How to Advance Your HGV or LGV Lorry Driving Career

Whether you've been in the driver's seat for years, or you've just earned your Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC), it's never too early (or too late!) to think about your next career move.

There's a lot you can do to map a rewarding career as a lorry driver, and we'll outline some of the best tips below. Plus, we'll give you 5 action items you can take this week to ensure your LGV or HGV lorry driving career keeps progressing.

Why some lorry drivers seek a professional change

When you achieve your professional driving qualification , you might assume your career will write itself. Get a job with a large company, work the required number of drivers hours per week, and continue the pattern for the next several decades.

But your HGV licence, (heavy goods vehicle),now known as large goods vehicle (LGV) in the UK, opens your career to a much larger pool of driver jobs. Opportunities where you can play a crucial role in maintaining essential supplies, operating complex specialist equipment, and beyond.

If all the driving hours seem to run together, or if you find yourself daydreaming of something a little more challenging, it may be time for a career expansion. Here's what we recommend:

Expand your professional driving qualifications

Let’s say your current licence is a Category C, but the professional driving qualification called "Category C+E" is an advanced licence which allows you to drive specialist vehicles.

Specialist certifications (like ADR for hazardous goods or HIAB for crane operation) usually give you access to higher-paying jobs. Plus, they're often more challenging positions that make your day-to-day responsibilities more interesting and exciting. Higher-stakes transport roles can give you better compensation and job satisfaction.

As part of your career development, it’s important to also keep up with your driver CPC training requirements to stay qualified. To keep your licence, you'll need to complete 35 hours of periodic training every 5 years. You can spread that out by doing 1 day of training per year, do shorter, more frequent online courses, or consolidate it into a week's worth of training at the end of 5 years. However you schedule it, ongoing training is a legal requirement to keep your driver CPC, and remember you are expected to carry the Driver Qualification Card (DQC) at all times whilst at work.

Expand your expertise and reputation as a lorry driver

You can make an impact at work by meeting your key responsibilities as a lorry driver reliably and consistently. Employers and colleagues take notice when you work hard, maintain a clean driving record, and act like the solid professional you are. When you're looking for your next role, your professional reputation will make you a more employable, successful candidate.

You can also build on your previous experience by asking for varied roles within your company. Try out different vehicle or cargo types to expand your skills, and practice quality customer service on each job so clients in a variety of industries start to associate your name with driving excellence.

If you get a chance, take on administrative or leadership opportunities like acting as a spokesperson or liaison between drivers and management. Even if they’re volunteer roles, they’re a great way to develop excellent communication skills and learn how carriers operate at the management level.

Seek specialist or high-paying roles

Start researching higher-paying driving roles like tanker driving, refrigerated transport, or long-haul international trucking. You may need additional licences to undertake these roles, but the benefits they offer (like a higher base salary, company pensions, and overtime pay) will be worth the additional effort.

Here's a quick look at higher-paying specialist roles and what they entail:

Network with other truck drivers and stay informed

Developing your professional network is a smart move regardless of your industry, and you can do it by joining industry forums, online driver communities, and trade associations. These are full of drivers who want to share and learn from one another. They're involved in the industry and excited to make contacts who prioritise their driving careers.

Plus, forums and associations will give you regular updates on industry news, changing regulations, and job opportunities, often delivered as an email newsletter straight to your inbox. The more you keep aware of trends and topics that are influencing your industry, the better informed you'll be when you're making contacts that could turn into job opportunities, or sitting in a job interview for your dream position.

Consider moving into HGV driver training or management

With enough experience, you can transition into training roles, running skills bootcamps or official CPC licensing workshops. Training is a great career progression, as the hours and location are usually more predictable than on-the-road jobs, so you can enjoy a pace change while moving to a higher-paying role.

Companies regularly look for future fleet managers and logistics coordinators in their current drivers. Management-level jobs like these enjoy higher pay and steadier, more predictable hours while being professionally satisfying.

Steps to moving your lorry driving career into overdrive

If you want to make a professional change, but you're not sure how to get started, use these tips to take action this week towards a more exciting, better-paying career:

1. Start working on new qualifications now. Figure out which qualification you'd like to achieve and research a local course you can take soon.

2. Attend a trade show or join an online community. Make it your business to meet (and swap contact info with) 10 new professional contacts.

3. Regularly check in with colleagues and contacts you've made. Email or call them once a quarter to say hi, hear how things are going in their corner of the industry, and learn how their role has changed recently.

4. Make it a point to read 3 industry-related articles every week. That way, you'll always be informed about trucking trends and news.

When you're ready to make your move, you'll be well connected and knowledgeable in the industry.

Ready for that more challenging, better-paying HGV driver role? It's waiting for you in our network! Register to get connected to more driving roles.