{"id":2278,"date":"2025-11-21T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/?p=2278"},"modified":"2025-12-01T10:35:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T10:35:12","slug":"work-as-an-hgv-driver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/","title":{"rendered":"What It\u2019s Like to Work as an HGV Driver"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

HGV (heavy goods vehicle) drivers are crucial to keeping the economy running and, in the UK, they\u2019re in higher demand than ever before. Despite this, HGV careers often don\u2019t get the discussion they deserve with many never even considering the option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So let\u2019s talk about what a day in the life of an HGV driver looks like, how to become one, and why those who do often love their careers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What It\u2019s Like to be an HGV Driver<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

HGV driving isn\u2019t for everybody but those who like it often love it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The job is mostly about consistency<\/a> and concentration. You spend long stretches of time on the road managing a vehicle that requires careful handling and attention at all times. Sometimes you\u2019ll be going through busy urban areas but you\u2019ll also spend lots of time on the motorway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It might sound simple but whether or not you enjoy the job often comes down to one simple question: do you like driving?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you do, and if you\u2019re not the type to get tired from long stretches of concentration, then HGV driving comes with a lot of benefits. Modern trucks are very comfortable and there\u2019s no rule to say you can\u2019t spend your day listening to music, podcasts, or even books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your daily routine will usually start with some pre-drive checks, making sure everything is safe, loaded correctly and compliant with regulations. Once that\u2019s done you can get underway. Some HGV drivers do multi-drop work while others work long-haul routes across the country or even into Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interactions are minimal but you\u2019re not completely on your own. You\u2019ll usually work with warehouse staff and clients. At the end of each day you\u2019ll probably need to set a few hours to one side to catch up on your paperwork. That means logging your hours and updating your records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When all\u2019s said and done, it\u2019s very independent work and the people who are best suited to it are often those who enjoy having lots of time to themself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

HGV Licence Training<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To become an HGV driver<\/a> in the UK, you\u2019ll need a dedicated HGV licence called a CPC (Driver Certificate of Professional Competence). There are some exceptions to for drivers who passed their test before 1997 but as a general rule if you\u2019re looking to start your HGV driving career in 2025, you\u2019re going to need to get a dedicated licence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you can get your CPC you\u2019ll first need to be over the age of 18 and have a full car licence. Then you\u2019ll need to take five tests demonstrating your professional competence. You may be able to skip some of these tests if you were a qualified HGV driver before the new system came into place in 2008.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve got your CPC you\u2019ll need to keep it updated by taking 35 hours of training once every five years. If you\u2019re over 65, you\u2019ll need to renew your licence every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Much Do HGV Drivers Make?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now here\u2019s where we come to the tricky bit, and a sticking point for many. When starting out HGV drivers usually earn around \u00a327,000 per year with experienced drivers earning closer to \u00a349,000 according to the National Careers Service<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put simply, it can be a high earning job but there\u2019s no getting around the fact that the hours are long and for your first few years, you could be earning significantly more in other fields. While there are many advantages to being an HGV driver – in particular the independence<\/a> you\u2019ll get – it could take a while to be earning a really decent income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But is \u00a349,000 really the most you can make in this industry?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long Terms Prospects For an HGV Career<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many assume that becoming an HGV driver is the natural end point of a career but it doesn\u2019t have to be. Being an experienced HGV driver provides a great opportunity to start a career in logistics or even manage whole fleets. Driving HGVs provides a lot of knowledge and experience about logistics networks that many companies find useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although there are plenty of drivers who are happy to stay on the road, for those looking to move into an office position, there are lots of options.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HGV (heavy goods vehicle) drivers are crucial to keeping the economy running and, in the UK, they\u2019re in higher demand than ever before. Despite this, HGV careers often don\u2019t get the discussion they deserve with many never even considering the option.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-monetise-your-knowledge","category-professional-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat It\u2019s Like to Work as an HGV Driver<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Does an HGV driver career appeal to you? Find out more about a day in the life of an HGV driver with Career Navig8r.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What It\u2019s Like to Work as an HGV Driver\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Does an HGV driver career appeal to you? Find out more about a day in the life of an HGV driver with Career Navig8r.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Career Navig8r\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/careernavig8r\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-21T12:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-01T10:35:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/4tips-to-cultivate_anywhere-min.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Career Navig8r\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@careernavig8r\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@careernavig8r\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Career Navig8r\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Career Navig8r\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/714cdf7d03d168e413c004bc93867caa\"},\"headline\":\"What It\u2019s Like to Work as an HGV Driver\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-21T12:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-01T10:35:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/\"},\"wordCount\":737,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Monetise Your Knowledge\",\"Professional Development\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/\",\"name\":\"What It\u2019s Like to Work as an HGV Driver\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-21T12:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-01T10:35:12+00:00\",\"description\":\"Does an HGV driver career appeal to you? Find out more about a day in the life of an HGV driver with Career Navig8r.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Career Navig8r\",\"description\":\"Resources for Mentors and Mentees\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Career Navig8r\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Logo.svg\",\"width\":110,\"height\":50,\"caption\":\"Career Navig8r\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/careernavig8r\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/careernavig8r\",\"https:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/career-navig8r\",\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/careernavig8r\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/714cdf7d03d168e413c004bc93867caa\",\"name\":\"Career Navig8r\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f86c1060809fea8673469c04d554afd7b4391c5bba63a62b20f0cc2a934f87e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f86c1060809fea8673469c04d554afd7b4391c5bba63a62b20f0cc2a934f87e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Career Navig8r\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What It\u2019s Like to Work as an HGV Driver","description":"Does an HGV driver career appeal to you? Find out more about a day in the life of an HGV driver with Career Navig8r.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"What It\u2019s Like to Work as an HGV Driver","og_description":"Does an HGV driver career appeal to you? Find out more about a day in the life of an HGV driver with Career Navig8r.","og_url":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/","og_site_name":"Career Navig8r","article_publisher":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/careernavig8r","article_published_time":"2025-11-21T12:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-01T10:35:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/4tips-to-cultivate_anywhere-min.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Career Navig8r","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@careernavig8r","twitter_site":"@careernavig8r","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Career Navig8r","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/"},"author":{"name":"Career Navig8r","@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/714cdf7d03d168e413c004bc93867caa"},"headline":"What It\u2019s Like to Work as an HGV Driver","datePublished":"2025-11-21T12:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-01T10:35:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/"},"wordCount":737,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Monetise Your Knowledge","Professional Development"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/","url":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/","name":"What It\u2019s Like to Work as an HGV Driver","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-11-21T12:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-01T10:35:12+00:00","description":"Does an HGV driver career appeal to you? Find out more about a day in the life of an HGV driver with Career Navig8r.","inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/work-as-an-hgv-driver\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/","name":"Career Navig8r","description":"Resources for Mentors and Mentees","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Career Navig8r","url":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Logo.svg","width":110,"height":50,"caption":"Career Navig8r"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/facebook.com\/careernavig8r","https:\/\/twitter.com\/careernavig8r","https:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/career-navig8r","https:\/\/instagram.com\/careernavig8r"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/714cdf7d03d168e413c004bc93867caa","name":"Career Navig8r","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f86c1060809fea8673469c04d554afd7b4391c5bba63a62b20f0cc2a934f87e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f86c1060809fea8673469c04d554afd7b4391c5bba63a62b20f0cc2a934f87e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Career Navig8r"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2278"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2279,"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2278\/revisions\/2279"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}