When do i need a hgv licence

Apply for a provisional HGV or bus licence. You need to renew your bus or HGV licence every 5 years, and every year when you reach Read more about what you need to do to return to HGV or bus driving.

Check what you need to do. To help us improve GOV. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Cookies on GOV. UK We use some essential cookies to make this website work. Accept additional cookies Reject additional cookies View cookies. Hide this message. Home Driving and transport HGV, bus and coach drivers. There is a single age restriction common to all of these categories, and that is that you must be at least 18 years old before you begin training.

Yes, for all types of training you need a valid car driving licence. Make sure you know exactly which rules apply to you before every single journey. You might also find that you drive throughout the night rather than in the day. This allows you to drive category C vehicles, which are any LGVs with a trailer having a maximum authorised mass of up to kilograms. This additional category allows a larger trailer, and so involves an extra test, but it also means you can earn a higher salary or hourly rate, and are more employable.

There will also be paperwork to do before and after drop off, and you may have to talk to clients or customers to discuss delivery times. You will also be responsible for checking your vehicle for safety and ensuring maintenance issues are resolved. You also must be over the age of This will enable you to take driving lessons from an instructor or qualified driver who holds a full driving licence.

To get your full car driving licence, you need to pass a computer-based theory test, and a practical test at registered centre. Once you have your full car driving licence, then first stage of becoming a LGV driver is to apply for a provisional lorry licence. Similarly to the car driving licence, this is done through the DVLA website. This time, you require one of the forms, which is called D4, to be filled in by a registered doctor. This is because drivers of lorries must be in reasonably good health.

The areas that will be assessed include your eyesight, any neurological and heart conditions, mental health, alcohol and drug use, diabetes and sleep disorders.

You must send this medical assessment D4 to the DVLA along with form D2, which you have completed yourself, along with your photocard driving licence. The DVLA will then assess whether you are fit to drive a large vehicle, and then process your application and provisional lorry licence.