Road transport is a massive and essential industry. In total, 89% of all freight in the UK is moved by road. The industry contributes £13.5bn to the UK economy and employs around 300,000 people. There are an estimated 437,000 HGVs registered in the UK.
It’s also, quite rightly, heavily regulated. So, as an HGV driver, along with the day-to-day challenges of life on the road, you need to be aware of the rules, regulations and responsibilities of being a professional goods vehicle driver.
Follow the recommendations below and you’ll keep your employer happy, you’ll avoid driving penalties and, potentially, have a long and happy career on the road.
Your HGV licence qualifies you to transport goods and materials in a truck, lorry or articulated vehicle weighing over 3.5 tonnes.
A Category C HGV licence entitles you to drive vehicles over 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 32 tonnes. It’s generally a rigid vehicle with the cab and trailer fixed permanently together and used mainly for local delivery work.
A Category C+E HGV licence is the most comprehensive licence you can hold. Also known as a ‘Class 1’, it entitles the holder to drive all types of large goods vehicles including 44-tonne artics and double trailers.
Driver’s CPC card: Alongside your licence a national Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (DCPC) enables you to drive commercially in the UK. If you’re working in both the UK and the EU you will require an International DCPC. Newly qualified drivers automatically get an International DCPC which remains valid for five years. You’ll be issued with a blue Driver’s Qualification Card (DQC). A National DQC card will have “Domestic UK Use Only” on the bottom. You must have your DQC with you whenever you’re in the cab. To retain your Driver CPC, whether it’s a national or international card, you must complete 35-hours of Driver CPC training every five years.
In addition, you must have your:
o Tachograph card
o Driving licence
o Vehicle documents (MOT, insurance, operator licence if applicable)
o Emergency equipment (first aid kit, warning triangle, high-vis jacket, etc.)
o If carrying hazardous goods: ADR certificate, safety data sheets, relevant signage
If you are driving in Europe there are other requirements. You’ll find out more on this by following this link to Driver Hire Training’s website: https://www.driverhiretraining.co.uk/driving-an-hgv-in-europe-6-rules-you-need-to-know/
The hierarchy of road users – introduced in 2022 – encourages mutual respect and consideration for all road users, particularly the most vulnerable: pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. As an HGV driver you have responsibility to keep up to date with Highway Code updates. This can be done speedily and easily by following the link: https://www.driverhiretraining.co.uk/8-changes-you-need-to-know-about-the-highway-code/ or https://www.driverhiretraining.co.uk/fors-training/fors-courses/safe-urban-driving/
One of your key responsibilities as a professional driver is knowing, understanding and following the rules on drivers’ hours – the maximum number of hours you are allowed to work on a daily and weekly basis. They are:
Daily driving limits and rest
• You must not drive for more than 9 hours – but twice a week you can extend this to 10 hours.
• You must have a break or breaks amounting to at least 45 minutes after no more than 4.5 hours of driving.
• You must have at least 11 hours rest between shifts. Three times a week you can reduce this to a minimum of 9 hours.
Weekly driving limits and rest
• You must not drive for more than 56 hours.
• You must not drive for more than 90 hours in a two-week period.
• If you drive for 56 hours in one week, you must drive for only 34 hours the following week.
• You must have an unbroken rest period of 45 hours – you can reduce this to 24 hours every other week.
The consequences of deliberately flouting Drivers’ Hours rules can be harsh. A haulage boss and nine of his drivers were given suspended prison sentences for manipulating the tachographs in their cabs so that they didn’t record the actual number of hours worked. In addition to his suspended prison sentence the haulage boss had to pay a £72,000 fine.
One of the first things you must do when you climb into your cab is to insert your tachograph card in the vehicle’s tachograph unit. They’re easy to use; your employer will give you precise instructions on how to operate it and print out your day’s work at the end of your shift. As a double check to ensure you’re not exceeding your working hours, you can purchase a Truck Timer which will tell you when to stop driving and take a break. Driver Hire Training offers courses on digital tachographs. Find out more at https://www.driverhiretraining.co.uk/module/digital-tachograph/
To help you keep on top of the drivers hours’ regulations, the government’s website, UK.Gov, provides a handy weekly timesheet which allows you to document time spent driving, time spent on duty and more. You could also use an online timesheet to help you calculate your weekly hours of driving.
