Back on the 10th of September 2021, the UK Government announced they would be making changes to the rules for obtaining your HGV licence. Whilst this change was welcomed by some in order to support the UK’s lorry driver shortage, it left training providers, and the general public wanting to pursue a career in lorry driving, unsure of how these changes would affect them and when they would come into effect.
If you were left puzzled or confused by these changes – don’t worry, so were we?! But we have laid out the main changes below and hopefully this should help clear up any confusion.
Currently, those who wish to drive a lorry, must pass a test in a large rigid lorry, known as category c, before they can learn to drive a large articulated lorry, category CE.
After the 15th November 2021, you can learn to drive and take your test in a cat CE vehicle without having to pass a cat C test.
Those who apply for their provisional lorry licence will receive additional categories on their provisional licence.
However, this means if you have already applied or apply prior to the 15th of November, you will need to reapply for your provisional licence after this date in order to take a cat CE test without the need to pass a cat C test first.
If you are wanting to take a test straight on the CE then we advise to avoid applying for you licence until the changes are made to current rulings.
By passing your test in a cat c vehicle you will be allowed to drive a:
- Medium sized lorry (C1)
- Medium sized lorry towing a trailer (C1E)
- Large rigid lorry (C)
- Large articulated lorry (CE)
If you have queries or want to find out more, we are more than happy to provide help and advice on LGV HGV training and you can contact us on 0114 251 4444.
These changes will take effect on the 15th November 2021 subject to parliamentary approval. Until the law changes, you must continue to follow the current rules about what you can drive. You can find more information here or sign up for GOV.UK alerts regarding the changes by following this link.
