Our Earth Cruiser weighs in at 6000kg. The Car license in Australia restricts you to driving vehicles up to 4500kg – so no good for the Earth Cruiser. I could have got away with taking a Light Rigid Vehicle test but decided to go for the Heavy one. In retrospect this was a good decision – learning to drive this kind of truck was really good fun.
I did a two hour lesson in a Stirling truck followed by a one hour pre test lesson – then the test. FAIL. I went through a red light. I found out you don’t speed up in a truck to get through an amber light – lesson well learnt. To be honest I was never very comfortable in the Stirling. Every time I used the brake I nearly put the examiner and instructor through the wind screen. Sally Brown my instructor from Advanced Heavy Vehicle Driver Training in Rockhampton was very brave.
So I did two more lessons in a Volvo. I was much happier in this truck. Very like driving a car only much bigger. No problem with the brakes this time. The only thing I had to watch was keeping the speed down. Off to the test. PASS. No problems only a couple of minor comments. Great so now I can drive the Earth Cruiser. Anita’s turn next.
BowmansOverlanding 