Bus driving Gearbox/ Licence question?

[Crazy Dazz]

My wife is looking at jobs where the ability to drive a truck or bus is an advantage.

Driving a bus as part of your job requires an F endorsement, which is easy enough. It is simply added to whatever class of licence you have. But that is the tricky part.
The licences are Light, Medium, and Heavy. And can have either an A (automatic) or B (synchromesh) restriction, or be unrestricted (ie a non-synchro "road-ranger" or similar gearbox.

Most of the trucks in question are just for delivering parts, carrying gear, etc. They would almost always fall within the Medium (or even Light) category, and I haven't heard of any not having synchro (in the last 30 years anyway.)

So my question relates mostly to buses.
MR will cover any bus, except a triple axle. I remember the old interstate coaches used to have dual rear axles. Are there still many buses around like that?

From what I have seen on site, usually the Coaster size buses will be manual (synchro) and the bigger buses are auto.
Again, I know that some of the OLD coaches were non-synchro, but are they still around?

So an MR-B would appear to be adequate for most.
But a triple axle requires a HR, and a non-synchro requires it to be unrestricted.

There is a big difference in cost between these, not to mention the size of the vehicle actually used for testing, and trying to get her to learn a crash box.

[lra]

Don't know about WA rules.
I have a NSW MR license which enables me to drive a single axle bus, no 'bendy-buses'.
Newer city based buses are autos, the old style crash boxes went out years ago, but there are still manuals around for tourist buses.
The most import ant factor is the 'public vehicle drivers authority', which requires you to have an impeccable record and character plus a level of physical fitness, theoretically to keep lard buckets, weirdos, psychos, and terrorists out of the drivers seat. Hmmmmm, yeah, right.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by lra

Don't know about WA rules.
I have a NSW MR license which enables me to drive a single axle bus, no 'bendy-buses'.

I think the rules are universal. So yes, MR allows any size 2 axle vehicle.
3 axles, as in a bender or one of those old interstate coaches with dual rear axles, requires a HR.

[Mercury Bullet]

I wouldn't get a syncro license, I've driven 8 tonners with 9 speed road rangers.

Back in the day even HC/MC licenses were restricted from coaches with a lazy axle. I hope they have fixed that one up.
I always recommend people learn road rangers, then the only thing you can't drive is a spicer :P

[GasoLane]

If it's anything like NSW the yes a Rigid license is needed.

However, if you want to carry passengers as well it gets more involved (along with more money )

[Rallye Sport]

If the job describes it as only an advantage to have a truck licence go with the MR-B, it'll cover most delivery trucks and small buses. Once her foots in the door maybe upsize. They do day courses at the airport, good way of doing it, you drive all day and do the test in the arvo while you're still fresh and in the zone. From what I remember the F endorsement has nothing to do with driving, its only to show you are of 'good character' and responsible enough to carry passengers.

[Crazy Dazz]

The most likely use would be a bus, plus that's really where the questions are.
Obviously there are triple axle trucks out there, and many of the heavy ones would have road-rangers, but she won't be anywhere near those. At most they would have a light/medium truck for hauling garbage, deliveries, pickups etc.

The question is buses. Some places will have upto 60 seaters. My question is are any of these likely to be triple axle? Or are any likely to be crash boxes?

[smoo]

No crash boxes unless it's from the 1990s or earlier and American junk.
Pretty much everything now will be conventional auto or if a coach something out of Europe Volvo Scania MAN which will either be specced with Allison auto for short running/around town or if doing longer haul/interstate their own version of automated manual trans (no clutch pedal).

[Feathers]

Depends on the company. We only have two autos in a fleet of 13.
We also have two 3 axle coaches. Once filled with passengers and luggage for away trips, they handle the weight far better than the 2 axles. They're both crash boxes. But we only allow certain staff to drive them.
MR will cover any rigid vehicle with two axles, which is what I started out on.

However, there is a loophole, that if you already have an unrestricted licence (endorsed for manual), even if you do the bus/truck driving test in an auto, they cannot take the manual endorsement off you.
I did my bus driving test with a synchro box, and though the trainer circled it on the testing booklet, when I took it to the RTA to upgrade my licence, there is no such restriction noted on my licence, because I got my original car licence in a manual.
Yet one of my workmates does have the 'A' condition on his licence, which states he can only drive a synchro or auto gearbox.
I'm still looking at going to HC, so I could do the test in an auto, and still keep the unrestricted licence.


If she is looking at driving route service for a company with government transport contracts, then they will be newish vehicles with autos. NSW has a rule about average fleet ages not exceeding 12 years. QLD has a maximum vehicle age of 25 years. Other states may have something similar.
If it's charter work, then that's a bit of a mixed bag, depending on the company. People who can handle manuals are few and far between these days. Friends of ours in the industry are selling off all their manuals, because they just can't find drivers.

So I'd say if she can drive a manual car, then at least having the synchro endorsement would be a bonus if the people you're up against can only drive auto.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Feathers

However, there is a loophole, that if you already have an unrestricted licence (endorsed for manual), even if you do the bus/truck driving test in an auto, they cannot take the manual endorsement off you.
I did my bus driving test with a synchro box, and though the trainer circled it on the testing booklet, when I took it to the RTA to upgrade my licence, there is no such restriction noted on my licence, because I got my original car licence in a manual.
Yet one of my workmates does have the 'A' condition on his licence, which states he can only drive a synchro or auto gearbox.

It certainly doesn't work that way in WA.
A is for automatic ONLY. A Synchro Manual Requires a B.
It literally comes down to the vehicle you do your assessment in.
So if you do it in an auto, you'll get an A restriction.
If you already had a C, and then added a MR-A, i don't know if your C class would remain on your licence, but your MR definitely gets the restriction.

Driving a Bus would only be an ancillary part of her job, and I'm hoping there won't be many triples, as they would not usually carry luggage only workers.

[Crazy Dazz]

As far as I can tell, HR assessment is done by the RTO, whereas MR is still done by the cranky old farts at DoT.
Hate those lazy, useless, despots.