The Cost of Becoming an HGV Driver

Almost all professions will require you to have a substantial amount of training and/or qualifications in your chosen area - and logistics is certainly no different. Within the transport industry, training and development are imperative parts of career progression, and as such, the more training that you do and the more qualifications you gain, the more likely you are to increase the potential of what you earn. 

Of course, how much you choose to train is up to you - and it’s important to know that there is a cost attached to achieving your potential, but it’s simple - the more qualified you are, the more potential salary that you could bring home. 

Here’s a little more information about the cost of becoming an HGV driver.

For anyone looking to drive a large goods vehicle on a professional basis (C, C1, C+E, C1+E), the Driver CPC Training course is a mandatory requirement. In fact, driving without a CPC licence carries a heavy financial penalty of up to £1,000. Once acquired, your Driver CPC licence is valid for 5 years, and you must complete 35 hours of periodic training within this time period in order to remain compliant with legislation. 

As a student, when you sign up to train to become an HGV driver, you will begin to learn about commercial driving standards as soon as you start your training programme, and your learning will be dedicated to the essential information needed to become a qualified HGV driver. This means that as a trainee HGV driver, you won’t pay to learn irrelevant information; rather every module and every class will provide its drivers with all of the essential knowledge and skills required to begin their logistics career.

To provide you with a rough indication of how much it will cost to learn to drive an HGV or LGV, a typical 5 day HGV/LGV driver training course should cost in the region of £1,000 - but of course,this depends on location and training provider. 

Each of the individual tests required during your HGV driver training are priced separately to the cost of your actual HGV training itself. The various selection of tests involved in becoming an HGV driver are as follows:

• Theory Test Part 1 – £26

• Theory Test Part 2 – £11

• CPC Certification – £23

• Driving Ability Test – £115 (weekdays) £141 (weekends)

• Practical Test – £55 (weekdays) £63 (weekends)

That leaves the total cost of these tests at £230 on a weekday or £264 on a weekend, depending on when is convenient for you. 

Of course, your training doesn’t need to stop there. There are a variety of additional courses and special courses that you can undertake to further your HGV repertoire and to hopefully progress your career and salary bracket too. 

Drivers can undertake further training and gain an ADR (Advisory Dangerous Goods by Road) Certificate which will enable them to drive hazardous goods like corrosive, toxic or explosive chemicals. This qualification, when paired with other advanced HGV licences can mean that your career path is opened to more opportunities and a more extensive earning potential too. 

As with all career paths, when you work in the logistics industry, any money that you invest in your training is sure to benefit your career progression endlessly. Start by training for your Driver CPC Training course today and get ready for your new career to begin.