How to Get Your Provisional HGV Licence: The D2 and D4 Explained

Why this is the step that delays people

Every week we speak to someone who wants to start training on Monday and has not applied for provisional entitlement. You cannot sit the theory test and you certainly cannot drive a lorry on the road without it, so the paperwork sets your earliest possible start date. Get it moving before you do anything else and the rest of the process fits around it comfortably.

Step one: check what you already hold

You need a full Category B car licence. If you passed your car test before 1 January 1997 you probably already hold C1 and D1 with restrictions, which changes what you need to apply for. Check the categories on the back of your photocard, or read our guide to the 1997 licence rule. Anyone who passed on or after that date holds Category B only.

Step two: get the D2 and D4 forms

Both come from DVLA and both are free. You can order them online or pick them up from a Post Office that deals with DVLA forms. The D2 is the application for a lorry or bus provisional. The D4 is the medical examination report, which a doctor completes. Order both together, because posting them separately is a common cause of delay.

Step three: the D4 medical

1. 1Book a D4 medical with a GP practice or a dedicated driver medical provider.
2. 2Take your glasses or contact lenses, a list of your medication, and your photocard licence.
3. 3The doctor checks eyesight, blood pressure, heart, diabetes, neurological history, sleep apnoea risk and mental health.
4. 4Expect to pay for the medical; NHS practices treat it as a private service.
5. 5The doctor signs and dates the D4. Do not sign your own declaration until you are with them.

The medical is a screening exercise, not an obstacle course. Managed conditions are usually fine, but if you have insulin treated diabetes, a history of blackouts, a heart event, or a sleep apnoea diagnosis, the doctor may need to refer your case to DVLA's medical team, and that adds weeks. Flag it early and we will plan the training dates around it. Our full guide to the HGV medical covers the conditions in detail.

Step four: send it to DVLA

Post the completed D2, the signed D4 and your photocard licence to DVLA in Swansea. There is no fee for adding provisional lorry or bus entitlement to an existing licence. Use a tracked service for peace of mind, because your only photocard is in the envelope.

Common errors that get applications bounced: an unsigned D4, a missing photocard, ticking the wrong entitlement box on the D2, and using an out of date version of the form downloaded from a third party site. Always order forms from DVLA directly.

Step five: wait, and use the time

Two to three weeks is typical, longer if a medical referral is involved. This is the ideal window for theory revision, so start on the multiple choice question bank and the hazard perception clips now rather than waiting for the licence to land. By the time your provisional arrives you should be scoring comfortably above the pass mark in practice.

Step six: theory, then training

Once the provisional entitlement is on your licence you can sit the theory test, and after that the practical training week can be booked. We handle the theory booking and the test booking for you as part of the course, so the sequence runs without gaps. Our Category C course is £1,695 and includes the medical, theory and 16 hours of in vehicle tuition. C+E is £2,895 with 25 hours. C1 is £995.

Age rules worth knowing

What we do for you

If the forms are the bit you are dreading, ring us. We talk people through the D2 and D4 every week, we can point you at a local medical provider in the Glasgow area, and we will tell you honestly whether a condition is likely to need a DVLA referral before you spend anything.