education

The Key skills and characteristics you should have to get a C1 licence.

Whether you want to change the scenery or advance your career, learning how to get a C1 licence can be the first step in your new professional career. After you get your first driving job, you will be delivering cargo around the country, and if you become an expert, you might go internationally too. The truck and lorry drivers are the most important people when talking about deliveries at the right time and place.

After becoming a professional HGV driver, you will have to work for long hours and transport goods boxes from and to manufacturing units and retail locations.

Due to the shortage of Truck drivers in the UK, it is the best time to grab the opportunity and get your desired salary. The government has fastened the qualification process for HGV drivers.

Note*- If you face any money issues and cannot pay to get a C1 licence, you can join the skill boot camps organized by the government and get your HGV training for free.

The qualifications you will need to become a professional driver

To get your HGV licence, you should be 18 years old and need to have a full UK driving licence. If you have your car licence, you can take your HGV theory and practical test to become a qualified HGV driver. All the costs involved in becoming a professional lorry driver are estimated to be around £250 to £300.

  • Your first step should be to apply for a provisional HGV licence. You need to send a D4 medical form. The charges for this can vary between £45 to £100. It depends on whether you take it from the NHS or get it privately.
  • The next step is to qualify for the theory and practical driving exam to get your C1 licence.
  • If you want to drive legally on the road as a professional class 1 Driver, you will need a qualification certificate called the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC).

You must know about the different types of licences. These licences point towards the weight of the vehicle you can drive. The category starts from CAT C1. It can weigh between 3500-7500kg, and a trailer weighs up to 750 kg. The next is the CAT C+E licence. You can get this to drive a vehicle of weight 3500kg and more and a trailer weighing over 750kg.
If you want the information in detail, visit the UK government’s site. It might take multiple weeks to complete your training for a C1 licence. Once you have qualified, you are ready to become a lorry driver. While you search for your job, the interviewer can ask you about your experience in training. Therefore you should remember everything about it.

The characteristics and skills you will need

We want you to start your job smoothly once you get your C1 licence, and to ensure the same, here are some characteristics and skills you need to have to excel at your job.

  • You should have the ability to focus on your job for a longer time
  • Whether you do a day or night shift, you need to drive patiently.
  • You should always complete all your paperwork at the time of deliveries
  • You need to have excellent communication skills while you deliver the goods
  • You need to understand the road safety rules and the loading and unloading of your vehicle.
  • You should work independently and solve all the work-related problems in one go.