HGV drivers (and the company they work for) are responsible for making sure their vehicle is safe to drive. With this in mind, the DVSA states that all HGV drivers must carry out a walk round check of their vehicle before their journey begins to make sure that it’s safe to drive and that it complies with regulations. Completing a daily walk round check of your vehicle contributes to your safety and the safety of other road users. Whilst the walk round check doesn’t expect you to, as it were, put your ‘head under the bonnet’, it might identify early warning signs of a problem. A well-maintained vehicle is less likely to breakdown and spends less time off the road – a big plus both for you and your employer. Checking that tyres are properly inflated, reduces fuel consumption.
All HGV drivers should fill out a form (on paper or using a specially designed app) that includes the list of checks above. Details will, most likely, will be provided by your employer. Best to check on this with them. Below is a list of what your walk round check should comprise. If you don’t find anything wrong with your vehicle, make sure to record ‘nil’ defects found. Remember, both police and DVSA officers can pull you over to do spot roadside checks on your vehicle. They may ask for a record of your walk round check, so it’s crucial that you document it. If they find a serious fault, they have the authority to stop you from driving until the issues they identify have been fixed. In some cases, they can even issue you with a fine.
To help with all of the above, DVSA. GOV.UK have created a handy template for HGV drivers to use to record their checks and any defects.
Vehicle interior
1. Mirrors and glass
Check that your vehicle’s windscreen and front side windows are not excessively tinted. As well as this, check the windscreen doesn’t have:
• Cracks
• Scratches
• Discolouration
Check that all mirrors are in place and not:
• Damaged or missing glass
• Obscured
• Loose
If your vehicle uses a camera system instead of a mirror, check that it works, and that the view is accurate.
2. Windscreen wipers and washers
Check that your vehicle’s windscreen wipers and washers work, and check that the windscreen wipers blades are not:
• Missing
• Damaged
• Worn
3. Front view
• Check that there are no objects obscuring your front view.
• As a rule of thumb, there should be nothing in the swept area of the windscreen wipers.
• Some official stickers and road safety items are permitted, providing they do not seriously block your view of the road (e.g. operator licence disc).
4. Dashboard warning lights and gauges
Check all the following are working correctly:
• Instruments
• Gauges
• Warning lights – including the engine warning, emissions system, Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Braking System (EBS)
5. Steering
Check that there’s no excessive lift or movement in the steering column, and check that your vehicle’s steering wheel:
• Doesn’t jam
• Has no excessive play
• Moves properly and that the power-assisted steering works correctly
6. Horn
Check that your vehicle’s horn works and is easily reachable from the driver’s seat.
7. Brakes and air build-up
Check for the following:
• Air builds up correctly and warning system works
• No air leaks
• Footwell is clear
• Service brake pedal doesn’t have excessive side play or missing, loose, or partial anti-slip tread
8. Height marker
Check that the correct vehicle height is displayed on your vehicle height marker in your cab. Keep in mind that the height can change, for instance, if the HGV is loaded, unloaded, or reloaded.
9. Seatbelts
Check that your vehicle’s seatbelts:
• Have no cuts, damage or fraying that may stop them from working
• Remain secure when you buckle them in
• Retract against you when fitted, and fully retract when you take them off vehicle exterior
10. Lights and indicators
Check for the following:
• All lights and indicators work properly
• All lenses are fitted, clean and the correct colour
• Stop lamps turn on when you apply the service brake and go out when you release
• Marker lights are fitted and work
11. Fuel and oil leaks
• Check that your vehicle’s fuel filler cap is fitted properly.
• Turn on the engine and check underneath your vehicle for any fuel/oil leaks
12. Battery security and conditions
Check that your vehicle’s battery is:
• Secure
• In good condition
• Not leaking
13. Diesel exhaust fluid (AdBlue)
• Check that your diesel vehicle has enough AdBlue diesel exhaust fluid and top up if required.
14. Excessive engine exhaust smoke
• Check that your vehicle’s exhaust doesn’t produce an excessive amount of smoke.
