Is There Any Difference Between HGV Training and LGV Training?

How Do I Get the Required Driving Licence?

The demand for lorry and van drivers has increased as the freight industry is growing at a very high rate.

To get a recruited as a lorry or van driver, you must have a valid driving licence. That is why many people are spending most of their time searching for the best driving courses that can help them obtain a lorry licence. Moreover, you must be aware of the licence terminologies that are used in this industry.

After doing your research, you will realise that some companies use the terms HGV and LGV when talking about lorry and van driving jobs. Here, Easy As HGV help you understand the meaning of these terms to help you ensure that you apply for the right job post.

What is the Difference Between HGV and LGV?

HGV and LGV terminologies can be confusing for new drivers who have just joined the logistics and transport industry. That is why most drivers are not sure of which licence they need to apply for the job post they want.

You also need to be aware of the fact that the spelling for the word licence in the UK is different from the USA, where the correct spelling is with an ‘s’. However, do not worry much about the spelling as such an issue will not stop you from becoming a driver.

Learn More about these Two Terminologies

The term LGV refers to large goods vehicles, while HGV refers to heavy goods vehicles.

According to the European and UK law, both the HGV and LGV licences are considered to be the same. That is because they cover almost all commercial vehicles that weigh over 3500 kg. This is inclusive of gross combination mass that is featured in the vehicles including box vans, ADR, tippers and even chiller lorries.

However, some people still fail to understand what these terms mean. Instead, most people think that LGV is for driving vans and pickup trucks that have a gross weight of less than 3500 kg. But the truth is that you can drive your car when weighing the same weight using your category B driving license entitlement.

Where Did the Term HGV Originate From?

Several factors contribute to the taxing of vehicles in the UK. These factors are engines, fuel type, construction, emissions, weight, and purpose of the vehicle.

The term HGV came in when the tax disc was introduced in the United Kingdom. Since then this term has been used to categorise vehicles for the purpose of tax deductions.

During the same period, vehicles that had a gross weight of less than 3500 kg were considered to be light goods vehicles.

In the year 1992, all vehicles that had a gross weight of over 3.5 tonnes were designated as lorries in order to be aligned with the European licence categories. For this reason, the term LGV was changed to Large Goods Vehicles. Hence, there is no difference between LGV and HGV.

The categories of licences did not stay for long before they were changed in the same year.

What was referred to as HGV Class 1 is currently known as LGV C+E, and the HGV class 2 drivers training is now referred to as LGV C.

However, some people still use the previous style of categorisation. Therefore, do not be surprised when you see an advert on driving jobs for LGV class 1 or HGV category C.

Long ago, there used to be an HGV class 3 licence. Today, the nearest you can get to this is an LGV C1. With a C1 entitlement, you have the privilege of driving vehicles that weigh over 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 7.5 tonnes.

Moreover, those who wish to become professional drivers and earn a living out of this job can upgrade their driver’s license to LGV C. This will allow you to drive vehicles that weigh more than 7.5 tonnes but not exceeding 32 tonnes. Furthermore, drivers also seek back-to-back training so that they can upgrade to LGV C+E.