Becky Hinshelwood 27th March 2024

What are the different HGV licence types available to me?

Navigating a career within the professional driving industry requires an understanding of the different licence types available. Whether you’re looking for your first career after full time education, transitioning from another career, or are an experienced professional driver looking to broaden your capabilities. It’s helpful to really understand both the types of HGV licence and the training and qualification process. We’ll go through the how, what and when of HGV licence attainment.

Provisional HGV Driving licence

The first part of the process is to apply for a provisional HGV licence. You will need to decide which category of HGV licence you want to apply for at this stage. If you’re still unsure after reading our guide, our Easy as HGV advisors are on hand to support you along the way. The provisional HGV licence application is made of two forms, D2 (the licence application) and D4 (the medical form). You’ll send these to the DVLA with your current UK driving licence. You must be at least 18 years old and a GP or authorised medical professional must complete your medical form.

Understanding HGV Licence Categories

It’s important to be confident in your decision of the HGV licence category to include on your provisional licence. The key thing to remember is that higher driving categories also entitle you to drive smaller vehicles. This gives you more flexibility in the long term.

Category C1

The category C1 licence enables you to drive vehicles that have a Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) of over 3,500 kilograms but do not exceed 7,500 kilograms. This covers smaller vehicles which are rigid bodied.

Category C

Category C allows you to drive rigid bodied vehicles over 3,500kg with a trailer up to 750kg. The old classification of HGV Class 2 covers this category, giving you access to a broad range of career opportunities.

Category C+E

The ‘Articulated Vehicle’ category, or Category C+E, expands on the privileges of a Category C licence, permitting you to drive lorries over 3,500kg with a trailer over 750kg MAM. For most heavy haulage and long-distance driving roles, obtaining this licence is essential.

The Testing Process

Of course, deciding which HGV licence category to include on your provisional licence isn’t the end of the story. The most important part is taking on your training and passing all of the required tests. There are several parts to the HGV driving test process.

Theory Tests

You can begin studying for your theory tests immediately, and book them as soon as you have your provisional licence. The theory sides of HGV testing are made up of multiple choice and hazard perception tests which cover road safety, handling goods vehicles, and the highway code. In addition you’ll take a case study test which is multiple choice.

Practical Tests

You have up to 2 years to complete practical tests after passing your theory tests. There are 3 practical tests: road exercises, on road driving and practical demonstration. By learning your skills with an established driver training school like Easy as HGV, you will enter these tests calm and confident.

CPC

With all of the HGV driving tests completed, you will have achieved your Driver CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence). You will be given a DQC (Driver Qualification Card) which you must keep to hand and be ready to provide on request. The journey doesn’t end there, though. To retain your DQC you must complete 35 hours of CPC training over each 5 year period.

Periodic CPC Training

Each 5 year period must see you must complete 35 hours of training. This is designed to ensure that your knowledge remains current and that you are abreast of new issues and skill sets. As a complete training provider, at Easy as HGV, we have a range of learning options, both in person and online, so that you can stay on top of CPC training requirements.

Specialist HGV Licences

Let’s say you’ve passed your category C+E test and have been driving professionally for a while. Or maybe you’re planning your future career and want to know what development opportunities are available to you beyond category C+E driving. There are a range of specific additional qualifications you can pursue in order to specialise your driving, and often command a higher salary.

ADR

An ADR licence is an international agreement that ensures that hazardous goods are transported safely across borders. Within the UK, ‘The European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road’ is the legislation that governs this requirement. To obtain an ADR licence, you must complete a training course that covers the transportation of hazardous goods. This training course will instil drivers with the knowledge and skills they need to safely transport dangerous goods or substances. Drivers with an ADR licence can earn on average £10,000 more per year than a driver with a standard HGV licence.

HIAB

This licence speciality entitles you to operate a Hydraulic Arm and Boom, or lorry mounted crane. A HIAB can work with a variety of attachments, which means that its use is widely ranging. You may find hooks, brick grabs, clamshell buckets, grapplers, pallet forks, and even more specialised accessories affixed to the arm. You will commonly find this vehicle required in construction or development industries, bulky goods to domestic and commercial premises, or forestry and land management operations. Also, the waste and recycling sectors, fire and rescue, oil and gas, or other industries involving delivery or container handling have use for operators with this licence.

Live produce

You must get an ‘animal transportation certificate of competence’ if you want to drive pigs, horses, cattle, goats, sheep or poultry either for commercial reasons or on journeys of 65 km and over. If you prefer rural work or have an interest in countryside management, this specialism may be for you.

HGV driving as a career is full of opportunities to develop and progress, whichever licence type you decide to go for. To begin your journey with comprehensive support from our experts, 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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