A young truckie who got his HR licence last year has claimed that the driving school he went to passed him despite saying he “should have failed”.
The driver also said the examiners at the Registered Training Organisation, which is in Victoria, gave hints to other learners sitting the theory test.
“I was shocked because I had studied for my theory test, and when I showed up I was the only person there who knew the answers,” he said.
“The others were constantly asking for help and the examiner would hint the answers.
“But they still didn’t get it, so they would ask me – which one is it, is it b or c?”
The truckie, who has been kept anonymous for legal reasons, said he is a safe driver but something went wrong with the truck during his practical test.
“When I did my driving test, they had to record it. I finished and asked if I passed.
“The examiner said no, because when I went into the slip lane, I had the indicator on, but the indicator slipped back up on its own.
“There might have been other reasons too but I’m not sure.
“The examiner said I would have failed, but that he was just going to pass me anyway because it’s not profitable to fail people.”
The truckie said the school in question tries to give licenses to as many students as possible.
“They are trying to pack as many people as they can in there every day,” he said.
After he got his HR licence, he did some tipper work for a while.
He hopes to go for his HC licence in the next month, but will be going to a different driving school.
Although he’s still going to upgrade his licence, he is now feeling anxious about his choice of career.
“I don’t want to die young,” he said.
“I have a job lined up to do interstate runs on a road train from Melbourne to Perth, but I’m scared.
“I’ve already paid for my HC and I think it’s too late to get a refund, but I’m starting to regret it.”
He thinks something urgently needs to be done about the licensing system.
“I’m so pissed at the state and federal government for making it this easy to get a truck licence,” he said.
A spokesperson for VicRoads told Big Rigs that anyone with concerns about a training provider can report them to VicRoads on 131171 or via the VicRoads website.
They added: “Victorian heavy vehicle training and test providers are regularly audited and must abide by strict rules and regulations as part of their accreditation.”
The NHVR’s Heavy Vehicle Confidential Reporting Line (HVCRL) is another way for anyone involved in the heavy vehicle industry to report safety issues relating to procedures, practices or conditions that might endanger the safety of a heavy vehicle driver, their passengers, other road users or the community.
These reports can be made confidentially on 1800 931 785 between 7am and 4.30pm.
A spokesperson for the NHVR said: “Reports relating to heavy vehicle driving schools would be captured under issues relating to business practices, and are assessed by our team and actioned appropriately.
“Where information falls outside the NHVR’s remit, we work closely with our jurisdictional partners to ensure all risks are communicated appropriately.
“The NHVR encourages the heavy vehicle industry to contact the HVCRL where they believe a practice is occurring that may have an adverse safety outcome.”
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