What HGV Licence Should I Train for?

If you’re thinking about a career as a driver of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), a great place to start is to gain your HGV/LGV Cat ‘C’ licence – also called Class 2. There will probably be a class 2 training course in a location close to you as this is an extremely popular choice for many. So what exactly will a class 2 training course qualify you to drive?

If you successfully pass your class 2 course you’ll be able to drive vehicles with a rigid body that is over 7.5t. These sorts of vehicles include everything from rubbish trucks that operate in towns and cities all around the country, fire engines, and any HGV where the vehicle is all one unit (for instance, the cab does not come apart from the trailer section).

Cat C HGVs are to be found all over the country as they are a popular choice of vehicle for a number of jobs. As a fully qualified and trained HGV class 2 driver you can be looking at a starting salary of around the £24k a year mark.

Once you’ve successfully passed your Class 2 training, you can then move on to train to gain your HGV/LGV Cat ‘C+E’ (class 1) licence. This licence will allow you to drive any vehicle that is over 7.5t and that has a cab that separates from its trailer. You can only apply for this licence once you have successfully completed your Class 2 training. That’s because the vehicles you can drive on a Class 1 licence are considerably larger. They are often used for long haul and international haulage routes so you can often be away from home for a considerable length of time when you own a Class 1 licence. The average starting salary for a driver who has their Class 1 licence is roughly around the £28k a year mark.

As well as Class 2 and Class 1 licences, there are other licences which you can train for. These include licences such as Cat C1, Cat C1+E and Cat D. If you are thinking about training for a Cat C1 licence (which will allow you to drive any goods vehicle that is above 3.5t but below 7.5t) you should consider training for a Class 2 training course licence anyway as once you have gained this you will automatically get your Cat C1 licence too. Furthermore, if you passed your driving test before 1997 you will not need to take the Cat C1 training course as you will already be eligible to drive a Cat C1 vehicle. If in doubt, check your driver’s licence and see.

Training to drive HGVs/LGVs can be done on courses that fit around your current work and life routines. What’s more, licences such as the Cat C1 can be gained on courses that take just one week. Gaining an HGV Class 2 licence can quite literally open up the world to you, especially if you continue to study for your Class 1 licence. Train as an HGV driver and who knows where you’ll be heading next…

Blog Source:- http://hgvtrainingcentres.blogspot.com/2015/01/what-hgv-licence-should-i-train-for.html

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