Charlotte Haye 25th May 2019

5 Tips For First Time HGV Drivers

You’ve just taken your HGV licence tests, and you’ve passed! Congratulations, you’re ready to go out into the world and become a professional HGV driver. Like any job, there will be a learning curve, and you will become better at it as time goes on. But just because you’re new at this, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t benefit from all the wisdom that’s come before you. So today, we wanted to share 5 top tips for first time HGV drivers.

Be Prepared

Proper and thorough planning is essential to your success as a HGV driver. While you might think the job is all about driving from point A to point B, in reality there are a lot of things that can go wrong, can change at the last minute, or generally cause issues. But if you’ve taken the time to thoroughly plan for each and every journey, you are much less likely to be caught out. This means you need to look at your journey and not just seen an origin point and a destination – you need to take into account rest stops, refuelling, alternative routes in case you run into an accident or bad traffic, and any stops you need to make along the way. You can use apps to help you plan your journeys, so you never need to get caught out again.

Stay Hydrated

This one might seem a little odd, but bear with us. If you want to be a good HGV driver, then you need to know how to take care of yourself. Not in a self-defence kind of way, but in a looking out for your health way. Water is essential to human survival, and dehydration can cause a lot of problems, including tiredness, dizziness and loss of alertness. All of which are bad news for an HGV driver on the road. So do yourself a favour and invest in a big, refillable water bottle, and keep it in your cab at all times, filling it up when you need to. Sip at it throughout the day rather than waiting to feel thirsty – since thirst is your body’s way of telling you it’s already dehydrated. Try to avoid fizzy drinks and coffee (more than 2 cups anyway) where you can, as these can mess with your sleep schedule and actually dehydrate you more.

Check The Height Of Your Vehicle

One of the biggest ‘newbie’ mistakes for a HGV driver is trying to take your vehicle through a gap that’s too small for it. This usually happens at bridges, and has been the cause of many photographs on the internet and annoyed community members trying to work around your crunched HGV blocking a bridge. It’s your responsibility as a HGV driver to prevent accidents and damage to your vehicle and other peoples property – including council property. So make sure you know the height (and weight) of the vehicle you’re driving, and make decisions appropriately. And if you ever think a gap is too tight – don’t try it!

Take Breaks

You will be frequently reminded by your employer that you are required to take a certain amount of breaks each shift, and those breaks have to be a set length of time. Pay attention and make sure you take them. We know how tempting it can be to just ‘work through it’, particularly if you’re running late or on a tight deadline. But the problem is, without breaks you will get tired, suffer from fatigue and not be able to do your job properly. You will also be opening up yourself and your employer to legal action, since those breaks are actually legal requirements. So when its time for your break, make sure you do actually stop the vehicle and take a break. Walk around, stretch your legs and grab a cup of coffee. And if you start feeling drowsy at any point while driving, don’t hesitate to take a break.

Communication Is Key

Being a HGV driver can be lonely, so at a bare minimum you should be keeping in touch with someone from your life regularly. But in this case, we actually mean communication with the traffic office, your end clients, and the people organising your pick-ups and drop-offs. But investing some time in building a good relationship, you will find your work runs a lot smoother. There are some easy ways to do this – like making sure you let them know if you’re going to be late, and keeping your traffic officer in the loop if they need to smooth over any issues. A little effort here can go a long way.

At Easy as HGV, we don’t just abandon our newly qualified drivers the second they get their licence. We work closely with you to ensure you are confident behind the wheel, providing support and advice as you take your first steps into a career as a HGV driver. We can even help you get your first job. If you would like to find out more, just get in touch with the team today.

Charlotte Haye

Take the first step towards your dream HGV driving career. Contact Us

Call free 0800 970 8447

Get a Quote

Why choose Easy As HGV?

We're Local

Great Value

Speedy & Helpful

Trusted