How to become an HGV driver

HGV means heavy goods vehicle. LGV means large goods vehicle. In UK training and job ads they are two names for the same kind of lorry licence. The letters on the photocard decide what you can drive: C1, C or C+E. A course or a vacancy that says LGV is not a different test from one that says HGV.

To drive one of those lorries for a living you need the right entitlement and, where driving is the main part of the job, Driver CPC. GOV.UK’s starting point is become a qualified HGV driver. The steps below are that route for someone who already holds a car licence and is qualifying for the first time. Northern Ireland uses a different process.

What you need before training starts

GOV.UK says you need a full car licence and to be over 18, with some exceptions. The car licence is category B. You apply for provisional lorry entitlement after a medical. You cannot book the theory test until that provisional entitlement is on your licence.

The D4 medical

The medical report is form D4. A doctor fills it in. If that doctor cannot complete the eyesight section, an optician or optometrist does that part. Your GP or a private driver-medical clinic can charge. There is no national price for the examination. A quote should say whether the medical is included.

Provisional lorry entitlement

Send DVLA form D2, the D4, and your photocard. There is no application fee. DVLA says the licence should arrive within three weeks of them receiving the forms, and that it can take longer if your health or personal details need to be checked. The category you tick on the D2 decides which provisional entitlements you receive. Applying for C, or for C1+E, also gives provisional C1, C1+E, C and C+E. Applying only for C1 gives only C1. The table is on GOV.UK’s provisional entitlement page.

Theory tests

Driver CPC part 1 is the lorry theory test. It is two separate bookings: multiple-choice questions and hazard perception. You can take them on the same day, in either order. You need to pass both within two years of each other. The theory certificate is then valid for two years from the first of those passes. Part 3a and part 3b have to be passed inside that two years, or the theory is taken again.

The multiple-choice paper is 100 questions, with a pass mark of 85, and you have 1 hour 55 minutes. Hazard perception is 19 video clips, with a pass mark of 67 out of 100. If you fail either part you can book again straight away, but you cannot sit it again for three clear working days.

Choosing C1, C or C+E

The category is the decision that shapes the lorry you train in and the jobs you can take afterwards. HGV licence categories sets out the weights and trailers. In short, C1 is the rigid from 3,500kg to 7,500kg. Category C is the larger rigid, still called Class 2, with a trailer up to 750kg. Category C+E is that lorry with a heavier trailer, including an articulated lorry, and job ads still call it Class 1.

Pick the category that matches the vehicle you intend to drive. A C1 course is not a substitute for Category C, and Category C does not by itself allow an articulated lorry.

Training straight to C+E

You no longer have to pass a rigid test before Category C+E. Since December 2021 you can train for C+E from a car licence, if your provisional entitlement includes it. Applying for provisional C is enough to include provisional C+E. Passing C+E gives you C+E. Lower categories are not added in every case. Check what is printed on the licence before you drive a rigid on its own.

Initial Driver CPC

The licence category and Driver CPC are different. Passing the driving tests puts the category on the licence. If driving the lorry will be the main part of the job, a new driver also needs the rest of the initial Driver CPC. GOV.UK describes that as five tests. Parts 1 and 3 are the theory and the practical driving tests. Part 2 is case studies, still often called Module 2. Part 4 is a practical demonstration of vehicle safety, still often called Module 4. What Driver CPC is explains both, including the narrow National Vocational Training concession. Some driving is exempt. The exemption depends on the journey.

Practical training, part 3a and part 3b

Practical training is the time in the lorry with an instructor, before and between the two practical tests. The centre sets how those days are arranged. The tests themselves are fixed.

Part 3a: off-road exercises

You book part 3a only after you have passed the theory test. It lasts up to 30 minutes and includes an S-shaped reverse into a bay. A trailer test also includes uncoupling and recoupling. The lorry must be in the category you want on the licence: an articulated test is taken in an articulated lorry. You can book with DVSA or with an approved test provider. If your training organisation is also the test provider, the assessor must not have been involved in your training. The pass certificate has to be used for part 3b within six months.

Part 3b: on-road driving

Part 3b is the drive on the road. You need the part 3a certificate, and the vehicle must be the same category as the one used for part 3a. You also take the theory certificate, unless you are only upgrading to tow a heavier trailer. This is the test that, with part 3a, adds the entitlement.

How long the whole process takes

There is no single timetable. The practical course is only one part of the calendar. The rest is the medical appointment, DVLA issuing the provisional entitlement, passing both theory parts, and getting part 3a and part 3b booked inside the validity of those certificates. A centre can tell you how its own course days are laid out. It cannot set the DVLA or test-booking timetable.

Two official clocks matter once you have started the tests. The theory certificate lasts two years from the first theory pass, and both practical tests must be inside it. The part 3a certificate lasts six months. A failed theory part cannot be retaken for three clear working days. A failed part 3a needs at least 24 hours before the next attempt.

What it costs

The training course is the large part of the bill, and each centre sets that price. DVSA publishes fixed fees for the tests. The medical is a separate charge unless the quote includes it. Provisional entitlement itself is free. HGV training costs puts the official fees next to what a written quote should list, including a direct-to-C+E course and funded routes such as Skills Bootcamps in England. Compare two quotes only when they include the same tests, the vehicle, VAT and the retest.

Choosing a training provider

Search training providers by the category and the area you can travel to, or use help me choose a trainer. Before you pay, get a written quote that names the category, the training address, who will sit in the cab with you, and which tests and the medical are included.

The business you pay and the business that trains you

Some businesses deliver the practical training themselves. Others arrange a course that another training provider delivers. An intermediary can handle administration. The useful question is who will deliver your training, where the lorry and yard are, and who holds the booking if a date changes. How to spot an HGV training broker is a checklist for that conversation. LearnHGV does not take the booking.

What a LearnHGV listing shows

Listings are at different stages of checking. Verified Training Provider means LearnHGV has checked that the business delivers HGV or LGV training. It is not DVSA approval, and it does not promise a pass. 100% Direct Delivery is a separate mark. What the listing labels mean is the full explanation. The label is a starting point. Confirm the course with the provider.

After you pass

The pass puts the category you were tested in on your licence. Read the categories that were actually added before you drive a different vehicle. If you completed the initial Driver CPC, you can drive professionally where that qualification is required. In Great Britain, a lorry licence is generally renewed every 5 years from age 45 to 65, then every year from 65.

Keeping Driver CPC

Initial qualification is the start. Professional drivers then complete 35 hours of periodic training every five years. There is no exam at the end of those courses. The type of course decides whether the card that follows is for the UK only or for the UK and Europe. That is covered in the Driver CPC guide.

Newly qualified work

A first job is one whose advert matches the category you hold. A rigid over 7.5 tonnes is Category C work. An articulated lorry is Category C+E work. Some vacancies also ask for a minimum amount of experience. HGV and LGV jobs opens on vacancies suitable for newly qualified drivers, and you can filter for roles that ask for more experience. The advert, not the licence category alone, says what that employer requires.