Five jobs on the Saturday board, one Class 3 licence
Su'a holds a full Class 3 licence issued 14 months ago and still holds a current Class 2. He works for an Auckland furniture removal firm and is running Saturday dispatch. Five jobs are on the board.
- Job A: the company's 2019 Isuzu rigid, GLM 23,500 kg, carrying 11,000 kg of furniture.
- Job B: the same Isuzu towing the company box trailer (trailer GLM 4,800 kg, loaded to 4,300 kg), combination total 28,600 kg.
- Job C: a hired articulated tractor and semi-trailer, GLM 32,000 kg, to shift a two-container house lot.
- Job D: the manager's ute, GLM 3,500 kg, towing a 2,000 kg GLM box trailer, combined 5,500 kg.
- Job E: the firm's older rigid, GLM 17,900 kg.
Su'a has never driven an articulated truck. The firm's insurance policy names him as a driver for the rigid fleet only.
1. For each of the five jobs, state whether Su'a can drive it on his Class 3 licence and why.
Read the worked answer
- A - yes. A rigid vehicle with a GLM over 18,000 kg is the core of Class 3. 23,500 kg is squarely inside it.
- B - yes. Class 3 allows a heavy rigid to tow a trailer with a GLM of up to 5,000 kg. The trailer is 4,800 kg, so the combination is legal even though it totals 28,600 kg. The trailer's GLM is the number that matters, not the combination total.
- C - no. An articulated combination at 32,000 kg is a Class 5 vehicle. It is outside Class 3 and also outside Class 4, which tops out at 25,000 kg combination.
- D - yes. A 5,500 kg combination is a Class 1 vehicle, and holding a higher class covers the lower classes.
- E - yes. At 17,900 kg the old truck is a Class 2 vehicle, which a Class 3 holder may drive.
So A, B, D and E are available on paper. C is not a paperwork problem he can solve by being careful - he has never driven articulated and would need training before a practical test anyway.
2. What changes if the trailer in Job B is loaded to 5,400 kg GLM, still within the trailer's own rating?
Read the worked answer
Job B moves out of Class 3 entirely. The dividing line is the trailer's GLM, not the combination total: Class 3 permits a towed vehicle of up to 5,000 kg GLM only. Once the trailer exceeds 5,000 kg behind a combination over 18,000 kg, the unit becomes a Class 4 combination and Su'a would be driving unlicensed at 5,400 kg.
There is a second check that matters as much as the licence. The Isuzu's gross combination mass and the towbar and coupling ratings must cover 23,500 kg plus 5,400 kg. A truck rated to tow 3,500 kg is not made legal by putting a Class 4 driver in it, and overloading a coupling is a mechanical failure risk, not just a compliance one. The practical answers are: reload the trailer to stay under 5,000 kg GLM, or hand Job B to a Class 4 driver in a vehicle rated for the combination.
3. Job C still has to be covered. What is the shortest realistic licensing pathway for Su'a, and what should he check about the hire vehicle?
Read the worked answer
Job C needs Class 5. Assuming no disqualifications or medical issues:
- Class 4 now. He has already held Class 3 for well over the three-month minimum, so he is eligible to sit the Class 4 theory and practical immediately. Class 4 covers heavy combinations up to 25,000 kg.
- Class 5 after that. He must then hold Class 4 for at least three months before Class 5 can be issued, and Class 5 is what covers combinations over 25,000 kg. So the realistic timeframe is about three months plus test bookings - Job C on Saturday is not achievable.
Separately, he should check with the hire company. Many require a minimum age, a minimum period on the class, and evidence of articulated experience, and the hire vehicle carries its own RUC licence that may not cover the weight of a house-moving load. His employer's insurer also names him for rigid fleet only, so the cover question needs answering before he drives anything articulated.