HGV Artic vehicle.
With the freight industry booming today, licensed van and truck drivers are in high demand. If you are interested to become a driver, you might be confused by all the license terminology after going through a job search. You may have come across the abbreviations LGV or HGV, and you might be wondering what they mean. If you are new to the industry of transport and logistics but want to drive for these industries, here are some things you should know:
Heavy Goods Vehicle and Large Goods Vehicle
HGV stands for Heavy Goods Vehicle, whereas LGV stands for Large Goods Vehicle. Under the UK and European law, both LGV and HGV licenses are the same. They will both cover commercial trucks with a gross weight over 3500 kilograms. This can include fridge trucks, flatbeds, tippers, dropsides and more. Although they may comprise the same things and be used in the same ways, there are some critical differences between HGV and LGV licenses.
HGV and LGV History
In the United Kingdom, vehicles will be taxed according to their engines, construction, weight, emissions, fuel type, and their use. The term “Heavy Goods Vehicle” was created to categorize vehicles for tax purposes. Back in the day, vehicles with a gross weight below 3500 kilograms were referred to as “Light Goods Vehicles,” whereas those weighing higher than 3500 kilometers were “Heavy Goods Vehicles.”
In ’92, these terms became aligned with European licensing categories, meaning that vehicles with a gross vehicle weight over 3.5 tonnes were designated for drivers licensed to drive trucks, therefore, changing LGV from being abbreviated from “Light Goods Vehicle” to “Large Goods Vehicle”, which means that the difference between HGV and LGV was diminished. After licensing adopted these terms, the categories were also altered. What used to be the HGV Class 1 is now officially known as LFV C+E, and HGV Class 2 is now known as LGV C. Some will still refer to these licenses by their old names, though, so keep that in mind when you are reading job postings online.
C1 Entitlement
Previously, there was even an HGV Class 3 license available, which is the closest thing to an LGV C1. Holding C1 entitlement enables any driver who holds this license to operate vehicles that are over 3.5 tonnes and that weigh up to 7.5 tonnes. If you plan to drive a restricted-sized vehicle, like an ambulance van, for example, this license can be useful to you. Many residential and local delivery trucks require a C1 license. Horseboxes also require C1 entitlement.
If you are looking to drive professionally, you should consider upgrading from a standard car license to LGV C so that you are more flexible in what vehicle you can drive on the job. It will enable you to drive any rigid vehicle of up to 32 tonnes. Even after tons of training, a lot of drivers will almost immediately switch over to LGV C+E so that they will be licensed to drive vehicles with trailers of up to 44 tonnes.
If you want to learn more about HGV Medical Exams, Vital Medicals is here to help. Get in touch with us today for a free consultation.
If you need further information about C1 training or about which class to apply for visit our partner website. We can book your medical for you here.
