HGV Driver Training at 2 Start
Are you looking for HGV driver training? We have been supplying students with top-quality HGV driver training across the South Coast for over 14 years. We have established ourselves as the number one HGV and driver training provider in Portsmouth, Southampton, Reading & Worthing, not just because of the thousands of students we have helped but also because of our industry-leading fleet and facilities.
The locations of our five training depots allows us to have coverage of the surrounding areas and to supply training to even more students. The areas we cover include Hampshire, Berkshire, West Sussex and the surrounding areas.
Here at 2 Start Training, we strongly believe in giving our students the best experience possible, which is why we have heavily invested in our fleet, which includes fully automatic and air-conditioned HGV’s and training vehicles.
What is HGV Driver Training?
HGV stands for Heavy Goods Vehicle and is typically the acronym used in the UK logistics industry when talking about lorry driving. HGV training refers to driver training that includes vehicles with a gross combined mass of over 3500kgs. Furthermore, HGV training and LGV training have no differences with LGV standing for Large Goods Vehicles. An HGV licence is required by anyone who wants to drive a vehicle that is between 3,500kgs & 12,000 kgs.
If you are planning on driving vehicles that fall into these weight categories, you will need to complete HGV driver training. There are two types of HGV licences which are the HGV Class 1 & HGV Class 2 licences.
HGV Training Process, what are the steps?
Step 1 – Meeting the Requirements
The first step into gaining your LGV licence is to ensure you meet the minimum requirements which include:
- Ensuring you are 18 years old or above.
- Ensuring you already hold a Category B car licence.
You will not be able to begin your LGV training if you do not yet hold a car (Category B) driving licence.
Once you are 18 years of age and hold a full UK Category B car driving licence, you are ready to move onto step 2.
Step 2 – Completing your Medical & Gaining your Provisional Licence
The second step into gaining your licence includes completing your driver medical and obtaining your provisional LGV licence.
Step 3 – Hazard Perception & Theory Tests
To get to this point, you will have successfully passed your driver's medical and gained your provisional licence. You will now need to book both your Hazard Perception and Theory LGV tests.
Step 4 – Practical Training & Test
Now that you have passed your theory tests, it is time to start your practical LGV driver training! Here at 2 Start Training, we have a variety of LGV training courses for both CAT C & C+E vehicles. Our team of training advisors will work with you to decide the ideal course that suits all your needs.
Step 5 – CPC Training
Any driver who is hoping to drive a vehicle over 3.5-tonnes commercially or for hire and reward purposes is required to complete 35 hours of periodic CPC training every 5-years.
Those who are new to professional driving and do not currently hold a Category C licence will need to complete Initial CPC training, including their MOD 2 & MOD 4 training and tests. You will then be required to complete 35 hours of periodic training every 5 years.
After you have completed the 5 steps mentioned above, you will have completed your LGV driver training and gained your full licence. You are now able to take a job as an LGV or lorry driver and begin your journey in your new career.
How long does HGV Training take to complete?
The time it takes to gain your HGV licence from start to finish can vary for every candidate, depending on their requirements and skill levels when they first start their training.
A good estimate from start to finish is around 4-5 months to complete the whole process, including roughly 2-6 weeks from completing your medical and then receiving your provisional licence with the extra HGV entitlements added.
The amount of time it takes you to pass your HGV test could be longer, with some candidates needing extra hours of on-the-road driving and more time to gain confidence at operating an HGV.
How much does HGV driver training cost?
At the time of writing in December 2021, 2 Start’s HGV training prices range from just over £1000 for a C1 category HGV course right up to the full Artic C+E HGV training package options that are just under £4000. Although prices are subject to change*, certainly with the DVSA changes taking effect on 15th November 2021, this should give you a good idea of what type of training budget you should be looking to invest in your career and HGV training.
HGV training costs vary across the board, with different companies offering different prices but the above will give you some guidance.
The price for your HGV training will also depend on; which category vehicle you wish to train on, the number of hours of training you want to complete, and other external factors such as some candidates needing to complete re-tests.
Here at 2 Start, we have a very competitive HGV training prices for all of our categories, including CAT C, C+E, and our new Fast Track car to C+E courses.
2 Start Training also offer a Price Match Guarantee on all our HGV training courses!
Do I need Driver's CPC training?
You will only need to complete your 35-hours of periodic CPC training if you are driving for hire & reward purposes or as the main part of your job. If you are driving as a hobby, then you will not need to complete CPC training.
Any driver who first passed any category C driving test after 9th of September 2009 must have this new qualification. Drivers who held any LGV driving entitlement before that date have 5 years “acquired rights” to the Driver CPC.
The Driver CPC is enforced on the road in the same way as holding an appropriate driving licence and it is an offence to drive without it. There are penalties for drivers and operators who flaunt this new requirement.
We have both online and classroom CPC training courses available with 7-hour and 35-hour options on offer. We also have a wide variety of training modules that you can choose to complete!
How much does an HGV driver earn?
An HGV driver in the UK as of December 2021 typically earns the average salary of around £34,000[i]. However, this number can drastically change depending on many factors, such as:
- If you are driving a Class 1 or Class 2 HGV.
- The experience you have as an HGV driver.
- The type of loads that you are delivering.
- The distances and hours that you are willing to work.
- If you have additional entitlements such as ADR.
