Want to learn something new in 2024? Whether your aim is to embark on a fresh and exciting career change, or simply to add another skill set to your CV, HGV driver training could be exactly what you’re looking for. With demand for professional drivers as high as ever, and flexibility within logistics roles on the rise, driver training is a wise investment. We look at the benefits of gaining an HGV driving qualification, and how best to do it.
For some, HGV driver training is a gateway to a huge range of professional driving jobs. Others prefer to have their sights on a specific type of role from the outset. Here are some examples of the potential jobs that you can expect to choose from once you are qualified in HGV driving.
These roles are mainly driving within a small area, making multiple deliveries over a day. Specific jobs include food delivery truck drivers, courier driving, large item consumer delivery, or refuse collecting.
These roles cover a broader area, often covering several counties in the UK. Although overnight jobs are rare, they may come up. Jobs in this sector might include drivers for home removal, retail delivery, or livestock delivery (which requires specific training).
These roles will take you across Europe and can last over several days or even weeks. You may be driving to transport cars, machinery, or produce. Tanker drivers will also fall into this category and you’d require additional training to carry hazardous material.
Whichever type of driving role you may have your sights set on, driving as a career has many great benefits.
The HGV driving sector benefits from consistent demand because of the requirement to transport food and goods. This means that professional drivers enjoy many jobs to choose from.
The average salary for a qualified professional driver is around £32,000 per year. With experience and perhaps more specialist training, you can expect to progress and increase this.
You can be qualified to professionally drive an HGV within a matter of weeks with a fast track training course. A good training provider can support you to ensure the process is managed quickly.
As a driver, you will enjoy variety in your working day. You’ll travel through different areas and liaise with different people.
Depending on which licence category you have qualified with, you may want to add a larger vehicle capability to your licence. Then there are specialist driving skills such as operating a hydraulic arm and boom, or transporting hazardous goods.
Once you are experienced in HGV driving, you may progress your career in different ways. Some career journeys include logistics management or training new HGV drivers.
How do you decide which training provider is best to manage your journey? It’s important to trust your training provider in supporting you through the qualification process. The Driver CPC is the legal requirement to gain and maintain your HGV licence. At HGV Training Centre, we provide everything you need to understand and progress through your training.
At HGV Training Centre, we make sure that our training locations and vehicles are regularly checked, our instructors are of the highest standard, and our processes fully comprehensive. We take pains to make sure that you’re informed and supported through your training and beyond.
Once you have qualified as a professional HGV driver, you’ll need to complete 35 hours of training every 5 years to keep your CPC valid. We manage this training too, so that you never fall behind.
So, what do you need to do to start your HGV driver training? Initially you just need to be over 18 with a full UK driving licence. The first steps are below, and we can guide and support you through them as part of our service.
You must complete and return part D2 of the driving licence application form to the DVLA. This specifies which driver categories you want to apply to add to your licence. You’ll send the application off with your existing photocard licence and receive your provisional licence, without a charge, within 21 days.
In order to qualify as an HGV driver, you must have had a medical consultation with a GP or private medical firm. They will fill in part D4 of the provisional driving licence application which should be returned to the DVLA with part D2.
The principal here 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:
At HGV Training Centre, we’re passionate about our learning process. We’ll support you through training, your CPC qualification, and with finding a job role once you’ve qualified. To learn more or explore your options, just give us a call.
Website Content © 2024 HGV Driver Training Centre
Abbey House, 282 Farnborough Road, Farnborough, GU14 7NA
