Have you ever considered driving a van for a living? Van delivery drivers provide a valuable service throughout the UK every single day. They deliver goods and packages in major cities and small towns; sometimes they even drive across country when required by their employers. You can earn an excellent living and enjoy being out and about on a daily basis as a professional van driver.
According to the National Career Service, the van driving candidate needs to be proficient in English and maths as well as possessing the appropriate licence. We will talk more about licence requirements in just a moment. As for what you could expect from a van driving job, most drivers routinely do the following:
- Collect goods and load vehicles according to delivery schedules
- Plan daily routes to ensure efficient and on-time deliveries
- Unload goods at customer locations
- Keep accurate records relating to fuel, mileage, and deliveries
- Return and unload undelivered cargo at the end of the day.
The average salary for a van driver is between £17,000 and £21,000 annually. Some employers may pay extra bonuses for additional work that might be indirectly related to van driving. However, additional bonus pay is never guaranteed.
Licence Requirements for Van Driving
The tricky thing about van driving is that vans are included in two separate licence classes, depending on vehicle weight. Lighter vans weighing no more than 3,500 kg can be operated legally on a Category B licence. Vans between 3,500 kg and 7,500 kg require a Category C1 licence.
The only exception to the different licence classes applies to those who obtained a Category B licence prior to 1 January 1997. They are able to operate Category C1 vehicles on their current licences without any additional entitlements. Everyone else needs to have a higher licence to drive heavier vans.
From a practical standpoint, it does not make sense for a van operator to hire only drivers with Category B licences – even if their entire fleet consists of vehicles no heavier than 3,500 kg. There are several reasons for this:
- CPC Requirements – Regardless of the weight of the vehicles driven, all professional drivers must be CPC certified in order to work. As long as a driver is going to undergo Driver CPC training, he or she might just as well undergo training for the Category C1 licence.
- Vehicle Upgrades – A company might do well with lighter vans in the short term, but what happens if the company decides to upgrade its vehicles to heavier vans that Category B licence holders are not able to drive? This is always a possibility in the world of van driving. It is better to go with drivers with a higher licence just in case.
Some employers will hire drivers with Category B licences and then put them through training to help them obtain the higher category licence. Doing so may meet the company’s immediate need for drivers of their lighter vans while also preparing for the eventual use of heavier vehicles.
One more thing you should know before we move on: if you obtained a Category C1 licence to operate heavier vans for non-commercial purposes, that licence might enable you to get a job as a professional. You would still have to undergo 35 hours of CPC training in order to be certified in compliance with the law, but already possessing the right kind of licence gives you a leg up in the hiring process.
We Train Van Drivers
It is normal to assume that van driving is not complicated enough to require training. And there may be some drivers who do very well as professionals yet never undergo formal training. However, they are the exception rather than the rule. Van driving requires a skill set that can be best attained through proper training. At the HGV Training Centre, we provide that training.
Future professional drivers undergoing training with us will be trained in the following areas:
- Theory – Commercial drivers need to pass a theory test that is not required of non-professionals. In addition to the information required for that test, other principles of commercial driving can only be learned in the classroom. This includes things such as driving hours regulations, safe cargo handling, etc.
- Case Studies – In order to be CPC certified, drivers must pass case studies exam appropriate to the vehicles they intend to drive. This exam presents the driver with a series of case studies he or she is likely to encounter in the workplace. Each case study includes a number of multiple-choice questions.
- Driving Skills – It is probably obvious to you, but our training also includes instruction and practice in driving skills. This portion of the training is intended to prepare the future professional for a long and safe career in van driving. We teach the necessary skills including controlled stops, controlled acceleration, cornering, and reversing.
- Practical Skills – There are certain practical skills that go hand-in-hand with van driving. For example, the driver needs to know how to check fluid levels and tyre pressure. Not only will these skills be required on the job, but they are also required to pass the final test to obtain a Category C1 licence.
We utilise a focused training approach that presents our students with information in short, concentrated segments. This approach allows us to impart a large volume of information in a short amount of time without compromising the integrity of our training. We can have you trained and ready to take your final test in as little as a few weeks. As long as you are committed to learning, we can get you in and out of training quickly.
After You Complete Training
We do not have a reputation as being one of the best driver training companies in the UK by accident. We have worked very hard to establish ourselves by going above and beyond to help our drivers succeed. Our commitment extends well beyond just initial training to include both job placement assistance and ongoing Driver CPC training.
Where job placement assistance is concerned, we maintain an up-to-date jobs database listing van driving jobs all over the country. Our students can apply for jobs while also referencing us as their training provider. We will do everything we can to help you find work as quickly as possible upon completion of your training.
We hope you will appreciate your experience with the HGV Training Centre to the extent that you will return to us for your ongoing CPC training every five years. As a professional, you will need 35 hours of training sometime within the final year of your current qualification card in order to be recertified for another five years. We make that training available on an ongoing basis.
If you have ever considered van driving for a living, trust us when we say it is a good career choice. There continues to be a professional driver shortage in the UK, a shortage that is expected to persist for years to come. Now is the time to get the training you need for your professional van driving licence and CPC certification. Then you will be ready to embark on a long and rewarding career as a driver.
More about Van and LGV driving as a Career
If you would like to learn more about professional driving careers please select from our list of relevant articles below.
- Nationwide Low Cost Van Driver Training Schools
- Are You Thinking About Van Driving For A Living?
- Hiring A Van – Do You Need A Van Driving Licence?
- The UK’s Best Intensive Van Driving Training Courses Revealed
- Latest Van Licence Requirements for UK Drivers
- Top Quality Intensive Ambulance Driver Training Courses
- The Best LGV Driver Training Schools across the UK
- The Driver’s Guide to LGV Classes
- You’re Career as an LGV Driver Starts Here
- Find the Best LGV Driver Training In Your Local Area
- The Complete Guide to the LGV Licence
- The Real Costs of Getting an LGV Licence
- How Do I Get an LGV Provisional Licence?
- Everything You Need To Know About the LGV Test
- Facts and Top Tips on Passing the LGV Theory Test
- Find the Best UK LGV Training Course Deals Online
- How to Compare LGV Training Costs Like a Professional
- What is LGV? Driving Licence Requirements Explained.
