HGV pay in the UK has risen across most categories in recent years. Qualified Class 1 drivers are still in short supply, which gives drivers real room to negotiate, and agency rates stay well above many employed positions. Where you land inside the advertised ranges below depends on your licence class, your shift pattern and how hard you negotiate.
What counts as an HGV driver in the UK?
HGV stands for Heavy Goods Vehicle: any vehicle over 3.5 tonnes gross weight, which needs a specialist licence beyond a standard Cat B car licence. For pay, what matters is which of two categories you hold.
Category C, known as Class 2, covers rigid lorries. Most supermarket deliveries, refuse collection and local distribution runs use Cat C.
Category C+E, known as Class 1, adds a trailer to a Category C vehicle, which covers articulated lorries. It is the licence for long-haul haulage, national trunking and the highest-paying logistics roles.
Adverts also use LGV, for Large Goods Vehicle. It means the same vehicles, and UK employers and agencies use the two terms interchangeably.
Van delivery work falls under Cat B, with different pay and licence requirements. If that is the comparison you came for, skip to how HGV pay compares to van delivery below.
HGV driver salary UK: Class 1, Class 2 and agency rates
Class 1 (Cat C+E) employed salary
| Role type | Annual salary |
|---|---|
| Day shift, national | £32,000 to £42,000 |
| Night shift, national | £36,000 to £48,000 |
| Specialist (tanker, flatbed) | £40,000 to £55,000 |
| London and South East premium | 10% to 20% on national rates |
Class 2 (Cat C) employed salary
| Role type | Annual salary |
|---|---|
| Day shift, national | £28,000 to £36,000 |
| Night shift, national | £32,000 to £40,000 |
| London and South East premium | 10% to 20% on national rates |
Agency hourly rates
Agency drivers typically earn more per hour than employed drivers, without the benefits.
| Licence | Day rate | Night and weekend rate |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | £16 to £20 an hour | £19 to £26 an hour |
| Class 2 | £13 to £16 an hour | £16 to £20 an hour |
All three tables are ranges taken from current UK agency and direct hire adverts. Actual pay varies with region, employer, years of experience and the specific vehicle, and a single advert can sit above or below them.
HGV driver salary by employer type
After licence class, the biggest difference in pay comes from whether you are employed or with an agency. Between employers, the same licence and experience can still pay quite differently.
National supermarkets
Supermarket distribution centres run consistent shift patterns and pay around the middle of the national range, typically £32,000 to £42,000 for employed Class 1 drivers. You get a fixed roster and little choice of route, usually balanced by a solid benefits package: employer pension contributions, staff discount, and paid holiday at or above the statutory minimum.
National carriers and logistics
Larger logistics providers tend to pay at or slightly above supermarket rates, with more variety in the routes. Night trunking typically carries a 25% to 30% premium on top of the base rate, and Class 1 pay in these networks runs broadly from £34,000 to £48,000.
Pallet networks and regional hauliers
Pay at smaller hauliers and pallet network operators varies more. Some regional firms pay below the national average, and others pay well to hold on to drivers where demand is strong. Agency rates are a useful check here: if an employer offers less than current agency day rates for a permanent job, its benefits package has to make up the difference.
Agency work
Agency drivers earn higher hourly rates but get no guaranteed hours, no employer pension contributions and no paid holiday beyond the statutory minimum. The day-rate premium over employed work typically runs at 15% to 25%. It suits drivers building experience across vehicle types or covering a gap before a permanent role starts, and it is a poor fit if you need a stable income.
Specialist sectors
ADR-certified drivers and fuel tanker drivers are the highest earners in the HGV market, and £40,000 to £55,000 a year is common for employed drivers in this group. They hold extra certification, carry a higher risk, and there are few of them.
What affects your HGV driver salary?
Licence class
Class 1 pays typically £4,000 to £8,000 a year more than Class 2 in the employed market, and £2 to £4 an hour more in agency work.
Shift pattern
Night rates of 25% to 33% above day rates are common at both supermarket and logistics employers, and weekend work pays a premium too. If unsocial hours suit you, nights are the most reliable way to earn more without changing employer or vehicle type.
Location
London and the South East pay 10% to 20% above national averages, because of the higher cost of living and stronger demand. Elsewhere, the North West, the Midlands and Yorkshire also pay above average, because the major distribution hubs are concentrated there.
Experience and tenure
New HGV drivers start at the lower end of every range above. Drivers with five or more years of clean licence history and no at-fault incidents typically reach the higher end, and some employers run formal pay scales tied to years of service.
Vehicle type
Curtainsiders pay the standard rate, flatbeds with loads that need specialist securing pay more, and tankers with ADR certification pay the most. Each qualification you add to the base licence gives you more to negotiate with.
