HR Test Day NSW: Complete Walkthrough

The shape of the day

A typical NSW HR competency assessment runs 90 to 120 minutes start to finish. It is a practical drive with a Transport for NSW accredited assessor, usually conducted in your training school's truck on routes the school knows well.

• Part 1 — Pre-trip inspection (15 min)
• Part 2 — Low-speed manoeuvres (15–20 min)
• Part 3 — On-road drive (45–60 min)
• Part 4 — Debrief + result (10 min)

No written theory test at HR — your existing MR or C licence already covered that.

1. Pre-trip inspection

You walk the assessor around the truck and call out what you check. The assessor is looking for:

• Tyres — wall condition, tread, valve caps, cross-thread of double rears
• Under the cab — oil, coolant, brake fluid, steering reservoir
• Lights — headlights, indicators, brake lights, clearance lights, reversing
• Mirrors — clean, correctly set, no cracks
• Air brake build-up (should reach cut-out pressure before you move)
• Service, park and emergency brake checks
• Load securement points if applicable

Fail point people miss: pulling out of the yard with the parking brake still engaged, or moving before air pressure reaches cut-out. Both are automatic fails.

2. Low-speed manoeuvres

At the school's yard or a nearby depot. You will typically be asked to:

• Reverse into a marked 90-degree bay on the driver side
• Reverse into a bay on the passenger side (harder — less mirror visibility)
• Perform a controlled U-turn within two lane widths
• Demonstrate a hill start (or a simulated one) without roll-back

The assessor is watching for controlled speed, proper mirror checks, not running wheels over the boundary and not rolling back on inclines. Stop, pull the brake, sort yourself out — they would rather see a clean reset than a fumbled save.

3. On-road drive

You drive a mix of road types for 45 to 60 minutes. In south-west Sydney that usually means:

• Local industrial streets (Prestons, Chipping Norton, Moorebank)
• Main arterial (Camden Valley Way, Hume Highway)
• Motorway section on M5 or M7
• Roundabouts, intersections, school zones

The assessor gives directions as you drive — they never trick you, but they do not help either. Top things they score:

• Lane discipline (staying central, not drifting)
• Gap selection when merging or turning right
• Mirror checks every 8 to 10 seconds
• Smooth gear shifts without missed changes
• Braking early and progressively, not late and hard
• Exhaust brake use on downhill grades
• Speed awareness in changing zones (school, roadwork)

4. What causes a fail

Most HR fails are not one big mistake — they are a pattern of small ones. The common clean-fail moments:

• Running a stop sign or failing to give way
• Hitting a kerb during reversing or cornering
• Exceeding the speed limit at any point
• Rolling back more than 30 cm on a hill start
• Not completing the pre-trip in a meaningful way
• Assessor having to physically intervene with the brake

5. The 24 hours before

• Sleep at least 7 hours
• Do not drink alcohol in the preceding evening
• Eat a proper breakfast with protein
• Bring photo ID, your existing licence and any medical paperwork
• Dress in comfortable long pants and enclosed shoes (some assessors require it)
• Arrive 15 minutes early

6. The debrief

The assessor tells you the result on the spot. If you pass, you get a receipt and a temporary digital licence. If you do not pass, they talk you through the specific items to work on and your school can re-book typically within 7 to 14 days.

7. Our pass rate and why it matters

Melissa Truck Driving School sits at a 99 percent first attempt pass rate. One rule: we do not put a student forward for the assessment until we are genuinely confident they are ready. If your reversing is not clean, your lesson 4 becomes reversing practice, not more assessment rehearsal.

See our full Heavy Rigid course details or read the MR to HR upgrade guide.