16 July 2024 | Wallace School of Transport

LGV C1 is HGV Class 1, isn''t it?

The heavy goods vehicle licence names are confusing aren''t they.

In the 1960's when the lorry driving test were first introduced there was HGV Class 3, HGV Class 2 and HGV Class 1, which was the top licence for driving articulated vehicles. But all driving licence names were changed in the 1980's to get the UK commonised with the European driving licence names which are mainly letters, not just numbers.

Your car licence is now known as Category B. And you can drive up to 3.5 tonnes, like a large Ford Transit or a Mercedes Sprinter, with B entitlement.

The next higher category, for people who need to drive small trucks that are over 3.5 tonnes and up to 7.5 tonnes is LGV C1. So, C1 is a restricted size of truck.

The old HGV Class 1 is now known as LGV CE. And the CE entitlement will cover you to drive an truck and trailer, like an Articulated Vehicle up to 44 tonnes.

Why not check out the list of categories and small diagrams on the back of your driving licence to help you see the difference licence groups.

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20/2/2025 - When looking at HGV driving vacancies you’ll probably see that "tramping" and "trunking" work is in high demand, but what types of jobs are they? What is Tramping? - Tramping involves long-distance lorry driving, often spanning several days or more, typically with journeys that may take drivers from the UK to various destinations in Europe. Due to regulations governing driving hours, HGV drivers engaged in tramping often sleep in their truck cabs while en-route.

20/11/2024 - Have you noticed that Unaccredited HGV Schools offer LGV CE / HGV Class 1 Articulated training using a small, short, twin-axle Urban Trailers? This is not entirely helpful to learner HGV drivers.

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