Thousands of people pass HGV Drivers on the roadways every day but very few consider what is involved with the process of becoming one. A Heavy Good Vehicle (HGV) driver is responsible for transporting goods between suppliers and customers.
Before being able to become an official HGV Driver, an employee has to meet certain criteria. For one, they need to be of 18 years of age or older. Likewise, they need to have a full driving licence with no restrictions. Lastly, they need to have a Certificate of Professional Competence. While these are essential requirements a driver must meet, they are necessary to ensure that everyone on the roadway is as safe as possible.
If you have considered or you are currently considering becoming an official HGV Driver, here, The LGV Training Company helps you fully comprehend all of the demands of the job. There are plenty of positive and negative aspects of the job that you should consider when making your decision.
Benefits of Becoming an HGV Driver:
- Plenty of room to advance in your career as you gain more experience.
- Vast travelling opportunities to take advantage of.
- The occupation pays well and offers good job stability.
Negatives of Becoming an HGV Driver:
- Having to deal with road rage almost daily.
- Having to spend the majority of your daily life alone.
- Being forced to drive in dangerous weather conditions.
Skills Required from an HGV Driver
1. Driving Abilities
Anyone who wants to become an HGV driver will need to have extensive experience driving in various road and traffic conditions. Likewise, they need to have a good grasp on road safety and be capable of practising good road safety while driving.
2. Self-Motivator
Anyone looking to become an HGV driver should be willing and able to self-motivate. A lot of the job entails driving by yourself, so being able to work without a boss telling you what to do all of the time is crucial.
3. Ability to Concentrate
HGV drivers will be presented with various instances where they need to be able to concentrate even with distractions going on.
4. Complete Paperwork
When they aren’t driving, HGV drivers will need to log information about the details of their trips and specifics about their deliveries.
Some of the Daily Responsibilities of an HGV Driver:
1. Delivery Routes
All drivers are going to need to be willing and able to plan their own delivery routes to ensure that they can maximise efficiency in their deliveries.
2. Coordinate Deliveries
Drivers will need to be able and willing to coordinate and communicate directly with the customers to schedule both pick-ups and drop-offs.
3. Loading of Goods
Drivers will need to supervise both the loading and unloading of any goods they are delivering.
4. Checking Routes
A lot of the times you might be responsible for re-routing deliveries depending on traffic conditions or other issues that might crop up during the delivery process.
5. Safety Regulations
Drivers will be required to inspect their own lorry to ensure that it complies with the national safety regulations and the legal requirements that are set.
6. Maintenance of the Vehicle
Any driver is going to be responsible to point out and get proper maintenance for their lorry if they notice something wrong with it.
7. Customer Service
Drivers will need to interact with the customers respectfully to ensure they are offering optimal customer service.
The profession of being an HGV Driver is incredibly overlooked. Not only does it offer a lot of job stability, but there is a lot of room for growth in the profession and it can be very fulfilling in a variety of aspects.