Holding a heavy vehicle driver’s licence gives a driver the legal right to operate large trucks and commercial vehicles – but that’s where the formal recognition ends.
Despite the enormous responsibility that comes with operating heavy vehicles on public roads, a licence is not a formally recognised qualification.
It’s just a legal entitlement, and says nothing about driving skill, experience, or professionalism.
It doesn’t tell anyone about career background, reputation, or how a driver handles tight schedules at all hours.
This issue adds to a perception problem in Australia’s transport industry as it deals with safety concerns, worker shortages, and lack of professional development.
A veteran truckie with decades of experience and millions of highway kilometres has the same value as someone who passed their practical driving assessment two weeks ago.
Not qualified
A licence represents the bare legal minimum to do the job.
It only confirms that basic standards were met on one specific day.
Other trades like plumbing, electrical, or nursing require nationally accredited qualifications that maintain standards and support career growth.
In the real world, getting a job with a trucking company depends on reputation – both yours and theirs.
When you call about a job, they’ll likely ask where you’ve worked before, how many kilometres you’ve done, and how soon you can start.
Having the right licence just gets you in the door – it doesn’t prove experience or capability.
Australia’s bus industry is known to excel at preparing new drivers, offering comprehensive induction and training for the challenges they’ll face.
In the road freight sector, heavy vehicle road safety and awareness training during induction is provided to new entrants at a sub-set of major transport companies.
Smaller outfits, squeezed by extremely thin margins, often can’t afford to provide this crucial extra step.
So, the bigger problem remains – there is no national framework for advancement.
Why it matters
This lack of differentiation has real consequences:
• Experienced drivers get no formal recognition of their skills, making it hard to stand out.
• Employers can’t rely on a licence to judge a driver’s ability – they’re left guessing or creating their own training.
• Without qualifications, there’s little incentive to improve skills or stay in the industry long-term.
• A decade-old licence doesn’t guarantee current knowledge or safe practices.
An evolving industry
Today’s heavy vehicle drivers do far more than just drive.
They manage compliance, fatigue, load restraint, navigation systems, customer service, and much more.
In public transport, the demands are even more complex.
Yet the licensing system hasn’t kept pace with these evolving roles.
Add a growing driver shortage and aging workforce, and professionalising the industry becomes urgent.
If we want to attract, train, and keep talent, we need a better system that reflects the true complexity of the job.
A national framework
We could create a qualification pathway – ideas such as this have been suggested for many years.
A Certificate III in Driving Operations already exists and readily available through the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system.
Or we could develop industry apprenticeships and cadetships further.
We could improve on existing “Heavy Vehicle Learning Modules”.
Develop them into a structured qualification covering essential skills in a modular way to include specific topics such as:
• Advanced vehicle handling (safe hill descent, driving in tough conditions)
• Road safety laws and your legal obligations
• Professional fatigue management, load restraint, and route planning
• Practical assessments and recognition of prior experience
• Specialised freight handling (dangerous goods, livestock, oversized loads)
This wouldn’t replace a heavy vehicle licence – it would enhance it, offering a clearer picture of capabilities and professionalism.
Training the trainers
Trainers face a constant challenge – maintaining professional standards without a formal framework for doing so.
When training instructors, it’s crucial to emphasise the difference between a licence and a qualification.
Without national standards that address this issue, trainers must compile their own methods to help develop a driver’s professional skills. In the limited time trainers have with licence applicants, they must decide how much to cover beyond basic operation – extra things such as load calculations, scheduling, customer service, and driver assist technologies to name a few.
We need qualifications that transform their role from licence-test preparation to developing recognised industry professionals.
Our economy relies on skilled truck and bus operators, and the trainers who develop them.
Both deserve better recognition in this crucial role in Australia’s supply chain.
Let’s get to it!
Formal qualifications have been suggested many times to modernise our transport sectors and restore pride in the profession that keeps Australia moving.
I suggest, dear reader, that we support the Review of the National Heavy Vehicle Driver Competency Framework (HVDCF) which is tackling this very important issue on a national scale. Click here for more information and ongoing updates.
Our economy depends on truck drivers, and the trainers that train and assess them – they both deserve recognition, structured growth, and professional respect.
Until then, the heavy vehicle licence remains just that – a ticket to ride, not a true measure of skill, attitude, and experience.
About the author:
Andy Hughes is the Director of Hughes Training Group which provides education and training for the road freight and public transport sectors in the ACT and NSW regions.
Frustrated ex truck driver of 54 years.
I have retired and drove singles, b/ doubles and triple road trains all my life. I am so frustrated with the quality of today’s drivers/ steering wheel atendants with the attitude disrespect for other road users and fowl mouthed on the uhf. I now live in a town where a major high way goes through and can not believe how they tail gate trucks , cars with caravans and buses and do not adhere to the towns 60 kph speed limit. With the tail gating, I can not believe my eyes when I see fully loaded fuel tankers doing it. It doesn’t matter what time of day, screaming jake brakes with sports exhaust on them so you could imagine the noise all hours of the night. I read all the media from transport groups and they all talk about drivers wanting to be respected. Well me just say, read the above and then tell me they deserve respect I think not. I am ashamed to tell people I was a truck operator all over Australia due to the public’s view of trucks. Regards Phil
i disagree , like any vocation under Victorian chamber of commerce practice of 70 yrs ,continuation of 7 yrs in any particular field ,mechanic builder etc , after proof of experience and knowledge you gain an accreditation in that field ,after 60 plus yrs driving i define myself as an accredited professional long distance driver ,i agree with the SA district court judge in his obiter in a heavy vehicle driving case where he said a drivers MC licence doesnt mean you are competent as a driver in that capacity, which covers 60% of current heavy vehicle drivers, including driving instructors ,who only have a tafe certificate to instruct ,doesn’t prove they have any knowledge of the job ,very few if any do ,which the reason for so many truck accidents including multi trailer accidents ,and will debate that any time