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Becky Hinshelwood 29th January 2024

New Year, New Career: Why you should consider becoming an HGV driver

For some, the start of a new year is an ideal time to make lifestyle changes, or begin a new career path. It’s easy to feel enthusiastic about moving into something new, but often there are obstacles that can put a stop to your plans. If you feel that it’s time for a change, but are unsure what that change might be, it is probably worth considering HGV training. We look at what the benefits are to HGV driving as a career, and how easy it is to get started.

Why HGV Driver Training?

While there are many ways to begin a different career, few are as straightforward as HGV driver training. We’ll go into how to go about it next, but before we do it’s helpful to understand all of the advantages of HGV driving as a career. New drivers are getting qualified every day, and when you see the benefits of this job listed, it’s easy to see why.

Job security

In today’s global economy, there is always a requirement for goods and products to be transported around the country and beyond. HGV driving is a sector which benefits from consistent demand because of this. From large manufacturers to smaller local producers, HGV drivers are the vital link in between production and sales.

Attractive Salary

The starting salary for a qualified professional driver is around £32,000 per year. Some drivers prefer to be employed by one transport manager, others enjoy the freedom and flexibility of working to contracts. Both options bring with them good earning potential.

Fast track qualification

Training to be an HGV driver need not take very long. With fast track training courses, you could be qualified even sooner. While there are several parts to your qualification, you can begin studying for your theory tests even before you receive your provisional licence.

Varied work

No two days on the road are ever the same. As an HGV driver, you will be in a variety of different surroundings. From travelling through different areas to the logistics of non-driving work such as loading and unloading. You’ll be in contact with different customers and scenarios to keep things always fresh.

Future options

Once you have begun your career in HGV driving, there are plenty of future development options. Depending on which licence category you have started with, you may want to progress to add larger vehicle capability to your licence. Then there are specialist driving skills which demand higher salaries still. These are things like operating a hydraulic arm and boom, or transporting hazardous goods.

Skills development

As you’ll know from driving a regular vehicle, a lot of practical learning happens after you begin. From learning about the logistics industry to understanding the organisations that you work with, there are plenty of peripheral skills to take on board. You may even choose to learn to drive an HGV as an additional skill within another role entirely. This driving skill is so versatile that it is worth adding to your skill set.

How to do it

Once you have made the decision to pursue an HGV driver training qualification, there are a few simple steps to get started. The great thing is that once you enrol with a comprehensive driver training organisation, many of the steps will be prompted or managed for you. All you need to do is learn and drive!

Provisional licence

You’ll need to complete and return part D2 of the driving licence application form to the DVLA. This should specify which driver categories you want to apply to add to your licence. More on those below. You’ll send the application off with your existing photocard licence and receive your provisional licence within 21 days. There’s no charge for this.

Driver medical

The second part of the application form, D4, that must be returned to the DVLA is filled in by a GP or private medical firm. This is the result of the medical that must take place in order to qualify as an HGV driver. A GP may charge for this service.

Licence categories

The thing to remember with HGV driver licence categories is that the higher the category, the greater the variety of vehicles you will be entitled to drive. This is a basic summary of the different categories that vehicles fall into:

C1 – A rigid bodied vehicle between 3,500kg – 7,500kg maximum authorised mass (MAM). This includes a trailer up to 750kg.
C – Any rigid bodied vehicle over 3,500 kg plus a trailer up to 750kg.
C1E – An extension of the trailing allowance of C1 to loads over 750kg. The combined MAM must not exceed 12000kg
CE – This is the highest level category for HGV drivers before you move into specialist qualifications. It is an extension of the towing capacity of a C category licence above 750kg.

CPC process

The driver CPC is a legal requirement for professional HGV drivers. It is an ongoing status that must be maintained by 35 hours of periodic training every 5 years. Here at Easy as HGV we ensure that this ongoing support is at your fingertips so you never fall behind. Your initial tests are as follows:

Theory (part 1) –You can begin studying before you receive your provisional licence. Your pass certificate is valid for 2 years.
Case studies (part 2) – Again, you have 2 years to complete the remaining tests after this additional theory based test.
Off road exercises (part 3a) – This test lasts around 30 minutes and you must have passed part 2 before you can take this test.
On road driving (part 3b) – You must have passed part 3a before taking this test. It involves safety questions and around an hour of driving.
Practical demonstration (part 4) – This is the most intensive test and covers 5 areas of the CPC syllabus. We’ll make sure that you have had plenty of practice and are fully prepared before taking this final test.

Now is the time to kick start your new career in HGV driving. Even if you’re unsure about which driving category is right for you, the most important step is to get in touch. At Easy as HGV we can advise and support you through the whole process from start to finish.

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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