1960's Licence Age.

Just wondering how good your memories are. I seem to recollect the legal age for a class 5 licence in NSW back in the 1960's (or whatever a semi licence was called back then) was 21. During a recent convo someone said it was 19. Who's right, or are we both wrong?

As I recall ...………..
.I got my C class ( Rigid over 2 ton) with a letter from my employer at 19 years old in the late 50s
. A trailer licence ( E class ) was 21 years old, ( that was when I got mine ), but may
have been available at 19 with special circumstances..... but ICBW...…………….
………………………..Billy...…………………...

Reckon you are both right, also got my class 5 late 60’s, had to wait until I turned 21. Your right Billy P in saying you could get a heavy rigid C licence at 19 with special circumstances, e.g. farmers son needed to drive the family rigid stock float. Was still a catch where you had to have at least two years experience heavy rigid before getting a class five. So, 19 plus 2 made 21. Class 4 was set aside for bus and or coach. Funnily enough, my late father who drove buses until he retired, taught his boss’s son to drive them, got his class 4 not long after his 20th but was only allowed to ferry an empty non-fare paying vehicle until he too turned 21. Another anomaly was that if you were a serving member of the armed forces at the time, you could waltz into the DMT and flash your service licence and get a civvy one without a test. You may have been able to get your service licence at 18, be allowed to drive rigids on the road, but still unable to actually get your civvy licence upgraded until turning 19. Strange. Dave

Got me car lie sense on my 18th B/Day
6 Months L8R drive n KW Low loader with 'L' plates on ...legally
(ol man az Jokey)
19th B/Day full articulated Lie Sense n on me own...... terrorizin the Hwys n Byways
LOL


cya

Got my class 5 at 20 in NSW with a letter from my employer. (1966).

I remember mine
Drove the KW

Same truck back then,
I went to the local cop shop. Parked on the wrong side of the road as trees overhang road on left side. Mr Police Man (Poolie) was the copper & as we all new our coppers back then came out & said "you have already failed as you have parked on the wrong side of the road. He then said & you cant drive this thing here for your test. I said Mr Poole (My employers )wife drove the truck to this position. He said words to defy this but filled in the apropriate paperwork. About 1984.

Not as long ago as some, 1974, got my licence on my birthday in the full dress clothing of my employer, they strung me out for a while in the office having a laugh at my expense. Got my artic driving Armstrong petrol inter 4 spd with empty 30ft strap at Heidelberg, just 4 months later. qualified or skilled for nothin, lucky my big brother was already interstate owner/driver took me along and showed me the ropes, pun intended, pulling Vaughan etc....
I think NSW has always been on different planet with drivers licences .

pulling a trailer for Vaughan, guess that didn’t end well?

QLD was different, got my a and c class license at 17 years and e class two weeks after my 18th birthday. Still waiting to do my first driving test!

Thank's for the info guys. Seems like it wasn't such a hard and fast rule after all back in the day, especially if you had a letter from your employer 'situation pertaining' kind of thing, something I'd never heard of. I got mine at 21 back in '82, although by then in NSW the age had been dropped to 19 for some time.