Most people searching for heavy vehicle training in Campbelltown have not yet decided which licence class they need, and that is the decision worth getting right before you book anything. The five classes are not simply bigger versions of each other. They have different vehicle limits, different waiting periods, and in one case a different set of tests. Core Truck Driving School trains and assesses every class seven days a week.
This page is the map rather than the detail. It compares the classes side by side, sets out how long you have to wait for each, and points you at the right course once you know where you are headed.
The five heavy vehicle classes at a glance
The table below is the short version of what each class covers in New South Wales. The axle count and the trailer weight are what actually separate them.
| Class | What it covers | Trailer limit | You must already hold |
|---|---|---|---|
| LR | Trucks up to 8 tonnes GVM. Buses seating more than 12 adults including the driver, up to 8 tonnes GVM. | Not more than 9t GVM | Car licence, 1 year |
| MR | Trucks and buses over 8 tonnes GVM with two axles. | Not more than 9t GVM | Car licence, 1 year |
| HR | Trucks and buses over 8 tonnes GVM with three or more axles, including bendy buses. | Not more than 9t GVM | Car licence, 2 years |
| HC | Articulated vehicles with three or more axles. Heavy rigid and trailer combinations including an unladen dolly. | Over 9t GVM allowed | MR or HR, 1 year, unrestricted |
| MC | B-doubles, road trains, prime mover with low loader dolly and low loader trailer. | Multiple trailers | HR or HC, 1 year, unrestricted |
Each class also covers everything below it, motorcycles aside. So an HC holder can drive rigid trucks, and an MC holder can drive essentially anything on the list. Full course detail sits on the LR licence, medium rigid licence, heavy rigid licence, heavy combination licence and multi combination licence pages.
How long you have to wait for each class
This is the part that catches people out, because the waiting period is not the same at every step and it does not always run from your car licence.
- LR and MR. A class C licence held for one year or more. A learner licence does not count towards that year.
- HR. A class C licence held for two years or more. This is the only class with a two year requirement, and it is the single most common planning mistake.
- HC. An MR or HR licence held for one year or more. Time on a P2 MR or HR counts towards that year, but you cannot start learning or upgrade until the licence is unrestricted.
- MC. An HR or HC licence held for one year or more, unrestricted, on the same P2 basis. If you hold an HR rather than an HC, you must pass an HC assessment before you can begin MC training.
Requirements are set by Transport for NSW and were checked against the official heavy vehicle licensing guidance on 6 October 2026. Always confirm current requirements before you book a test.
Three rules people get wrong
You cannot go from a car licence straight to HC. Heavy Combination requires an MR or HR first. A C class licence is the entry point to LR, MR or HR only.
MR is one year, HR is two. Both start from your car licence, but the wait is different. If you are twelve months in and want to start on trucks now, MR is the class that is actually open to you.
Only MC requires a medical. LR, MR, HR and HC do not. MC is also the one class where the competency based assessment is mandatory rather than an alternative to a driving test.
What every class has in common
Whichever class you are going for, the shape of the process is the same. You pass the Heavy Vehicle Knowledge Test, which is a different test from the Driver Knowledge Test you sat for your car licence and draws on the Heavy Vehicle Driver Handbook, the Road User Handbook and the Load Restraint Guide. You pass an eyesight test. Then you either complete the Heavy Vehicle Competency Based Assessment with a Registered Training Organisation, which is the pathway Core delivers, or sit a heavy vehicle driving test with a Service NSW testing officer in areas where the competency pathway is not available.
One decision carries across every class: the gearbox. Sitting your assessment in an automatic or synchromesh vehicle is faster, but it leaves a condition on your licence limiting you to those transmissions. A Road Ranger assessment leaves you unrestricted and keeps manual fleet work open. The comparison between automatic and Road Ranger truck licences covers what each one lets you drive, and the condition can be removed later if you start with an automatic.
Choosing a first class for the work you want
Around Campbelltown and the Macarthur industrial estates, the work tends to sort itself into a few patterns. Two axle tippers, medium delivery and furniture trucks, tilt trays and a good deal of the bus fleet sit in the MR class. Three axle rigids, larger tippers, concrete agitators and coaches need HR. Freight and logistics operators running a prime mover and single trailer advertise for HC specifically. Linehaul and interstate work is where MC starts to matter.