These are just some of the varying factors that can affect how much you earn as an HGV driver, with many more that can be named. However, with increasing demand and an increase in salaries for HGV drivers, some companies have been seen to offer up to £50,000[ii] a year for HGV Class 1 drivers.
[i] https://uk.indeed.com/career/truck-driver/salaries
[ii] https://uk.indeed.com/jobs?q=hgv%20driver&l=England&vjk=82c76940f945742f&advn=7642292610698607
*All figures are accurate from the date of publishing*
What licence do I need to drive an HGV?
There are two HGV licences that you will need to obtain depending on the category of vehicle you want to drive. To drive a Rigid lorry, you will need to gain your CAT C licence, and to drive an articulated lorry you will need to obtain your C+E licence.
Those who hold a CAT C licence can drive vehicles over 3,500kgs with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM.
Those who hold a C+E licence will be able to drive vehicles over 3,500kgs with a trailer over 750kgs.
Is it hard to drive an HGV?
This really depends on your level of driving confidence and spatial awareness; it can take some getting used to when you first begin to drive an HGV. However, the more experience you gain and confidence you get, the ‘easier’ HGV driving will become.
Completing any of our HGV training courses will give you the skills and knowledge that you need to safely and efficiently operate the category of vehicle specified in your training and become a better HGV driver.
The size and weight of a rigid and especially an articulated vehicle is difficult to get used to but receiving industry-leading training, such as the standard of service provided by us at 2 Start, will ensure you gain your HGV licence.
Can you go straight from a car to a Class 1 HGV?
Yes, as of November 15th 2021, you can now go straight from a car to a Class 1 HGV. The November 2021 changes were introduced by the Government to reduce the national HGV driver shortage.
These changes included:
- Approved training centres and accredited assessors are now able to undertake the reversing test for the 3A section of the test.
- The 3B practical driver section of the test still needs to be completed with a DVSA examiner but is now 60 minutes in duration, up 10 minutes from the previous 50 minutes it used to take.
We have added many Fast Track options to allow our students to go from a car straight to a Class 1 HGV.
If you passed your car driving test before 1st January 1997, you automatically have “acquired rights” to categories C1, D1, and B+E entitlements. This means you can drive goods vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes, towing a trailer up to 750kg, a minibus up to 16 seats towing a trailer, and a car towing any trailer.
If you passed your test after 1st January 1997, you are allowed to drive vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes (Ford Transit or Mercedes Sprinter sized vehicles but check the Gross Weight on the plate of the vehicle because some “Small vans” are not that small!) towing a trailer up to 750kg (but not exceeding a train weight of 3.5tonnes), a minibus up to 8 seats towing a trailer up to 750kg (not exceeding a train weight of 3.5tonnes) and a car towing a trailer up to 750kgs (again, not exceeding the 3.5 tonnes train weight).
If you do not have “acquired rights” you will need to complete some form of HGV training, depending on the category of vehicle you are planning on driving, such as CAT C or C+E.
Although, you can still complete your CAT C course before taking your C+E training. This will allow you to gain confidence and experience in driving a CAT C vehicle before making the jump to a C+E.
Are truck drivers in demand?
Yes, truck drivers are in demand now more than ever! The national UK HGV driver shortage has meant that many companies are looking for drivers and are offering improved salaries and more sociable working hours.
Read our recent article on is it worth getting my UK HGV licence? For more information on the top reasons, you should gain your HGV licence and the huge demand we are seeing for HGV drivers.
How to start HGV training?
To start one of our LGV driver training courses, all you need to do is decide which of our courses is the best one for you and then choose the best date available for you to complete your training. It is that simple! Our online booking system allows you to easily book your LGV training course and complete your training quickly!
Additionally, you can call our team on 02392 123555, and they will arrange everything for you! Also, you can email us at daisy@2start-training.com.
They asked for a “Class 1” driver. Does this mean Category C1 or C+E?
It can depend, typically when someone talks about “Class 1” they're referring to a C+E, articulated lorry licence.
Licence categories changed in the early 1990s to bring the U.K. into line with the rest of Europe.
Some of the main categories include:
- Category D1 & D1+E
- Category C1 & C1+E
- Category C / Rigid
- Category C+E / Articulated
We have training courses covering all of these categories. Click the link below to view our full range of courses.
Are you thinking of completing your HGV training with 2 Start?
Here at 2 Start Training, we have a number of HGV driver training courses available for you to complete and gain your HGV licence and begin your journey to becoming a lorry driver. We have both HGV Class 1 & Class 2 courses available, all of which will teach you the skills, knowledge and give you the confidence that you need to safely operate an HGV.
Our team will help you with every step of your journey to gaining your HGV licence from booking your medical for you locally to booking your practical test at the soonest possible date!
Our HGV training facilities
Our Portsmouth depot is an approved DVSA testing centre that is available to all of our HGV driver training students across the whole of Hampshire. This gives our students a major advantage as they can use these top-quality facilities throughout their HGV training course. Also, students are able to complete their HGV driving test from our Portsmouth depot!
All of our training depots have on-site reversing facilities, and are approved DVSA 3a sites. It is extremely rare to find HGV training companies that have their own on-site reversing facilities, as most sites are not big enough to allow this. This means you can practice your HGV reversing manoeuvres on the same facilities that you will be tested on! Additionally, all of our training depots have well-lit and fully-equipped classroom facilities, including air conditioning.
