

wednesday out looking for work.
thursday offered 2 jobs
took the job mon to fri night trunk up to gympie (about 2.5 /3 hours) tip reload back down to coopers plains tip and back to the depot. should be no more than 11 hours.

oh well another week in paradise.

Ha ha, reminds me of my early days in Sydney. I had already done the road trains bit in the Territory and came down to Sydney and set myself up in a really expensive flat, right in the middle of the action between the city and the Cross.

Then set about a job, should have done that before the expensive flat.

First job driving a 4 wheel Austin from Resch's brewery down to Darling harbour goods yard (500 metres). The palletted load of beer in crates was pre-loaded. At the goods yard I had to find an empty truck and....handball all the crates off the pallets into it.

Then find a wagon with crates of empties in.....and handball all those back onto the pallets.

Back up the hill and into the warehouse. Before the forkie started the unload he gave me a docket and pointed to where to take it. The company bar, a free pint (yes a pint, nobody drinks pints in Oz ) of ice cold Resch's. Lovely. Back down the hill etc.

After the 2nd trip in the blistering heat and a stomach full of cold beer it was dinnertime. Wasn't hungry walked into a cafe and ordered, big mistake, a pint of cold milk.

Cramps for the rest of the afternoon, totally de-hydrated and knackered. 1st day was also the last day.

Next job. Flipping pig iron in an iron foundry. De-hydration must make the mad even madder. 1 day.

3rd job, painting fences as part of a large crew for a council contractor. Was too good and careful therefore too slow. 1 day.

4th attempt. Israeli Embassy. Volunteers for the 6-day war. 'What do you do?' Thinks, has to be good..'Road Train Driver' Yeah!! Much excitement. Brilliant, over here mate. Less excitement, 'thought you said crane driver, the Tel Aviv docks blokes have all been called up and we can't get all the Yankee tanks unloaded. You can go if you like but you'll have to pay your own fare.'

Next. Hand the flat keys back before eviction. Went to Queensland.

[igloo mike]

Still in the same job steady away but did get the chance to use my bfm a couple of weeks back.

Sunday up to bundaberg park. Monday tip bundy rocky and mackay and run towards mount isa. Tuesday tip mount isa load cloncurry and start back. Thursday run into the yard early for people to deliver around the city. Thursday night back onto my normal night trunk.

4200 km and just over 50 hrs driving.

A nice job in one of the dafs would not want to do it in the kenworth I normally drive to gympie and back.

oh and being on a log book helps.

[igloo mike]

Still in the same job steady away but did get the chance to use my bfm a couple of weeks back.

Sunday up to bundaberg park. Monday tip bundy rocky and mackay and run towards mount isa. Tuesday tip mount isa load cloncurry and start back. Thursday run into the yard early for people to deliver around the city. Thursday night back onto my normal night trunk.

4200 km and just over 50 hrs driving.

A nice job in one of the dafs would not want to do it in the kenworth I normally drive to gympie and back.

oh and being on a log book helps.

[igloo mike]

sorry double post.

[Spardo]

Whereabouts are you Mike? Somewhere down around the Gold Coast I reckon?

I kept going till I got to Mackay, then after a few months up to Townsville. Loved it but no road driving jobs, all the distance drivers were O/Ds, did a bit of cane cutting, internal driving in a sugar mill, road rolling in Sarina, then on the beach studying the horses fulltime in Townsville. Lovely, sunny, lazy days.

Keep it coming, brings back happy memories.

[igloo mike]

We live in tambourine on some acreage my wife's family own. I run for a small( about 15 wagons) family run haulage company out of yarabilba.

I don't know when you where here. Was it before the b doubles when it was either a semi or a road train.

Work wise it's like the UK plenty of work but finding a good well paid job is not easy.

My job is a great job but the wages are only just above award rate.

If I was willing to travel an extra 45 mins there is 3 rdc paying big money but it's all through penalty rates. Also it's agency for a minimum of 12 months.

So I will stay where I am.

[Spardo]

So I will stay where I am.

A good move in my opinion.

I never saw a B-double during my time in Oz, the late 60s, not sure when they were invented. All the road trains in the Territory were A-doubles and and triples. We reversed the doubles from time to time, but with side loading and unloading at cattle stations and meat works there was hardly any need to.

Something prompted the question the other day in my mind 'what is the point of B-doubles?' Perhaps they are more stable regarding swing etc, I don't know, but someone pointed out that there was less cut in with an A-frame than a B-double. I realised that this was because the B-double 2nd trailer is another artic (semi), whereas the A-frame is a drawbar, and everyone knows that drawbars have less cut in.