Advice On LGV Training for Delivery Drivers

Your job as a courier looks easy fro the outside. Everyone thinks they can do it but most fail to understand how hard delivery drivers work, maximising the number of deliveries per day along the optimum routes. So when someone asks how they can become an LGV driver, as opposed to just driving the smaller vans, what advice is on offer for them?

Up skilling to LGV

Many potential applicants will not even understand that they will need a Cat C (class 2) LGV licence if they wish to drive a vehicle that is over 7.5t. But you cannot work without one.

The price of a training course should not be the only factor that decides where you do or do not receive your training. Of course, a potential new driver may be limited in funds, but it is better to think about spreading the cost over a few months or perhaps a year to be able to get better training than trying to save £50 and failing to qualify for a full licence. There is nothing wrong with asking training centres why they are charging more than their competitors.

By the very nature of the work, delivery drivers may end up working over a large area in the region or perhaps across the whole country, so you should not choose your LGV training purely by location, especially when you have training courses available just a few minutes from your home, but may not have the best reputation. You might choose your weekly shopping by the superstore that is closest to you, but the same idea does not apply to your LGV training, simply because some schools really are better than others.

The essentials that you will be looking for include high quality training, great instructors that understand the world you wish to enter and a reputation for success.

The time a new driver can spend behind the wheel of an LGV vehicle is important, because practice certainly makes perfect in this industry. Delivery drivers can be moving a large vehicle on motorways, A and B roads and to some locations that are difficult and even hazardous to navigate, so it is important that trainers know how to differentiate between the many driving styles that are required.

Word of mouth and testimonials from other drivers will help point you towards the better training courses. By asking questions of individuals that are already driving an LGV, their experience and knowledge will quickly help you differentiate between the good and not so good training courses. Although standards are supposed to be identical wherever you take your training, there will always be trainers just interested in getting you through the course, while others will wish to pass on their valuable life experiences, which may get you out of a tricky situation one day. For potential delivery drivers, it is important to select the best training, as their lifestyle will be defined by their work.

Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for same day delivery drivers and jobs in the express freight exchange industry. Over 2,500 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading courier jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.