15. Security of body and wings
Check for the following:
• All fastening devices work
• Cab doors and trailer doors are secure when shut
• Body panels on tractor or trailer are secure and unlikely to fall off
• Landing legs (if mounted) are secure and unlikely to fall off whilst driving
• Sideguards and rear under-run guards are fitted if needed, and they’re not loose or damaged
16. Spray suppression
If spray suppression flaps are needed, check that they are:
• Fitted
• Secure
• Undamaged
• Clean from mud or debris
17. Tyres and wheel fixing
Check for the following:
• Tyres and wheels are secure
• Tyres have a tread depth of at least 1mm across 3/4 of the breadth of the tread and around the entire circumference of the tyre.
• Tyres are inflated correctly
• Tyre sidewalls are free from deep cuts
• No visible cord anywhere on the tyre
• All wheel nuts are tight enough – check this by seeing if the wheel nut indicators have moved
• No objects or debris trapped between the twin wheels
18. Brake lines and trailer parking brake
Check for the following:
• Couplings are free from debris and are in the correct place
• No leaks
• No damage or wear to brake lines
• The parking brake for the trailer works
• After the preliminary brake test, leave the engine running so pressure can build up, as this will make it easier to hear any leaks whilst doing the rest of the walkaround check
19. Electrical connections
Check each connection and make sure that all:
• Visible wiring is insulated
• Visible wiring isn’t likely to get caught or damaged
• All electrical trailer couplings are connected securely
• All electrical switches work correctly
20. Coupling security
Check that your vehicle is securely attached to your trailer and that the:
• Trailer is positioned correctly in the fifth wheel or coupling
• Secondary locking devices are in the correct position
21. Security of load
• Check that the load doesn’t move and isn’t likely to move
• Make sure to use the right type of load securing system for the load
If you have doubts about how the load is secured or how stable it is, ask a colleague to check too. You may have a specific person in charge of vehicle safety – but this doesn’t absolve you from your responsibility for the safety of your vehicle when you are out on the road:
• Get an experienced individual to check it
• Reload or re-secure if needed
The consequences of failing to do this element of your walk round check properly can be massive. When an inadequately secured heat exchanger toppled from a lorry, it killed a 70-year old cyclist who was alongside the vehicle. In court this tragic occurrence was described as both foreseeable and preventable.
If you want to know more about safely loading and unloading heavy goods vehicles, we have created a handy guide to loading and unloading detailing everything you need to know.
22. Number plate
Check that your vehicle’s number plate isn’t:
• Damaged or incomplete
• Incorrect or spaced incorrectly
• Dirty
• Faded
• Covered by anything
23. Reflectors
Check that your vehicle’s reflectors (and side reflectors) are not:
• Missing
• Broken
• Loose
• Fitted incorrectly
• The wrong colour
• Obscured by dirt or other objects
24. Markings and warning plates
Check that your vehicle’s markings are:
• The right colour
• Noticeable
• Securely fastened
• Not obscured by dirt or other objects
If your vehicle is carrying dangerous goods, check that the hazard information panels:
• Show the correct information for the load
• Are visible
• Are securely fastened
• Are not obscured by dirt or other objects
All HGV drivers should fill out a form (on paper or using a specially designed app) that includes the list of checks above. If you don’t find anything wrong with your vehicle, make sure to still record ‘nil’ defects found. DVSA can ask for a record of your walkaround check at a roadside check so it’s crucial that every check is documented. GOV UK have created a handy template for HGV drivers to use to record their checks and any defects.
Sometimes, issues with your vehicle may arise whilst you’re on a job. If this is the case, find a safe place to stop to assess and then report the problem.
If you find a dangerous fault, you must get it repaired immediately before carrying on your journey. Otherwise, you may face serious consequences from fines or, in some cases, prosecution.
Over the last few years the HGV sector has seen remarkable transformation fuelled by advances in sustainability, safety and automation. What was largely a manual industry is now at the forefront of cutting edge technology. Today’s trucks are smarter than ever before.
For example, telematics and AI powered vehicle monitoring could help detect issues before they become serious. Automated vehicle inspections using sensors to check tyre pressures and emissions have the potential to reduce the time spent on your walk round check. Out on the road, the widespread adoption of ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) is delivering lane keeping aids, adaptive cruise control and automated emergency braking, all of which contribute to improved driver safety. The next stage could be fully autonomous trucks. However, as with electric vs hydrogen powered vehicles, the industry is considering its best options. It’s hard to predict how, but as a driver, they will all impact on your professional responsibilities.
If you’d like to talk to us about how we can kickstart your career as an HGV driver, call us on 0808 178 9977 or chat to one of our agents right now.
