Rigid Trucks are also commonly used to pull trailers. Rigid Trucks also typically have between two and five axles and GVMs between 3.5 and 33.5 tonnes. These may be fitted with a wide variety of body types. Above 4.5 tonnes are classified as a ‘Heavy Vehicle’ and require drivers to have the appropriate heavy vehicle licenses.įigure 1 - Two Axle Rigid Truck (Diagram by NHVR)įigure 2 - Three Axle Rigid Truck (Diagram by NHVR) Most of the trucks in Australia are Rigid Trucks, starting at a Gross Vehicle Mass (‘GVM’: the maximum legal total weight of the vehicle and its load) of around 3.5 tonnes and are driveable on a car license. This blog can be used to educate new employees on the basic grouping of truck types and the different ways a particular truck might be described. For someone new to transport, understanding the variety of different vehicles used can be quite overwhelming.