Follow These Tips to Get a Truck Driver’s License

Trucking is one of the most delicate aspects of the transport business. The drivers have to haul heavy loads over long distances, which increases the risk of accidents. Truck drivers, therefore, have to undergo intense training to handle the unique and challenging aspects of the industry. Despite the risks involved, trucking is still one of the most rewarding careers you can get into within the transport sector. Here are three tips that will help you easily become a truckie.

Find Out the Exact Licence You Need

If you have not driven before, you have to be patient about the process the Department of Transport will take you through to give you a truck licence. There are five heavy-vehicle driving licences in the country. The highest, which is HC, will take about four years to acquire. The basic licence is the light rigid, which allows you to drive an 8-tonne or less GVM. The second class is the medium rigid, which allows you to drive any GVM with two axles or less. The third is unlimited GVM, which has no axle limits, but you cannot tow a trailer more than 9 tonnes with the licence. Finally, you have heavy combination and multi-combination, which allow you to tow one trailer and all trucks, respectively.

Registration Process

Before registering in one of the many driving schools in the country, you have to define the specific industry where you want to work. Prepare yourself mentally for the challenges associated with the industry, such as having to spend long hours on the road and the new technology in the industry. 

Acing the Exam

If you have already gone through the basic training and you are waiting for the exam, there are certain crucial rules to remember when taking the test. First, trucks have massive blind spots; so when you are on the road, slow down. Second, trucks swing wide when making turns, so you should learn how to compensate for the shorter path that rear wheels follow as opposed to the front wheels. Finally, remember that trucks have a longer stopping distance, which means that you have to anticipate a stop a few metres before it happens. 

These are a few guidelines you can follow for success in your trucking business. It is essential that you register with a known and trusted trucking school. When you engage experts in the process, your transition into a trucking career will be very easy.


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