Commercial vehicles are built to carry passengers or payloads. It includes buses, big vans, and other heavy-duty vehicles.
There are several steps you must first complete if you want to get a commercial driving licence, and becoming a commercial driver is something you’re interested in. The eight main processes to becoming a licenced commercial driver in the UK are detailed below.
Note: In terms of licencing, trucks are referred to as Large Goods Vehicles (LGVs) while buses are referred to as Passenger Carrying Vehicles (PCVs).
Step1: Determine which commercial driver’s licence you desire
In the UK, there are several different commercial drivers’ licence categories, including Class 1, Class 2, D1 and D. To obtain one of these particular licences, additional requirements and examinations must be cleared.
Therefore, knowing what kind of commercial driving licence you have is crucial to deciding what to do next.
Step 2: possess or obtain a full UK driver’s licence.
Applying for provisional entitlement to the driving category is the first step in getting a commercial driving licence. This is referred to as “staging.”But to accomplish that, you must first possess a current UK driver’s licence.
Step 3: apply for a temporary benefit
You can apply for a provisional licence for the following higher driving categories with a car driving licence:
Category BE licences – Driving cars up to 3,500 kg with a trailer requires BE licences.
G- Road roller licence
H – Tracked vehicles
C1 – for operating vehicles weighing between 3,500 and 7,500 kilogrammes (with a trailer up to 750kg)
C: operating cars weighing more than 3,500 kg (with a trailer up to 750kg)
D1 – for operating minibuses and other vehicles up to 8 metres long and no more than 16 passengers (with a trailer up to 750kg)
D: For operating buses with more than 8 passengers, (with a trailer up to 750kg)
It’s also crucial to keep in mind that if you want to become a higher qualified commercial driver in the UK, you could need to reapply for temporary entitlement.
Step4: Part One of the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) test
Depending on the type of commercial vehicle you desire to drive, you must first apply for a provisional lorry or bus licence and pass the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) test.
As soon as you have your provisional licence, you can book the theory test that makes up the first part of the CPC.
The hypothesis test is alienated into two sections:
- questions with several options
- Test of hazard perception
Step 5: Case Studies for the Driver CPC Part 2
As soon as you have obtained your provisional lorry or bus licence, you can also reserve a spot for the case studies portion of the Driver CPC.
The computer is used to administer this test, and it consists of seven case studies with six to eight questions in each study.
It takes roughly one and a half hours to finish all eight of the case studies, which are based on events that you are likely to experience in your regular job and personal life.
Step 6 – Driving Skills Test, Part 3
You can only schedule the driving portion of the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence test after you pass the theoretical test (part 1).
This exam lasts approximately one hour and thirty minutes and consists of questions about vehicle safety, actual road driving, and off-road driving drills.
Step 7: Practical Demonstration for Driver CPC Part 4
A practical demonstration test is the Driver CPC’s last component. You need to have passed the case studies test to reserve it (part 2).
This test includes your capacity to load your vehicle under safety regulations, maintain it secure, and stop the trafficking of undocumented immigrants, among other things.
After the become a licenced driver
Once you complete your training process, you will receive a Driver CPC card. You must keep this card with you every time you are driving a truck, coach or a bus and if you want to know about the HGV licence cost, visit any training centre. To uphold your certification, you need to complete 35 hours of recurrent training every five years.