How much is a HGV Driver Salary. Trucking UK. 

At last some one who lives in the real world and tells is like it is!! It is all relative to your own personal circumstances…..like your self I worked in retail, I actually owned a traditional corner shop and ran it along with my wife. We both worked 75 hour weeks 7 days a week, because of covid and other factors we haven’t had a holiday for the last 6 years!! We had to close the shop last September (2022) due to the rise in energy costs. I’d got my class 2 from a 9 year stint in the fire service as a “retained” fire fighter, so I put the licence into use. I now work for a local quarry on an 8 wheeler tipper contracted to 55hrs a week Monday to Friday, Saturdays are overtime at time and a half for the first 5 hours then double time there after. You’re rostered to do every 3rd Sat but that’s very flexible!! You can work bank Holliday Mondays if you wish and that’s double time and a day in lieu……I now earn in 5 days what the wife and I would take over 2 weeks to earn between us!! Should of done this years ago!! Oh and we finally got a holiday this year to!! Something else…being self employed if I took any time off I didn’t get paid….I now get paid to go on holiday….you might laugh and take the mick because of that but that’s how it is (was) being self employed!! Thanks again for the honest video👍

I was a social housing maintenance plumber for 20 years earning £27000 in 2022 when I got my class 1 at the age of 54. Took an immediate £13000 pay rise and after just over a year I've just taken and passed an ADR course - all classes plus tanks - and now I'm eyeing up some seriously well paid fuel tanker jobs. All for an initial £3,000 investment and a subsequent £600 to Enterprise training. I might not get into ADR straight away but I'm better with it than without.

Good video which hopefully has made people aware of the broad spectrum of salaries and expectations for drivers in the UK. I'd add that usually the better jobs tend to be 'own account work' where the haulier isn't necessarily making money from the haulage but rather just moving their own goods because they need to. I'd also add that there are great jobs with great salaries/pay out there but you wont find them advertising on job boards every day. The better jobs tend to be sought after and drivers tend not to leave so they aren't always openly recruiting and you'll need to be patient while earning your stripes elsewhere. When it comes to the numbers and as you mentioned people turning their nose up and lower paid jobs, it's important to look at the full picture and all of the benefits offered. Somebody working 40 hours a week and earning 35k a year is actually better paid (per hour) than somebody earning 50k a year but working 70 hours a week and doing nights out etc. As a very general rule in haulage, the more hours you're willing to work the more money you're likely to make.

There are tons of videos out there around HGV driver pay. This is by far the most useful and honest one ive found so thank you very much. Im currently a critical care nurse earning 36k a year and struggling to make ends meet so have decided to change career completely and become a Class 1 driver. Thanks again.

Well Ashley you hit the nail on the head , it’s what works for your circumstances, and these high paying jobs might not have perks and benefits the lower paid jobs have like full sick pay , holiday entitlement, bonus , not just a basic pension but a decent company one , so it’s a thing you need to weigh up what’s right for you and your needs

Find the right balance of pay and the company you work for. Some companies run you into the ground for you to get maximum pay. Dont do it. Get in with a company that doesnt treat you like a dog, the pay may be less but you wont feel unappreciated and pushed for your money and that is the most important thing. Dont feel pushed for your money. The problem with most HGV roles is the hours. Ive been a class 1 car transporter for a number of years and whilst the money is good, the stress of idiots on the roads that cant drive properly and taking trucks into difficult roads is something i wont miss. Theres plenty of other jobs out there that are enjoyable and dont have the bull shit associated with HGV driving. Another aspect is the lack of respect. Your just a driver at the end of the day. Remember, when you hear talk of 37 to 40,000 a year, more in some roles, its the accumulated hours you need to consider. Many roles outside of HGV driving, sales reps, customer service managers etc, on paper pick up less pay, but they arent doing the hours, they are at home whilst you have another 3 or 4 hours before you park up. Multiply that for every working day of the month and the hours worked start to diverge considerably. What is found is that your not actually on more money than they are, your simply working more hours for the difference. If they worked 60 hours they would be on the same as you. Find balance between pay, the quality of the company and the time you are putting in. Truck driving is not the only work out there for you guys with no qualifications . Dont restrict yourself to driving a truck all your life. Try something else, if it doesnt work out theres always a truck to jump into for 55 60 hours a week

Just accidentally find your channel,great staff,subbed.I just pass my hgv class 1 licence,now cpc left to do.Money is one thing,liking job other.Im supervisor in multi million earning company.Setting machines,fixing machines,cover breaks,driving forklift,being first aider and fire marshal,with all that stress,days when I don’t have a break in 12h shift and I still earn around 25k per year…and I hate this job,that’s why i trying to make entrance to hgv industry,something i was thinking from long time.

