I’m on the Central Coast (Gosford), working casual hospitality while saving. With the September long weekend coming, I want to plan a tight budget. Between the knowledge test fee, course days, practical test, medical, and any retests, what’s the real end-to-end cost people are paying here—no sugar-coating? Do Coast providers bundle practice hours or charge per attempt? Additionally, do weekday sessions save money compared to Saturdays? I’m factoring in train fares to Tuggerah and lost income from shifts. A clear breakdown (including “gotchas” like reschedule fees) would really help me not blow my savings.

Totally get where you’re coming from, I had the same worry when I was saving up for my truck licence NSW requirements, a couple of months back. I’m also on the Central Coast and didn’t want to blow my pay on hidden extras. For me, it ended up being just over two grand all up, once I counted the course, the knowledge test, the medical, and a reschedule fee (I had to move a Saturday booking, which stung a bit). Weekday sessions were slightly cheaper and easier to lock in, but I lost a couple of shifts, so it kind of balanced out. One thing that helped me plan properly was checking out Core Truck Driving School – their site had the clearest breakdown of costs I found, and it gave me a ballpark figure before I booked. It might be worth a look if you’re budgeting tight.