HGV Category C+E Licence
The HGV Category C+E licence, also known as the Class 1 licence, is the highest HGV driving qualification you can hold. ItтАЩs therefore a great option for professional HGV drivers who want to increase their level of expertise and take a step up the career ladder. Obtaining a Category C licence may be the way to enter the profession, but to truly unlock your career as an HGV driver, open up job opportunities and boost your earning power, then the Category C+E licence is the way to go.
Training tip: If youтАЩre new to HGV driving with no Category C licence then you should consider taking the combined Category C and C+E course. This course is actually both licence tests, taken back-to-back, and it will save you both time and money.
What Can You Drive With This Licence?
The Category C+E licence allows you to drive a vehicle weighing over 3,500 kg with a detachable trailer thatтАЩs over 750 kg. With this licence, drivers can haul an overall maximum weight of 44 tonnes, and will be qualified to drive two types of vehicle:
Fully articulated lorry тАУ commonly known as artics, this combination is comprised of a tractor unit hauling a long trailer. These kings of the road are the most common Category C+E/Class 1 vehicles youтАЩll see on our motorways and highways today.
Drawbar тАУ also known as тАШwagon and dragтАЩ this is a combination of a rigid truck coupled with a trailer.
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The Type of Work You Can Expect
The Cat C+E licence will greatly increase your choice of job roles. Employers favour those who can diversify between rigid and artics, and youтАЩll be among the highest qualified drivers within the industry. This will give you more choice over the type of driving you want to do, be that short haul, long haul or international road haulage.
The types of deliveries youтАЩll make include:
- Supermarket deliveries
- Warehouse deliveries
- Milk or fuel tankers
- Machinery transporters
- Car transporters
Gaining a Category C+E licence will not only make you more employable, but youтАЩll also significantly boost your earning power. Indeed, drivers holding this licence frequently earn in excess of ┬г40,000, which explains why for so many drivers itтАЩs a natural progression from the Cat C licence.
How to Obtain a Category C+E Licence
The Category C+E or Class 1 licence is a follow-on qualification.
Here are the licence requirements.
You must:
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Hold a valid car licence. You can now go straight on to your C+E licence with only having to do a few days training on your Cat-C and then further training on your C+E. This can be done in one course and with only one test at the end. When applying for provisional licences you can now apply for both Category C and Category C+E entitlements at the same time.
- Pass a practical driving test, to allow the тАШEтАЩ entitlement (to haul a trailer over 750 kg) to be added to your licence.
Training courses can be completed in as little as 4-5 days and are available through HGV training providers nationwide.
Looking to get started on your HGV training?
Fill in our form below to get more information from 3 leading HGV providers
Career Progression
As the pinnacle of your HGV driving career, gaining a Cat C+E licence means youтАЩll be among the most in demand and respected drivers on the road. Not only that, but you can further progress your career by becoming self-employed, either as a driver owner or by working through an agency. There are also options to add specialist training courses to your licence, such as HIAB and ADR, to further increase your earning potential.
Licence Types and Earning Potential
Category C licence
Drive rigid body vehicles up to 7500kg with trailer up to 750kg. The most common licence.
Average salary per year
up to ┬г36k
Category C+E licence
Drive vehicles over 7500kg with trailers over 750kg. Higher earning potential.
Average salary per year
up to ┬г50k
Category C1 licence
Cat CтАЩs smaller cousin. Drive vehicles between 3500 тАУ 7500kg with trailer up to 750kg.
Average salary per year
up to ┬г28k
Category C1+E licence
Small, rigid body vehicle towing a trailer weighing more than 750kg.
Average salary per year
up to ┬г28k
An LGV CE driver is a lorry driver who holds a Category CE licence. LGV CE drivers are qualified to operate vehicles that weigh over 3,500 kg, with a trailer of over 750 kg. They can drive artics and drawbar combinations and can haul a maximum weight of 44 tonnes.
To get a Category C HGV licence youтАЩll need to be over 18, hold a UK driving licence and pass the Driver CPC. The Category C licence allows you to operate vehicles that are over 3,500 kg, with a trailer up to 750 kg MAM. The maximum weight you can haul is 32 tonnes.
On a C1 E licence, you can drive medium-sized goods vehicles that weigh 3,500 – 7,500 kg, with a trailer that weighs over 750 kg. The maximum authorised mass (MAM) is 12,000 kg. Drivers who passed their test before 1 January 1997 will automatically have this entitlement on their licence (up to 8.25 tonnes).
A Category BE licence allows holders to drive a vehicle with a MAM of 3,500 kg, with a trailer. The weight of the trailer depends on when your licence is тАШvalid fromтАЩ. Before 19 January 2013, you can tow any size trailer; after this date, maximum train weight is limited to 7,000 kg.
The difference between Class 1 and Class 2 HGV is the weight and type of vehicle. Class 1 vehicles can be rigid or articulated, they weigh over 3,500 kg and can haul a trailer of over 750 kg. Class 2 vehicles are rigid, weigh over 3,500kg, with a trailer of up to 750 kg MAM.
This depends on when you obtained your car driving licence. If it was before 1 January 1997, youтАЩll have тАШgrandfather rightsтАЩ to C1 entitlement, allowing you to drive a 7.5 tonne lorry on a car licence. If you passed your test after this date, youтАЩll need to obtain a C1 licence.
Yes, in certain circumstances you can drive a 7.5 tonne lorry without a full Driver CPC. Reasons include when a vehicle has a maximum authorised speed of 28mph, or if itтАЩs controlled by the police or the armed forces. However, youтАЩll still need to pass three of the four CPC elements.
Yes, 7.5 tonne vehicles are classed as being an HGV. Vehicles over 7.5 tonnes will require a Category C or C+E licence. A Cat C licence covers vehicle and trailer combinations over 3,500 kg but under 32 tonnes, while Cat C+E holders can operate heavier articulated combinations of up to 44 tonnes.
On a car licence, the biggest van you can drive is 3,500 kg (3.5 tonnes) in weight, with up to 8 passenger seats. If you passed your test before 1 January 1997, you may be entitled to drive larger vehicle and trailer combinations that weigh up to 8,250 kg MAM.
On a category B licence, you can drive cars and small vans that weigh under 3,500 kg MAM (with a trailer of up to 750 kg) and have a maximum of eight passenger seats. Licences obtained before 1 January 1997 entitle holders to drive heavier vehicle and trailer combinations of up to 8,250 kg MAM.
Day-to-Day Duties
As a Category C+E HGV driver, your main duty is to transport goods from a supplier to a customer or client.
However, the day-to-day job can also include:
- Route and schedule planning
- Liaising with customers
- Supervising the loading and unloading of goods
- Completing paperwork and log books
- Ensuring vehicle maintenance is in order
- Making sure loads are safely secured