Ive seen a few of your videos and I love the honesty. Im in process of doing my hgv c+e course, had enough of factory work, i enjoy driving so im looking forward to starting my new career 😁💪

If your going into this industry purely to earn as much money as you can you wont last long you need to enjoy your work, that in itself is a bonus, nothing worse than waking up in the morning to go and work in an office etc, you need to be suited to the role

Brilliant advice there mate although i still wouldn't get out bed for 32k 😂😂😂

Also International jobs tramping pays good, Petrol Tanker pays good, Cargo Operator in Airport, or driving ADR class 7 Nuclear, which city you live also plays a big factor like London pays more than North west UK

The most I have ever earned as a Hgv driver in the Uk was £51,000 per year. Driving tankers filled with sodium hydrochloride, tramping 4/5 nights out a week. I decided spending time with my family is more important than earning money so jibbed it for my current job which you can see on my channel! 👍🚛💨😎

In 10 years the most ive ever earned class two is 32k (nights and weekends) and that was a one off. Around 26k generally.

Hey Ashley, 1.) - What kind of company do you drive for? What goods do you specialise in transporting? 2.) - The regulations say that truck drivers can only drive a maximum of 90 hours each fortnight. So if you work 60 hours a week as you say, and 40/45 of those hours are on the road, what are the rest for? 5.) - Was your salary of £50/£52k a starting salary or have you been working for quite some time before being paid that much?

Ashley thank you very much for this insightful video. I have already theory for hgv licence and now want to do the practical test.. I'm looking to do a test in the next two months. I'm also thinking about doing the PSV..

I have passed my HGV C+E, and it's not easy to find jobs. 6 months - 2 years experience is needed

When i went into this i genuinely thought getting a job would be the easy part, all i was told was that there's a shortage of drivers. Oh boy was i wrong....i passed my Class 1 in April and haven't had a sniff....its literally easier to break into Fort Knox i kid you not. I might need to relocate, i'm based in Hull you'd think they'd be loads of jobs with there being a port here. i'm seriously considering chucking it in. Great video Ashley.👍

Going into lorry driving purely for the money is not a good idea. You have to want to do the job as well, and know what the job is all about before you even think about doing it

Yet another extremely vague, over-complicated answer which doesn’t really answer the question. Could’ve condensed this video into one word: ‘depends’. Lol

Its nice seeing someone that doesn't head straight into criticising everything, ive got my provisional I'm just nervous to commit to spending the money since I'm 21 with no experience, just worried no one will hire after spending the money on a license

The wages have rocketed in the past few years as a positive result of Brexit ie most eastern European drivers have returned home and employers have been forced to start paying a decent wage but us experienced drivers haven't forgot who shafted us in the past so despite putting up the pay a lot of dodgy companies still can't get drivers oh what a shame, I'm a class 1 driver in the North East and on a salary of 38000 for a 40 hour week overtime paid above these hours and a bonus of 4000 per year depends on company profits so decent pay although I work a lot of unsociable hours but the work is easy no load interaction trunking and no planned nights out some drivers earn above 50 k I earned 45 k last year just doing mainly 4 day weeks

Thats a nice insight into wages on the mainland UK...here in Northern Ireland there are a few haulage firms that pay basic minimum wage and the drivers all have a saying "go slow for more doe". I had a wee laugh when you said that you were a bit heavy at 43 tonnes and 480 horse power. I used to drive a small volvo(F7) with a bulk tipping trailer in the late 80's with 240hp and loaded at 47-48 tonnes regularly and 23 hour days...im glad times have changed lol.....please keep the videos comimg....cheers

