Do you like driving and hate sitting in an office? If so, being on the move as an HGV driver, shifting everything from clothes and fruit to furniture and textiles, could be an appealing career.
The basics
As internet shopping has increased, so has the demand for lorry drivers and van drivers to shift goods to all corners of the nation. For more on this topic, see this report in The Guardian.
To get started, you need to be over 18 and possess a full car driving licence. There are different kinds of HGV licences available, and you will also need HGV insurance. There are a variety of competency certificates that may also need to be acquired before certain kinds of licenses will be issued. The HGV Class 1 licence is for vehicles that weight more than 7.5 tonnes. For this, you also need a Cat C certificate.
For an HGV Class 2, you also need a Cat C licence, which qualifies you to drive rigid vehicles of 7.5 tonnes or more, such as bin lorries or fire engines.
Certificates
HGV drivers need to have a Certificate of Professional Competence, also known as a CPC. This qualification has four parts, including a theory test, a test that involves case studies of situations that might happen on the road, a practical exam where you go on the road with a driving examiner, and a test where you display your knowledge of vehicle safety and how to secure and load a lorry. No matter how careful you are, sometimes things can go wrong, which is where a comprehensive insurance policy can be extremely valuable.
If you would like to know more about competitive deals for HGV insurance, consider contacting experts in this field such as https://www.quotemetoday.co.uk/hgv-insurance. Their staff can give you a quote and answer your questions. Its always a sensible idea to shop around for insurance.
Driving lorries may require more application than some people think; it is a very responsible position. With the right training, however, lorry driving can be a rewarding career with plenty of opportunities to earn without being trapped in an office or hunched over a computer. If you love being on the open road, this could be the career for you.
