Class 4 heavy vehicle licence
Class 4 principally covers rigid vehicles over 18,000kg GLW, including a heavy rigid towing a light trailer up to the official limit. It includes classes 1 and 2, not class 3. Before class 4 learner, hold full class 2 for six months if under 25, or three months if 25+ unless an approved accelerated learner course applies. Full class 4 is gained by learner plus practical, or by an approved course.
The heavy-vehicle overview places class 4 on the rigid branch. A job title such as “truck driver” does not confirm it: obtain the vehicle's gross laden weight, axle and trailer details and compare them with NZTA's current class table.
Scope and the class 3 trap
The core class 4 entitlement covers rigid vehicles over 18,000kg GLW and a heavy rigid vehicle towing a light trailer within the defined limit. It carries classes 1 and 2, but not class 3. That omission is deliberate: class 3 is a medium combination entitlement rather than a lower rung on the rigid path.
Special-type and agricultural vehicles have additional weight, speed and endorsement rules. Do not use the general class 4 sentence as the whole answer for a loader, tractor or other plant.
Eligibility for class 4 learner
Hold full class 2 for the required period. Under 25, the current period is six months. At 25 or over, it is three months, and NZTA provides an approved accelerated learner course that can remove that three-month wait.
The learner application includes the applicable heavy theory test and current identity, eyesight, medical and fee steps. Practise only under the class 4 learner conditions in a vehicle that matches the learning and assessment plan.
Practical or course route
The ordinary full route is six months holding class 4 learner followed by the practical test. An approved full class 4 course is the alternative and removes that separate wait and practical-test requirement.
If an employer ultimately needs class 5, build the vehicle access and course dates as one plan. Full class 4 is the prerequisite, but full class 5 still has its own learner eligibility and full- class step.
Class 4 alone does not authorise passenger service, dangerous goods or every special-type vehicle. List the work as well as the truck and add P, D, W or another endorsement where the current rules require it.
Frequently asked questions
What can I drive with class 4?
Do I need class 3 before class 4?
Is class 4 required before class 5?
Can an approved course replace the practical test?
Sources and verification
- NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi. Heavy vehicle full licence, checked 2026-08-12.
- NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi. Heavy vehicle learner licence, checked 2026-08-12.
- NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi. Approved heavy vehicle courses, checked 2026-08-12.
- NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi. New Zealand driver licence classes — what you can drive, checked 2026-08-12.
Checked against the sources above. If something has changed, tell us.