The New Year is well on its way and you are starting to feel the blues. You are feeling unfulfilled after having gone to work, or feel just out of sorts and unhappy. Maybe, it is then time for a change in your career. You can always hop around in the industry you are in and probably be doing the same things again, but instead, why not consider a complete change of how you work, and become the driver of a heavy goods vehicle. If you do so, you will have stepped out of the routine of a 9-5 job, get to experience a lifestyle that is completely different from your present one, travel all around the country and even abroad, while you see sights, and enjoy your time working without having a boss constantly breathing down your neck. Are you convinced? If not, here are a few reasons why HGV driving can be a new career for you.
The world is your oyster when you are an HGV driver. You will need a Driver CPC licence, and you should look into HGV training London prices to achieve this so that you can use it to drive a whole range of HGVs, professionally. CPC is the licence that is the basic one required, and once you have obtained one, you can then work to get a full licence in many different ways. Most drivers prefer to do this in stages, by taking tests to pass each of the intervening stages till they finally get the level of licence that they want. Given here are the steps that are the most popular for you to take, and what they could mean to your future career.
Cat C1
This gives you the licence to drive the smallest haulage vehicle on the road, and is a licence that most professional drivers of vans will have. The Cat C1 licence allows you to drive vehicles that weigh between 3500 and 7500 kilograms, with or without a trailer that can carry a weight less than 750 kilos. You can get this licence after you take an exam that includes both theory and practicals on this category of vehicles. So it is time you start reading up, and get in some practice.
Cat C1+E
Once you have a Cat C1 licence, you will now be able to go further and upgrade it to a Cat C1+E. Cat C1 is already covered in the initial part of the licence, while the E part then allows you to drive many other types of vehicles. This licence, the Cat C1+E, allows you to drive vehicles that are between 3500 and 7500 kilograms in weight and also add on a trailer that weighs over 750 kilos. You may have to undergo an exam, both theory and practicals, that you will already be familiar with by now.
Cat C
To get this licence you can upgrade from your Cat C1 or Cat C1+E licence or even go directly to it from the Cat B, which is a standard driver’s licence. This drivers licence, the Cat C, will have you licensed to drive vehicles weighing over 3500kg and a trailer that weighs less than 750kg. Like all other licences, you will have to go through a theory exam and practical test, that you may require to find some support for.
Cat C + E
This licence, the Cat C + E is the highest possible level of licence, and this can give you access to every type of vehicle. This also means that you can pick and choose the HGV driver’s job that you want, as you will have the maximum qualification possible. It is for this reason that most drivers choose to upgrade to the Cat C + E, as this licence gives you unlimited job opportunities, and an ability to demand higher wages. This licence allows you to drive all category C vehicles with trailers more than 750kg. Preparation for this licence will require you to have a base licence, get the needed driver’s training, and go through both theory and practical tests.