HGV Training
HGV Training in London
Our HGV Training
Our comprehensive HGV driver training courses will provide you with first class training to achieve your HGV licence. Our highly qualified HGV driving instructors will work with you each day to ensure you are not only going to achieve your chosen HGV licence at the end of the course, but to take that fresh confidence into your new career in the HGV industry. If you’re looking for the highest quality HGV driver training at a competitive cost in London and the South East, then you’ve come to the right place…
What makes National Driving Centre a special HGV training company?
Our family run HGV / PCV training company has been teaching to the highest standards for over 40 years. Resulting in thousands achieving their chosen HGV licences and going on to develop wonderful careers in the HGV industry. What does test where you train actually mean? Simple – we train you over the course of the week and when it comes to taking that all important HGV driving test, you do that here with us too! The DVSA come to us and tests you in the same familiar surroundings you’ve been practising in all week. Less test day nerves = better pass rates!
Which LGV training course is right for me?
Artic / LGV Class 2 / Category C / HGV Class 3 / C+E – what does it all mean?
You will have heard of them all. But what is the difference, and will it affect which LGV licence I can apply for and the job I can then get? The answer is more straight forward than you might think. It all changed in 1992 when the UK aligned its licensing structure to coincide with European licence categories. Before we jump into individual categories let’s summarise these changes.
HGV & LGV Vehicle Licence Categories
From your Category B car licence (up to 3.5 tonnes) this is the largest vehicle you can apply to drive and train straightaway for. That’s right, in a matter of weeks you can progress from your car to a lorry up to 32 tonnes. On the road you will see these lorries as the largest fixed / rigid vehicles. You must be at least 18 years old and have passed a medical to be eligible to begin training.
The UK has had a driver shortage mainly of these drivers for as long as the industry can remember. You can expect to see job adverts for haulage & logistics, removals, multi-drop. The list goes on because there are so many LGV jobs out there! According to totaljobs.com the average LGV / HGV Class 2 salary in the UK is £24,449. But this is an average. Within London and the surrounding area it could be much higher!
First and most importantly, this is not to be confused with Class 1 (old terminology)! After the changes in categorising these vehicle types in 1992, confusion can occur when thinking this LGV licence is actually for the Class 1 / C+E / Artic. And as we all know there is a big difference between a 7.5 tonne lorry and a 44 tonne lorry!
Our C1 LGV course will entitle you to drive a vehicle heavier than 3.5 tonne (your maximum weight on your car licence) and 7.5 tonne.
What if I have acquired / grandfather rights/ passed before 1997?
If you passed your Category B driving licence before 1997 you will have a 101 restriction on your licence for the C1 to be able to drive for private use, or under the term ‘incidental driver’. Which means if you are not driving for ‘hire or reward’ (receiving payment) then you can continue to drive this within this LGV lorry category. If however you want to drive professionally then you will need to obtain a CPC – Certificate of Professional Competence.
The main job vacancies you can expect to see available and always in high demand are multi drop and short haul haulage LGV driver jobs. According to totaljobs.com the average ‘7.5 tonne / C1’ salary in the UK is £20,536. There are also plenty of careers where you can upskill yourself with an LGV licence to progress in your chosen career. Main examples of this being Tree Surgeons, Scaffolders & Paramedics. More on Paramedics later!
Simply put, THE BIG ONE! The previously named Class 1 / Artic is the king of the road. Much like the lion in the wild! You have to have already passed the Category C LGV licence to be able to drive a C+E lorry even as a learner. With vehicles as large as these and potentially dangerous in untrained hands the DVLA / DVSA is absolute on this ruling. Luckily with our highly qualified LGV driving instructors with years of practical road experience – you will tame this beast in as little as 5 days on one of our C+E training courses!
A C+E job / career can take you anywhere! You can stay within close reach of your home location or you can deliver goods, relocate people and businesses all over the world! This level of responsibility comes with a great salary. Totaljobs.com indicates the national average salary is £31,787. This could be just the beginning with plenty of jobs offering tempting benefits and expenses on top of an already great basic salary.
If you have been accepted already onto a paramedic course or just starting out, you will need a C1 / 7.5 tonne licence to complete the process! What is the difference between an LGV / C1 driving course and a paramedic / C1 driving course? The only real difference is that paramedics don’t require CPC. Therefore, that is one less theory and practical test to worry about and a day less on your LGV practical course. It is the same training structure as other courses. We don’t do individual C1 driving lessons but an intensive four day course.
At NDC we ensure that the C1 lorry you train on is the closest lorry to replicate your future vehicle – the ambulance! We use an Iveco Daily 6.5 tonne box lorry, which is a fantastic lorry to facilitate your C1 training.
How Much Does it Cost to Get My HGV Licence?
The HGV training cost will obviously vary from course to course. Our ‘all inclusive’ HGV training course prices include all theories, driver training and the practical tests on the final day. To take you from complete beginner directly to your HGV licence! This inclusive training model with no hidden extras, taught by our team of first class HGV driving instructors ensures you’ll be trained to a high standard to pass that all important HGV test. Giving you every confidence to progress in your chosen HGV lorry out on the road.
You can find the costs of all our HGV training courses here.
If you want to drive a lorry over 7.5 tonnes then you will need an HGV class 2 (LGV category c) lorry driver’s licence.
Read the full details about this driving course here.
If you want to drive a vehicle over 3.5 tonnes but below 7.5 tonnes you will need an LGV category C1 7.5 tonne driver’s licence. C1 lorry driver training is done in our Iveco Daily. It is a great and simple vehicle to learn in giving you confidence throughout your course with us.
Read the full details about this driving course here.
If you want to be a Class 1 LGV artic driver, you must already have the C category lorry driver’s licence first.
Read the full details about this driving course here.
For your chosen career as a paramedic ambulance driver, The National Driving Centre will be able to make sure you get the best ‘all inclusive’ LGV C1 driver training course.
Read the full details about this driving course here.
"Test where you train"
NDC is a unique Driver Training Company
