National Certificate in Heavy Haulage (Class 1 Pilot)

This qualification is for people who work, or intend to work, in the heavy haulage industry as a Class 1 certified pilot. It recognises that the holder has the knowledge and skills for the safe, lawful, and efficient driving by road of a pilot vehicle while piloting trips involving specialist heavy haulage combination vehicles with overdimension and overweight loads requiring a Class 1 pilot.

The holder will be able to carry out the duties of a Class 1 or Class 2 pilot, including preparing for piloting a trip, managing route hazards and providing warnings, directing load convoy and other traffic, and communicating with other traffic. The holder will also be able to select and record routes, apply risk assessment and reduction techniques and strategies under a range of driving conditions, and demonstrate knowledge of permits and consents required for transporting a heavy haulage load.

In addition, the holder will have demonstrated a range of knowledge and skills that are relevant both to pilot and heavy haulage driver safety, and the safety of other road users who encounter piloted overweight and overdimension vehicles on the road. The qualification also provides the opportunity for the holder to include driving and commercial road transport knowledge and skills that reflect individual and/or organisational needs.

This qualification reflects the unique needs of the industry sector, and provides a qualification for drivers who may regard piloting specialist heavy haulage vehicles as a significant career milestone. Award of this qualification may be used as evidence to support an application to Land Transport New Zealand to become a Class 1 certified pilot.

This qualification shares some units standards with, and can lead on to, the National Certificate in Heavy Haulage (Transportation) with an optional strand in Abnormal Loads [Ref: 1354], which is intended for drivers of specialist heavy haulage vehicles.

This qualification does not permit the holder to drive a heavy motor vehicle on New Zealand roads. To legally drive a heavy motor vehicle, the driver must be the holder of a current full driver licence applicable to the class of vehicle being used, issued by Land Transport New Zealand.

MITO is part of Te Pūkenga Work Based Learning, a subsidiary of Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology.

We facilitate training for the automotive, commercial road transport, extractives, gas, and logistics industries. We work with learners, their employers and training providers, to ensure people get the best possible opportunities to learn and advance their career, while developing a skilled workforce for the industries we serve.

To enrol in a MITO training programme you must be employed in one of the industries that MITO supports and your employer must be able to support your training, as you will complete your qualification on-the-job. This means you will be learning and earning!