Coasting is where you either take your car out of gear and put it into neutral, or you push the clutch in to disengage the transmission. Pushing the clutch in only works in a manual vehicle, but it is possible…
There are restrictions on importing left-hand drive (LHD) vehicles (where the steering wheel is on the left). Most have to be converted to right-hand drive before they can be registered and driven on the road in New Zealand. There are…
Driver training can be done either online, in-class, in-vehicle or a mix of the three. Online training: learning materials are completed using a computer, tablet or smartphone In-class: learning is done with an instructor in a classroom In-vehicle: learning is…
A truck with a drawbar trailer or full trailer (also called a dog trailer in Australia), will be connected using a drawbar and a bolt and pin coupling. Power and air is provided using suzi coils. A full trailer needs…
The loading area of a ute can either be: Wellside (with or without flat cover) Wellside with canopy Flat deck (with or without tailgate and side gates) Custom (e.g. toolboxes, kennels, racks, cages, etc) Each type of ute is loaded…
A full trailer differs from a semitrailer in that it has an A-frame drawbar attached to a dolly at the front of the trailer, rather than a kingpin and skidplate. Full trailers (also called pull trailers) are coupled using a…
If you compare a 1950s car to a 2020s car when sitting inside while driving at night, you’ll notice just how dark the 1950s car is. Modern vehicles have screens and dials which are illuminated, plus they have a plethora…
Let’s say you’re awesome at driving in reverse. Can you drive everywhere backwards? The answer is no, for several reasons. Firstly, the law states you can only drive in reverse as far as necessary to perform a manoeuvre. You will…
When decide on a career change and don’t want to drive trucks anymore, what are your options? At the moment, there’s a huge shortage of truck drivers, so experienced drivers are likely to be snapped up and there will be…
Many drivers have suffered a rollover and even more have lifted an axle or two, unaware that it happened. These drivers are frequently driving their trucks on the limit without realising it because most drivers never get rollover prevention training.…
Getting your load’s centre of gravity as low as possible and having it restrained securely are two of the three main tasks when transporting a load. The third is ensuring that you’re not overloading an axle (if you don’t know…
The majority of drivers break the speed limit. Mostly it’s deliberate, sometimes it’s accidental. Almost always, it’s not required, but very occasionally it’s to get a driver out of danger (e.g. a misjudged overtaking manoeuvre). While over 80% of drivers…
In a car with a petrol or diesel engine, the battery has a life of around 5-6 years, assuming it’s being used reasonably regularly, but there are ways in which you can reduce this, one of them being letting your…
Trucks are often classified in according to the class of licence required to drive them. A class 2 truck can have gross laden weight of 18000kg, a class 4 truck is 18000kg and over without a trailer and a class…
The most common type of Roadranger gearbox has 18 forward speeds and 4 reverse speeds. However, older trucks might have 9, 13 or 15 forward speeds and you can identify them by the style of the gearstick. Roadranger ‘boxes are…
The cab is your work area, so it needs to be safe and comfortable. A comfortable cab helps the driver avoid fatigue. Knowing how to do a pre-trip inspection means you’ll find issues with the truck before they become major…
A Roadranger gearbox is a non-synchonised or ‘crash’ gearbox found on larger American and Asian trucks (although more and more of these trucks are coming with automated manual transmissions or AMT). The most common configuration is 18-speed, but you will…
Roof racks are useful to carry long items that won’t fit in your car, van or ute. They can be used for infrequently needed items such as sporting equipment, instead of buying a much larger vehicle. When we learn to…
Utes, also called pick-up trucks and utility vehicles, are the vehicle of choice for tradespeople and farmers, plus people who get out into the rugged wilderness as either part of their job or for their hobbies. From single-cab to double-cab,…
Spotters are used in the transport and construction industry when it’s difficult to manoeuvre a vehicle or an object. Examples include: What does a spotter do? A spotter uses a set of agreed-upon hand signals to tell the driver or…
