If you are thinking about driving career options, it is well worth understanding just how beneficial an HGV category C licence can be for your prospects.
Following the pandemic and Brexit, there was a general shortage of drivers across the country, which caused alarm across the haulage and logistics sector and all who rely on it to deliver goods.
This led to a series of steps being taken by the government to ease the situation in 2021, ranging from more flexibility over working hours and delivery times to more funding for training.
Overall, the situation is better now; a recent survey by recruitment agency Hays on sectors with the largest skill shortages in the UK did not list HGV drivers, although there are still plenty of vacancies.
While that is good news for the industry overall, it also means it is no longer possible for qualified drivers to just walk into jobs. For that reason, it makes sense to take extra training to be able to drive vehicles you may not currently be licensed to operate.
Taking lessons and a test to get your category C licence means you will be able to drive a vehicle that weighs over 3,500 kg with a trailer load of over 750 kg. This would give you an advantage over someone who has a BE licence, who can only drive smaller vehicles up to a maximum of 3,500 KG and therefore has a smaller range of driving jobs available to them.
At the same time, because there are plenty of jobs available in the sector, undertaking such training means you are almost certain to land a role quickly, which could be the start of a long and rewarding career in the logistics sector.
You may subsequently extend this to a category CE licence, which would enable you to drive a category C vehicle with a trailer weighing more than 750 kg, further extending your range of employment options.