A booking agent has a Monday move from Townsville to Kalgoorlie and three pilots who say they are available. One holds a Queensland Level 2, one a Victorian certified pilot licence, and one has piloted for years in New South Wales without any accreditation at all. Which of them can do which leg is a licensing question before it is a scheduling one.
This article explains how to get a pilot vehicle licence or accreditation in each state and territory, what training and experience each one asks for, and what records you need to keep. It draws on the state road authorities’ pages and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) information sheet on pilot and escort recognition (March 2026). Requirements change, so check the authority’s current page before you apply. This is not legal advice.
Where no accreditation is needed
New South Wales, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory have no pilot accreditation, according to the NHVR summary, which lists a provisional licence or above as the driver licence requirement there. Courses are still offered, and some clients ask for training, so keep your certificates on file. Queensland also lets an agricultural vehicle be piloted without accreditation unless the notice or permit asks for a Level 1 or Level 2 pilot.
Queensland: Level 1 pilot and Level 2 escort vehicle driver
The Department of Transport and Main Roads accredits two levels.
- Level 1 pilot vehicle driver. Warns other road users of an oversize vehicle. You need an open Australian or New Zealand driver licence (or a past open licence and a current probationary or restricted car licence), and either a statement of attainment for unit TLIC3010, Pilot or escort oversized and/or overmass loads, or a pass in the written knowledge test at a customer service centre. You apply on form F4483.
- Level 2 escort vehicle driver. Can also perform traffic control. You need a current Level 1 accreditation and a Level 2 escort vehicle driver statement of attainment. The NHVR summary lists a minimum of 12 trips of experience for Level 2.
Both accreditations last three years. Accredited drivers must carry their industry authority card, plus their pilot and escort movement record book, show the card to the driver of the oversize vehicle and the other pilots before the journey, and record most journeys in the record book.
Victoria: Level 1, probationary certified pilot and certified pilot vehicle driver
Transport Victoria describes two levels. A Level 1 pilot needs a full driver licence and a vehicle that complies with the Heavy Vehicle National Law.
Level 2 starts as a probationary certified pilot, who can pilot loads from 3.51 to 5.0 metres wide and 26.01 to 35.0 metres long. To become a certified pilot vehicle driver, you need:
- a probationary certified pilot licence
- at least 12 months of oversize piloting, including at least 20 oversize load movements in the previous 12 months
- a compliant vehicle
- five units of competency through a registered training organisation, including TLIF3060, Control traffic as a pilot vehicle operator.
The certified pilot authority is renewed every five years, with a TLIF3060 refresher and evidence of at least 40 oversize load movements in the previous five years, recorded on Victoria’s record of movement. Check the current application and renewal fee on the Transport Victoria site. The NHVR’s national summary gives a different movement count for Victoria, so go by Transport Victoria’s current guidelines.
Tasmania
The NHVR summary lists Level 2 accreditation for Tasmania, with the same core units as Victoria and a minimum of 40 oversize load movements in three years. Tasmania’s 2022 pilot and escort guideline says the state recognises the Victorian certified pilot authority rather than issuing its own card, and that its pilots do not have authority to direct traffic. Check with Transport Services Tasmania before you rely on either.
Northern Territory
First-time pilots apply with training certificates, two work references, a current criminal history check and a C class licence, and must be able to pilot loads from 3.5 metres up to and including 4.5 metres wide. An accredited pilot must be able to pilot loads up to and including 5.5 metres wide, and needs a Certificate III in Transport and Logistics covering the pilot units, plus at least 10 piloting jobs on loads wider than 4.5 metres. Escort operators are appointed separately.
Western Australia: the Heavy Vehicle Pilot Licence
Since 2016, every heavy vehicle pilot in Western Australia has needed a Heavy Vehicle Pilot Licence from Main Roads Western Australia. To apply, you need:
- a current non-probationary Australian driver licence
- a commercial driver fitness-to-drive medical done in the last six months
- a statement of attainment for a Western Australian heavy vehicle pilot course, including bridge supervision, from the last 12 months.
The licence lasts three years; check the current fee on the Main Roads Western Australia site. Renewal needs a refresher certificate from the last 12 months and a new medical. Western Australia does not recognise other states’ pilots, and its code of conduct requires a record of movement.
Interstate pilots
Victoria and Tasmania recognise Level 2 pilots from Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia who hold a current qualification and have done the TLIF3060 refresher in the last three years. Queensland lets pilots from states without accreditation do Level 1 work only on journeys that began outside Queensland. The detail is in pilot vehicle requirements by state.
Keep the move log as you go
Level 2 in most states, and renewal in Victoria, depend on counting moves. Queensland has its movement record book, Victoria and Western Australia have record of movement forms, and the Northern Territory asks for a logbook or other proof of loads piloted. Filling them in from memory at renewal time is how moves go missing.
How OpsChase tracks licences and moves
In OpsChase pilot vehicle software, each pilot’s Queensland Level 1 or Level 2, Victorian certified pilot or Western Australian licence, plus driver licence, medical, insurance and vehicle registration, is kept on file for your business so the team can check it before booking. Every completed move goes into the pilot’s logbook with its date, route, load width and role, and pilots can export it. Check with your road authority what evidence they need.
OpsChase is independent software and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NHVR or any road authority.
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