FAQs – Wheels, Tracks & Rollers (WTR) Course

The competency licence is valid for 3 years. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 employers you must ensure employees are trained and competent in the job they are doing. The higher the risk of serious/fatal injury, the higher the penalty. The WTR competency licence provides this proof of competency.

You need to have your T Endorsement if it is operated on Tracks, a W Endorsement if it is operated on Wheels. We do both AND provide a competency licence to provide proof of competency as per Health and Safety at Work Act requirements.

No, you can do your WTR Endorsement on a Restricted NZ Drivers Licence, you just can't have it endorsed on to your drivers licence until you achieve your full licence.

Sign up to a WTR course with ASWEFA and you will not only achieve your WTR Endorsements but also a competency licence to meet the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Acts of providing proof of training you are competent.

Wheels, Tracks, Rollers are the motive the machinery runs on. Wheels machinery are like dump trucks and loaders, Tracks are like diggers/excavators and Rollers are your roadworking and landscaping machines that run on rollers.

WTR stands for Wheels - Tracks - Rollers machinery. Often a digger comes under tracks as it moves on tracks. Often a loader comes under Wheels as it has wheels to move on.

Join us on one of our WTR Courses and we will have you competent on a digger in no time!

If you only need one of the three endorsements the cost for an experienced operator is $329+GST. If you want Wheels, Tracks and Rollers the cost is $399 + GST (whether you do 2 or 3). If you are a beginner needing practical training in our pit the cost is $599 + GST.

It stands for Wheels Endorsement (W), Tracks Endorsement (T) and Roller Endorsement (R). These are endorsements put on your New Zealand Drivers Licence to show you can operate this equipment. Please note, although the endorsements don’t expire if your drivers licence remains current the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 requires the person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) to ensure drivers are trained AND COMPETENT and training done 10 years does not provide this. This can result in hefty fines (even prison) if a serious accident was to occur due to the driver not being competent.

Road works, Earthmoving/Landscaping, Construction/Demolition, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Retail

If you don’t have authority a company can say you where using it without their permission. On the flip side, just because someone has a licence doesn’t mean the company wants them to use their equipment (ie a contractor). There may be rules regarding their site and product that the contractor is not aware of. Ultimately it is the PCBU of that site that will be scrutinized in the event of an accident in regards to ensuring a safe environment is maintained. This is a step in ensuring safety.

You need a Restricted or Full New Zealand Drivers Licence to complete the WTR Endorsements. You won't be able to endorse your New Zealand Drivers Licence until your restricted licence is changed over to a Full licence. You will need to convert your overseas drivers licence to a Restricted or Full New Zealand Licence before you can do these endorsements.

WTR stands for Wheels Endorsement (W), Tracks Endorsement (T), Roller Endorsement (R). This covers you using this speciality machinery on the road. A tracks is known as a digger or excavator, skidsteer (with tracks), a wheels is known as a loader, skidsteer (with wheels)...although there are many varieties of machines covered under this licence.

No, the Endorsement is only able to be validated on to a Full New Zealand Drivers Licence. You need to convert your licence to a New Zealand Drivers Licence first.

You are able to undergo the training towards the end of your Restricted Licence period but it is not validated until you update it on to your Full New Zealand Drivers licence.

At least 15 years old for a worksite WTR competency licence - the Health and Safety Act 1995 section 56 states that no employee under the age of 15 can work with any machinery in a place of work. You need a Restricted or Full New Zealand Drivers Licence to get the WTR Endorsements.

Your competency licence meets the Health and Safety at Work Act requirements as proof of training that you are trained and competent for the task you are doing. The higher the risk of serious harm or fatality, the more intensive the training needs to be. There are standards of training that have been created to ensure the training meets a regulated criteria. ASWEFA’s training is moderated and all instructors are individually registered to ensure this. If the person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) does not ensure drivers are trained and competent they can personally be fined and held liable.

As long as your drivers licence remains valid it too is valid. It is transferable to your new licence when you update every 10 years.

It is valid for 3 years.