Yes you can chase the big money if you wish but the downsize to that is the company will own you lock stock and barrel , if you are single then fair enough go for it whilst your young and carefree , but back to the real world most of us are married and even have kids so being away every night living tacho hours is not going to help your marriage long term, I would say 45/50k is a good living goal the petro or chem guys earn this. The ideal job is home every night plus sat mornings every so often . Word of warning to all drivers out there, think blood clots its a noted hazard of the job because your sat there inactive all day every day similar hazard to doing long haul air travel you are prone to blood clots just sat there all day. As a retired driver of over 35 years when we used to rope and sheet everything it was heavy work but you were very fit then curtainsiders became the fashoin plus box s / tilts / containers etc thats when things got a lot easier but then we all became very inactive. Most modern companys are interested in one thing and thats to keep those wheels turning, they dont give a dam who s driving as long as it gets there on time and in one piece and with agency drivers on hand drivers are now two a penny in there books. I was self employed on international haulage I made my money paid my morgage off early then took a normal day job. What comes to your mind now ? Ahh its an old geezer sounding off , ok im 77 now and have a chairlift at home and yes i was the youngster you were fit as a fiddle / gym most weekends but i still got two seperate lots of blood clots and blue light jobs off the motorway whilst driving a 45ft . The big question would i recomend my sons to LGV life and the answer is a big NO, its unhealthy in most respects and some transport managers will treat you like dog-dirt under there shoes. But its your life Good Luck. note to Ashley yes I was like you a general store manager paid a pittence with over 150 staff.

Hi ashley, can i do class 1 driving licence training in future?? Can i get a job in UK?? Because right now i finished my student visa, i am in PSW..Thats why i am asking you??

I work for one of the biggest transport groups in the UK hourly pay is £11.25 haven't had a wage increase in 3years to get around the minimum wage increase they have taken a paid break from us

It`s even higher than 60k a year where I work if you get in the hours(minimum 55-60hours a week earning roughly 70k a year but taxman loves us) . For us it`s just job and finish and our wages across the UK are roughly the same , a bit lower up north . It is said that they might open a depot in Darlington and trust me people will flock for this job because the pay will be really good , I will not disclose the company but we do one of the biggest fast food chains in UK so I`ll let you guess who it is .

Very well done. I think it's important to say more money you make more you pay on tax. So it's a very good idea to be self employed as well and put so many expenses to own tax.

Hello Ashley, with own truck how much you can expect to earn in net, monthly with hiring a driver and driving by yourself ? Thank you

The cost of living the way is unfortunately 32K is not a lot of money you can make that and more driving buses .

Good video Ash and very informative 🍻👍

good video... defoo like to see more of these. Cheers

Very good . Out of interest when you were doing your research what site / sites did you use ? Cheers

thank you for your videos, how can find jobs for new drivers

Good video. I agree with most of what you said. Although, you did include doctors in your list jobs that don't pay as well as HGV driver. 😅 They get a lot more.

Hi mate, what field would you recommend a beginner to get into? What route to go down? HGV ? What class license etc? So you can be in the best position when applying for jobs and look the most attractive to employers Thanks in advance

£24 per hr on a invoice min 50 hr per week £1200

I've just passed my theory test, hazard perception, What should I expect from the practical test,

Is a truck driver a decent job? in this period of time due to inflation etc?

Hi Ashley, please show us your bed arrangements when doing a night shift, and any extras you have such as microwave (if any), usb charges etc etc. Thanks.

Information was logical mate..but as a beginner where to start from ?

Sadly, this driver demonstrates his lack of awareness of the absolute, legal liabilities that fall directly upon the driver for errors, omissions and more often, blatant law breaking by over and unsafe loading employers and their defective vehicles. But hey, he's only driving! Also, none earn £60k gross annualised per week! Reality! £35k per annum for nights and commonly £11.00/hr for days.... also, many bad employers pay only shift rate and shift can often be 12-14 hrs because of diversions etc. Anyhow, Rose Tint drivers usually leave before 12 months as sad and bad realities sink in!

The obvious.....

60k amd 60h per week no thank u😅😂😂😂

He's new and not done enough driving to know what he's talking about. All newbies talk crap.

Any driver who earns 50 grand basic is talking absolute bullshit

And the other positive is you don't have a supervisor or manager breathing down your neck

💥👍

Had to stop watching...the constant cameras swapping was so annoying 😂

🎩

This is BS. Remember this is shift work sitting on your own undertaking menial tasks which are unskilled and unrewarding. To compare it to a teacher or a nurse is idiotic and ignorant. You are wishing your life away sitting in a truck- hoping that the shift ends quickly....think of all the hours- you are earning peanuts. OK you drive a truck, but don't make it out to be anything other than what it is.

Why dont you become a tramper they make way more money 40k minimum

Just drive

These guys never give you a straight answer- which tells you everything you have to know....avoid...

If I see you parked up I'd pull ya pin 😅😅