The medical rules governing who can and cannot drive a Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) are very strict and for good reason, as losing control of lorry weighing several tons is something that is likely to have lethal consequences. We often get asked questions about the HGV medical exam and about specific medical conditions that prohibit […]

Any new driver looking to obtain a commercial driving licence is required to undergo a standard HGV medical exam. Currently-licenced drivers must undergo subsequent exams on a regular basis in order to keep their licences. As part of the medical evaluation, doctors look for any signs or symptoms that would indicate drug or alcohol abuse.

A tragic accident in Glasgow caused by a medical incident suffered by an HGV driver has led to calls for tighter driver medicals and medical reporting. The 2014 accident involving a bin lorry resulted in the deaths of six people who were out shopping when the lorry driver suffered a seizure and blacked out.

By now, you are likely familiar with the tragic story of the six people killed in Glasgow by an HGV driver who blacked out behind the wheel. The accident in December 2014 might have been avoidable had the driver been forthright about medical conditions he was suffering from. Unfortunately, he was not, leading to the […]

Anyone wishing to drive an HGV or PCV professionally must undergo a comprehensive medical exam prior to earning a first licence. Medical exams are then repeated on a regular basis after that. The exams are not difficult to pass if you are in reasonably good health, but they are intended to keep unfit drivers off […]