HGV Driver – Responsibilities and Challenges

Posted by Kim Driver Training on April 16th, 2021

The term HGV stands for Heavy Goods Vehicle. Usually, the HGV Driver is responsible for transporting loads of goods in lorry between the suppliers and customers. Most of the HGV Drivers travel long distances to transport goods and vehicles. They spend a lot of time behind the wheel and there are many other tasks that they carry out either their side of the journey.

Their Responsibilities:

1: The HGV drivers plan routes to make sure that it maximizes productivity and efficiency.

2: It includes checking to anticipate traffic and planning for alternative routes if find necessary.

3: HGV drivers need to interact with the suppliers and customers politely and pleasantly when picking and dropping off goods.

4: They should ensure that all parties are satisfied with their provided services. It can include picking up and dropping off times.

5: Ensure that lorry complies with safety and regulations and is fit for the purposes before going out on the road.

6: Drivers will usually be responsible for organizing any maintenance for the Lorries.

7: They should supervise the loading of goods and then make sure that everything is loaded and unloaded safely and correctly.

8: HGV Drivers are also responsible for loading and unloading Lorries themselves.

9: They need to make sure that our goods are secure before every journey and it is extremely important when working with heavy loads.

10: The HGV Drivers maintain and keep a record of each delivery and the hours you spend behind the wheel.

Skills that you need to become HGV Driver!!!

1: One should have good skills and should have the proper knowledge of driving large good vehicles. You can undertake HGV Driver Training to get skilled as an HGV driver.

2: They should know how to drive heavy vehicles in bad weather conditions.

3: Excellent concentration skills should be there.

4: Good communication skills should be needed as the driver needs to interact with both the suppliers and customers when picking and dropping off goods.

5: While driving heavy good vehicles, the driver should remain calm and confident.

6: Having patience is a must and it is not uncommon for other drivers to become impatient with HGV drivers on the road. Sometimes, the driver tends to move at a slower speed and takes a lot of space. Thus, it is important to have patience when others try to be impatient with you.

7: The driver should have the ability to work independently because they are often on the road for maximum time.

8: One should have a driver training licence as it will develop your driving skills by undertaking HGV driving training skills.

Benefits you get as an HGV Driver:

1: HGV Driver gets the opportunities to travel to different parts of the country. They also get the opportunity to build strong community links with customers as well as suppliers.

2: They will get the freedom of not being stuck in the four walls and they will be constantly on move.

3: Learning some new skills behind the wheel help in upgrading your driver's licence so that they can easily carry large loads.

4: Hours are often flexible.

5: If you love driving vehicles then there are chances that you will enjoy spending time on the open road.

Challenges that you will face:

However, if you like to spend your own company, then it is a solitary lifestyle. The long-distance drivers will not spend their days in isolation but they need to spend time away from their family.

Moreover, the drivers need to work and face long-day current rules. They need to spend 9 hours per day and 56 hours per week. So, you can think about how fatigue can be and along with these shift patterns, it also disturbs their sleep cycles. Sometimes the pressures of traffic congestion and handling the hazardous driving conditions can cause resulting stress.

Being an HGV driver trainer you need to face all its challenges. Also, it is an excellent choice if you love driving or looking to invest in a secure career. You can also relish the opportunity by spending time on your own.

Here are some challenges that you need to face like:

1: The Driver should need to concentrate for a longer period. However, time can vary but some journeys can be several hours long.

2: They need to work alone and if someone enjoys the company of others then they could find the journeys alone i.e quite challenging for them.

3: Driving a large vehicle can quite be tricky and thus you will need to develop your driving skills. You can get the relevant training in order to make sure that you are safe and competent behind the wheel.

4:  It can be possible that the HGV Drivers are required to drive through the night and it can be quite tricky to balance. You may also need to work on weekends too.

How you can get started?

Since the year Sep 2009, if anyone wants to wishes to drive a lorry or want to carry 3.5T then they will need to complete Driver Certificate of Professional Competence before going behind the wheel. It will also prepare you to drive much larger vehicles that you can operate differently.

In order to achieve your Driver CPC licence, you will need to undertake some large vehicle training sessions and a four-part test. This will require you to demonstrate both your practical and theoretical knowledge. Most of the driving training companies will intake you and help you works towards it.

Apart from this, if you already have a Driver CPC licence then you will always need to have a full UK car driving licence before you get started with your HGV Driver Training. The best part about this is- if you are a confident driver then you should be able to get your licence in a couple of days or weeks.

However, both the training and tests come at your cost and thus you will only need to renew your licence after every 5 years and also you need to remember that you cannot put a price on safety.