Which HGV licence do I need?

HGVs are built differently and as such you need a different type of licence to drive different types of vehicles. If you are thinking about taking an HGV / LGV training course, you will need to know the difference between these different types of licence and of course take an appropriate course to get the right licence.

What are the different HGV/ LGV categories?

There are two different categories that HGV / LGV licences come in – category C and category C+E. And the difference between these licences is down to how the different vehicles are built.
A category C vehicle is a ‘rigid’ vehicle and is one complete unit. These vehicles are also sometimes known as class 2 vehicles.

A category C+E vehicle has a separate cab and trailer and is sometimes referred to as an articulated lorry. They can be a little more difficult to drive than category C vehicles, so are also known as class 1 HGVs.

If you are undertaking HGV / LGV training, you will need to get a category C licence before you get a category C+E licence. And, some HGV / LGV training schools let you take a five day FastTrack course so you can be on the road in no time.