News

How to become a HGV driver – what you need to know

If you’re looking for a new career that can provide a secure income and a high level of job satisfaction, then you might want to think about Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) driving. This is a much sought after and rewarding job, transporting essential cargo and goods to manufacturing plants and locations across the UK.

But before you get started, you need to be aware of the training and driving qualifications needed to become a HGV driver. You must be over 18 years of age and possess a full UK driving licence and complete certain steps before applying for a lorry driver job. And to be correctly insured to drive, you must have held certain licences for up to six months, so the sooner you qualify the better!

The route to your HGV licence

There are a number of things you need to be able to apply for a HGV driver job:

• – First and foremost, you have to apply for your provisional HGV licence, as part of this process, you will then need a driver medical, the driver medical is carried out by a Doctor, who will check your general health to ensure you are fit to drive an HGV. You can book a medical with a specialist provider or use your own GP. Alternatively, ask a local training company for a recommendation, or see if they offer a package that includes a medical. Some companies offer HGV driver medicals for as little as £50. your doctor must fill in and complete a medical D4 form to show that you are fit to drive
• – You will need to obtain a full driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) to legally drive a HGV vehicle, which is categorised as being over 3500kg or 3.5 tonnes in weight
• – To obtain your CPC, you’ll need to pass four tests: theory, case study, driving ability and practical demonstration. This is known as Initial CPC, once obtained this will be renewed by completing 35 hours of periodic training over a five-year period.
• – Next step would to be to receive training for the lower HGV category Cat C before moving on to adding +E

The different types of HGV licence

It’s important to also be aware of the different HGV licence types which are dependent on the weight of the vehicle. The four main ones are:

• – Cat C1 allows you to drive a vehicle of over 3500kg but must be under 7500kg in gross weight (with or without a trailer of no more than 750kg). If you obtained your driver’s licence prior to 1997, you would already qualify for a C1 licence under Grandfather rights.
• – Cat C1 + E allows you to tow a larger trailer of over 750kg, as long as the combined MAM (Maximum authorised mass) does not Exceed 12 tonnes in total if taken by means of testing, Restrictions are in place limiting trailers to 750kgs combined MAM of 8250kgs if gained under grandfather rights this would be indicated by a 107-restriction code on licence.
• – Cat C or Class 2 is the most popular and entry level HGV licence and enables you to drive vehicles around town that have a rigid body base of over 7500kg with a trailer up to 750kg.
• – Cat C + E or Class 1 is the most comprehensive licence mainly for long haul trips and covers a vehicle over 3500kg or 3.5 tonnes with a trailer weighing more than 750kg. This allows you to drive a fully articulated vehicle, the largest in the HGV industry.

Skills needed to become a HGV driver

HGV drivers must be able to focus for long periods given the significant journey times. As well as enjoying driving, you must also be organised and efficient, as there are deadlines to meet and paperwork to be filed. Even though it’s for people who like to be independent, soft skills such as communication are key in HGV jobs as you’re dealing with customers and people.

HGV drivers can often work irregular hours so that’s something you need to consider when looking at working in this field. That being said, though, given the nature of the work, EU regulations stipulate that drivers cannot drive for any more than ten hours in any given day twice a week and then are restricted to a maximum of 9 hours for the rest of their week. A maximum of 56 hours per week and 90 hours a fortnight as well as following the restrictions on their overall duty hours per day/week. They must have at least 45 minutes of rest after every four and a half hours of accumulative driving as well as meeting WTD (Working time directive rest break legislation). Although the company that employs an HGV driver would provide roadside vehicle assistance, individuals are expected to know about vehicle safety questions and maintenance procedures in case of breakdown.

Once equipped with your driver CPC and licence, you can embark on your HGV driving career and apply for permanent and temporary driving roles. It’s a job that is always in demand, gives you the chance to travel or work anywhere in the UK and commands a competitive salary!

But you must first ensure that you’ve completed the steps highlighted above. To find out more about our Driving/Transport expertise, including information about our CPC driver training courses, speak to one of our specialist consultants today.

Contact us now