Becky Hinshelwood 17th July 2024

Which delivery jobs can I get with a Cat C Class 2 licence?

When you start your journey on a professional HGV driving course it’s worth thinking about your destination. You might plan your course based on a preference for a specific vehicle, or perhaps a certain type of driving job has caught your eye. If you’re interested in progressing or starting a driving career with a Cat C, or Class 2, HGV licence, which jobs are open to you? We look at what this licence type means, how to get qualified quickly, and what you can do with your licence once you’ve passed.

Category C Licence

So, what is a category C licence? In short, this licence entitles you to drive any rigid bodied vehicle. There is no weight limit on the rigid bodied HGV vehicles you can drive, meaning anything over the 3,500kg limit that is in place for the C1 driving licence. The only limit on the category C driving licence is on the trailing capacity, which is limited to 750kg. If you want to drive a large ‘artic’ lorry – one which has a separated cab and load on a pivoted trailer, you will need a category CE licence.

Class 2 Licence

You might have heard references to a class 2 licence and wonder where this fits in. HGV licence categories used to be split into classes, and class 2 is often thought of as the equivalent to a cat C licence. The class 2 licence related to rigid vehicles over 7.5 tonnes with more than 2 axles and allowed a drawbar trailer to be towed. There is also some overlap with the old class 3 licence due to the weight distribution. However, in common terms, when you hear reference to class 2, the nearest equivalent in modern licences is category C.

Passing your Category C Test

If you feel that driving a rigid bodied HGV is right for you, then the next stage is to get qualified! There are specific steps to this process which, when you work with an established training school, can be managed for you. We’ll outline them here, but our advisors are always on hand to help.

Enrol on a training course

You can actually do this first! At Easy as HGV, we can help you with all of the stages of paperwork, including applying for your provisional licence and booking your tests.

Apply for your provisional licence

You will need to complete and return forms D4 and D2 to the DVLA. D4 is a medical form and can be managed privately through your HGV training provider. Form D2 is where you select the category that you want to qualify in.

Theory test (Part 1)

This part is focussed on hazard perception and multiple choice decision making. You can begin studying for this stage even before you receive your provisional licence and your pass certificate is valid for 2 years.

Case studies (Part 2)

A second theory element, you must have passed this stage before taking practical tests. Your pass certificate is again valid for 2 years, during which time you must pass all practical elements to the driving test.

Off road exercises (Part 3a)

Moving on to practical elements of the test. This part is about your ability to manoeuvre the vehicle and consists of around 30 minutes of driving.

On road driving (Part 3b)

This test involves answering some safety questions and around an hour of practical driving. You must have passed part 3a before taking this test.

Practical demonstration (Part 4)

You’ll need to demonstrate your understanding of driving, safety, and the requirements of professional HGV driving. This is the most comprehensive practical test to pass.

DQC

You will be given your Driver Qualification Card (DQC) upon completion of all of the parts of your HGV driving test. This is known as the initial CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence). To renew your DQC, you will need to undertake 35 hours of training over every 5 year period. This is called periodic CPC training.

Cat C Job Roles

Once you’ve qualified with a cat C licence, there are a multitude of roles available to you. Most commonly, people who gain this licence go on to choose delivery driver based roles. We look at some here:

Multi-drop deliveries

These kinds of deliveries could be large goods to consumers, or within the B2B supply chain. They are varied roles which involve lots of interaction and activity. You’re likely to stay within a specific region for these roles, but they may involve wider journeys across the UK.

National distribution

Driver roles for national brands, such as supermarkets and other retail tend to involve deliveries across the country. They are often from warehouse to store, and so these roles are vital for the consistency of the retail supply chain.

Waste management vehicles

From refuse to recycling to garden waste, these vehicles are covered by a category C licence. Whether you’re employed by a local authority or a private supplier, you will tend to stick to a local area. This makes these cat C roles ideal if you don’t want to travel too far from home.

Home removal

With a range of distances and vehicles within these roles, the home removal industry is really varied and interesting. From challenges to cleverly load your cargo to the personal interaction involved, many people find these roles fulfilling.

Learn through your employer

Perhaps you are already employed within the logistics industry and looking to progress. From warehouse roles to smaller vehicle C1 driving roles, there is often scope to develop your driving capability. At Easy as HGV, we work with corporate partners to manage the driver training of their existing employees. This gives people the opportunity to move on in their driving careers while remaining with their current organisation. There are lots of benefits to taking this route, both for drivers and their employees.

Deliveries on all scales are crucial to the ongoing success of businesses and supply chains around the country. It’s category C drivers who are a pivotal part of this process, so it’s easy to see why this is such a popular licence category to achieve. To start your cat C driving qualification with Easy as HGV, just get in touch!

Becky Hinshelwood

Becky is a writer for Easy as HGV, specialising in creating engaging content for the HGV industry and covering a variety of topics relevant to small businesses.

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