It used to be called an HGV Class 2 licence. Now it’s called LGV Category C. This licence allows you to drive a rigid truck up to 32 tonnes, with a trailer up to 750kg.
There are a number of things you need to do:
- Apply for a provisional HGV licence.
- Do a medical.
- Pass the theory test.
- Pass the hazard awareness test.
- Pass the practical test.
It might seem like a lot of messing about, but it’s not that bad. I’ll give you some tips which will hopefully make it easier.
Theory test.
This is easy, just install the best reviewed HGV / LGV theory test apps on your phone and memorise the answers. They’re all pretty obvious so you shouldn’t find that too hard.
Hazard awareness.
How this works is a bit silly really. You sit in front of a screen with a mouse, where you see CGI simulated driving videos, and all you have to do is click when you see the hazard.
If you click at the earliest point, as soon as the hazard presents itself, you get five points for that video, then if you’re a bit later, you get four, and so on until you get to one point, when the hazard is pretty much in your face.
So you have to click on each hazard at the earliest point, but not too early. If you click too early, before the hazard is ‘developing’, you get zero points.
The best thing to do therefore, is to click three times for each hazard.
When you see a hazard start to develop, click the mouse, then wait about one and a half seconds, and click again, and again.
You are allowed three clicks per hazard, and ten per video, so don’t be afraid to click if you see something that could be a developing hazard.
Think of it as a rhythm. See the hazard develop, click-wait-click-wait-click. See another one, and do the same.
One of the videos has two hazards in, but you don’t know which one it is, so for each video, just because you’ve clicked on one hazard, you can’t relax, as there might be another.
If you follow this method you’ll be sure to get four or five points per video which is easily enough to pass.
There are plenty of videos online, and phone apps, so have a look at all of these that you can find and you’ll get the hang of it.
Get used to the rhythm of clicking, that’s the main thing.
Practical test.
This one I struggled with. Not so much with actually doing it, but the nervousness beforehand.
If you’ve done the training, and you you know what you’re doing, you’ll be fine, as long as you get your nerves under control.
I used Bach’s Rescue Remedy, which seemed to help.
Making sure the test is at the best time of day for you is important too.
If you have any better solutions, let me know!