The honest advice is to pick the class the job ads you are actually answering ask for, rather than the highest class you could eventually reach. Going straight to the top is slower than it looks, because every step above HR has its own year of tenure attached to it.
There is more local detail on each class in the Campbelltown articles for the MR truck licence, the HR truck licence and the HC truck licence.
Typical duration
Most classes are completed in a single day of training and assessment, with extra practice available when a driver needs it.
Availability
Seven days a week, 6am to 8pm, so training can be fitted around shift work.
Accreditation
Registered Training Organisation 45477, delivering the HVCBA pathway recognised by Transport for NSW.
Experience
Twenty years training heavy vehicle drivers across Sydney and the surrounding regions.
Bus work is a separate authorisation
This one is worth separating out, because it is not a licence class at all. The licence class determines the size of bus you can legally drive, so a bus over 8 tonnes on two axles sits under MR and a bendy bus sits under HR. Carrying passengers commercially then requires a Bus Driver Authority on top of the licence. Drivers chasing bus work in the Macarthur region usually need both, which is why the two are often done together.
Training from Campbelltown and the Macarthur area
Core trains from its Smithfield base rather than a depot inside Campbelltown, which is worth saying plainly so you can plan the day. For most of the Macarthur region that is a straightforward run up the M5 or the M7, and because sessions start from 6am you can be on the road before the worst of the commuter traffic. Drivers regularly travel in from across the area:
- Campbelltown
- Ingleburn
- Minto
- Leumeah
- Macquarie Fields
- Narellan
- Camden
- Smeaton Grange
Training in heavier traffic than your home roads is an advantage rather than a drawback. Every heavy vehicle assessment looks at how you place and control the vehicle in real conditions, and the western Sydney road network gives you more roundabouts, narrow industrial entries and merging decisions than a quiet run around the outskirts would. If you are not sure which class fits your situation, get in touch before you book and talk it through.
What training costs and how to compare quotes
Price varies by class and by how much practice you need, so there is no single figure across the five. The gearbox you sit the assessment in, the number of training hours and whether you need extra time before assessment all move it. Transport for NSW licence and test fees sit separately from what a training provider charges, so when you compare quotes check you are comparing the same inclusions.
- Does the quoted price include the assessment, or only the training leading up to it?
- If you need an extra hour or two before you are ready, what does that cost?
- Is the vehicle an automatic, a synchromesh or a Road Ranger, and what condition will that leave on your licence?
Whether you also need a Statement of Attainment alongside your Certificate of Competency depends on the employer. Some operators ask for the nationally recognised qualification, others only need the licence. The AQF student information page explains the difference between the two pathways.
Why Campbelltown drivers train with Core
Core has been training heavy vehicle drivers for twenty years and holds Registered Training Organisation number 45477. Training runs seven days a week from the Smithfield base, assessment is delivered under the HVCBA system, and the same trainers work across every class from light rigid through to multi combination, so advice about which class to start with comes from the people who deliver all of them. Core runs truck licence courses across NSW and services drivers from Campbelltown, Penrith, Wollongong, the Central Coast and Newcastle.
If you would rather hear it from drivers than from us, the reviews from past students span every class and name the trainers involved.
Common questions about heavy vehicle training
Which licence should I start with?
Usually MR, because it needs only one year on a car licence and covers a large share of two axle truck and bus work. Start with HR instead if you specifically need three axle vehicles and you have held your car licence for two years.
Can I skip straight to the highest class?
No. Each step above HR requires you to have held the class below it for a year, unrestricted. The fastest realistic route from a car licence to an articulated vehicle is MR, then one year, then HC.
Do I need a medical?
Only for Multi Combination. LR, MR, HR and HC require the Heavy Vehicle Knowledge Test and an eyesight test, not a medical assessment.
Is the knowledge test the same one I sat for my car licence?
No. Heavy vehicle classes require the Heavy Vehicle Knowledge Test, which is a separate test from the Driver Knowledge Test and has its own question bank.
Does time on my P2 count towards the next class?
For HC and MC, yes. P2 tenure on the required lower class counts towards the one year, but you cannot start learning or upgrade until that licence is unrestricted.
How long does training take?
Most classes are completed in a single day covering training and assessment. If you have not driven a heavy vehicle recently, extra practice can be added before the assessment rather than booking you into a test you are not ready for.
Book your heavy vehicle training
Work out which class you are eligible for, then pick a date that suits your roster. Training runs seven days a week.