Can you drive a truck on a car licence?

If you’re a tradie or a commercial vehicle fleet operator, chances are you might be utilising various dual-cab utes as a daily workhorse.

And while Australia’s car market is flooded with an abundance of work vehicles ranging from sedans, SUVs and, of course, dual-cab utes, you might be surprised to know that light-duty trucks can be added to a growing list of vehicles that could be used at a work site or for weekend chores.

But do you need a special licence to drive a truck in Australia? Here’s what you need to know.

Yes, you can drive a truck on a standard Australian car licence. Across all states and territories, a normal car licence comes with a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) – the maximum weight the car can carry without towing –  limit of 4.5 tonnes.

While a vast majority of new cars fall under the 4500kg GVM criteria, you might be surprised to know a range of light-duty trucks also fit the bill, so long as it's not exceed that 4500kg upper weight limit for a standard car licence. This means that, depending on your work needs, you could be eligible to drive a truck without needing a special licence.

Though dual-cab utes offer the versatility of being used as a traditional family vehicle, some truck brands are targeting Australian workers who need a workhorse that’s capable of transporting a larger payload.

Speaking at a media presentation, Andrew Harbison, Isuzu Australia Limited’s director and chief operating officer, told Drive that dual-cab buyers are an important customer base for the brand.

“That’s [dual-cab] a market that we’ve been targeting for some time now. The car driver’s licence market makes up 25 per cent of our total sales,” the executive said.

“We see a massive opportunity in moving people from those lifestyle-type vehicles into a true light-duty truck that gives them the flexibility of being able to carry the type of payloads that they’re looking for,” Harbinson told Drive.

There are multiple light-duty truck models from Isuzu, Hyundai, Fuso and Hino that meet the 4.5t GVM criteria for a normal car licence.

In the case of Isuzu Trucks, its N Series light-duty range is the marque’s most popular model, with the manufacturer accruing 1984 sales between April 2024 and April 2025.

While the brand acknowledged that it will never replace dual-cab utes as a family vehicle, Isuzu Trucks is instead aiming to shift workers away from pick-ups to light-duty trucks for work vehicles.  

An Isuzu Trucks spokesperson confirmed the brand’s N Series range is primarily targeting a broad range of customers “from tradespeople and small businesses, through to government and corporate fleets”.

To better accommodate general drivers, the next generation of the Isuzu Trucks N Series line-up features a more “car-like” interior to make the driving experience more familiar to the everyday person.

“Functional items such as steering wheel controls for the infotainment and a dash information screen layout make the driver feel like they are in
an environment similar to a passenger vehicle, while the new nine-speed dual-clutch transmission is also car-like.

“The design philosophy is as much about attracting drivers to the industry and help take away the ‘unknowns’ of driving a light truck,” an Isuzu Trucks spokesperson told Drive.

Additionally, various Isuzu Trucks executives said safety was a key priority for the brand, and the next-generation N Series features a suite of new technologies such as various alerts ranging from attention, intersection, and front cross-traffic, with Isuzu's advanced driver assistance systems coming as standard.

Though the Japanese marque has remained tight-lipped on pricing and official measurements for the next generation N Series, its current line starts from $67,698 before on-road costs for the NLR light-duty truck before extending to the range-topping NQR, which comes with a $118,926 retail sticker.

Depending on the state and territory, acquiring a heavy vehicle licence comes with a range of different criteria and restrictions, such as a driver's age, driving tests, years of driving experience, and the number of seats in the vehicle in order to be deemed eligible.

A driver who uses a vehicle with a GVM rating between 4.5 to 8.0t must have a Light Rigid (LR) licence across all Australian states and territories. In order to be deemed eligible for a LR licence, applicants must have held a normal car licence for at least a year.

One step above is the Medium Rigid (MR) licence class, which relates to drivers who drive a vehicle that exceeds a GVM rating of 8000kg.

While the eligibility criteria can differ depending on the state or territory, generally speaking, you must have held a normal car licence for at least 12 months and/or must pass a range of tests to receive an MR licence.

A Heavy Rigid (HR) licence applies to vehicles that have a GVM rating exceeding 8 tonnes and have three or more axles. Depending on where you live, you must have your normal car licence for at least a year and/or must complete driver training before you're eligible for a HR licence.

One grade up is the Heavy Combination (HC) licence, which relates to vehicles attached with a semi-trailer that has an 800kg GVM limit. Drivers must have held an MR/HR licence for at least a year to be deemed eligible for the HC class.

Additionally, some states like New South Wales require motorists to pass a range of driving tests before they can receive their HC licence.

Finally, the Multi Combination (MC) licence encompasses any car and vehicle combination (like a truck and a trailer) except for motorcycles. This licence class generally requires drivers to hold an HR and/or HC licence for at least a year before they're deemed eligible for the MC class.

Surprisingly, some utes and vans have a GVM rating exceeding the 4.5t limit on a traditional car licence.

For example, some variants of oversized dual-cab utes like the RAM 3500 Laramie Crew Cab (5352kg GVM) and the Chevrolet Silverado HD (5148kg GVM), as well as the Volkswagen Crafter TDI410 van and cab-chassis (5500kg), require drivers to hold a Light Rigid licence before they're legally allowed to be driven on local roads.

Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.

Read more about Ethan Cardinal