ADR certification
The ADR certificate lets you carry dangerous goods, which opens the tanker and chemical logistics roles at the top of the industry's pay. It costs several hundred pounds on top of base HGV training and typically adds £3,000 to £8,000 a year.
How HGV pay compares to van delivery driver pay
Employed van drivers on multi-drop work earn roughly £25,000 to £31,000 full time, and our van driver salary guide breaks that down employer by employer. Self-employed van courier earnings work differently and vary by platform:
- Amazon Flex: £14 to £18 per delivery block hour
- Evri: paid per parcel rather than per hour, about £13.72 an hour effective, an indicative figure compiled from aggregator and courier-community reports
- DPD Connect: around £18 an hour on average, according to DPD franchise job ads
Those are revenue, not wages. Fuel, insurance, vehicle wear and a reserve for your tax bill all come out before anything reaches you, and no minimum wage sits underneath them: the National Living Wage is a floor for employed work, and a self-employed courier carries a quiet week alone. The effective hourly figures also move with route density, so a rural round and a dense urban one paying the same rate per parcel produce very different days.
Employed Class 1 work pays more on average than self-employed van couriering, and it comes with holiday, a pension and a guaranteed week. The top advertised courier hourly rates look competitive with Class 2 agency rates, but they are gross revenue, so that comparison flatters them. For van delivery earnings by platform, see the delivery driver pay guide and our platform comparison. For employed van roles, the van driver jobs page has current supermarket and multi-drop rates.
How to increase your HGV driver pay
If you hold Cat C and plan to stay in HGV long term, upgrading to Cat C+E does more for your earnings than anything else here. It costs around £1,000 upwards against a gap of £4,000 to £8,000 a year, so the higher pay usually covers it within the first year.
ADR certification is worth having even if you do not plan to drive tankers full time. It widens the roles open to you and strengthens your position when your contract comes up for renewal.
Before you accept a permanent role or renew a contract, check what agencies pay for the same licence class and shift pattern in your area. Your employer has no particular reason to match agency rates unless you raise the comparison yourself.
Where your circumstances allow it, night or trunk work adds the night premium to your annual earnings without any extra certificate or licence upgrade.
Temperature-controlled logistics, flatbed with specialist loads and fuel tanker routes all pay above standard rates. Getting experience in one of them while you are already employed is usually more practical than applying from outside.
How to become an HGV driver in the UK
Getting the licence costs real money upfront. The steps are:
- Pass the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence theory and hazard perception tests
- Pass the Category C rigid theory and practical tests
- Optionally add Category C+E for articulated vehicles, via a further practical test
- Complete 35 hours of periodic Driver CPC training, required every five years for professional drivers
Expect roughly £2,000 to £3,500 for Cat C from scratch, depending on the provider and whether you need a medical, and another £1,000 or so upwards to add Cat C+E. Government Skills Bootcamp funding has been available for HGV training through approved providers, but eligibility and amounts change from time to time, so check gov.uk for the current schemes before paying course fees in full yourself.
If you have no professional driving experience at all, free training through the Service Club Academy strengthens a driving application.
FAQs about HGV driver salary in the UK
What is the average HGV driver salary in the UK?
An employed Class 1 HGV driver on a standard day shift pattern is around £36,000 to £40,000 a year in 2026. Night shift and specialist roles push well above that. Class 2 employed drivers average around £30,000 to £35,000.
What is the difference between Class 1 and Class 2 HGV driver pay?
Class 1 (Cat C+E) drivers typically earn £4,000 to £8,000 a year more than Class 2 (Cat C) drivers in comparable employed roles. In agency work the hourly gap is £2 to £4. The difference holds up consistently across sectors.
Do HGV drivers earn more than van delivery drivers?
In direct employment, yes, Class 1 HGV drivers tend to earn more than employed van drivers. Against self-employed courier earnings the picture is more mixed: the top advertised Amazon Flex and DPD Connect hourly rates look comparable, but those are revenue before fuel, insurance and vehicle costs, and HGV employment adds stability, holiday and a pension on top.
How much do agency HGV drivers earn per hour?
Class 1 agency day rates run at £16 to £20 an hour and night or weekend rates at £19 to £26. Class 2 sits at £13 to £16 for days and £16 to £20 for nights and weekends. Those rates come without guaranteed hours or employer pension contributions, which is the trade you are making for them.
Is being an HGV driver worth it in the UK in 2026?
The shortage of qualified Class 1 drivers has kept pay competitive and given drivers more leverage than in many other sectors. What holds people back is the upfront cost of the licence and the physical demands of shift work. For a driver already in logistics or delivery who wants to earn more, Class 1 training usually pays for itself through the higher rate.
Where to start, with or without a licence
Most people with no HGV licence yet start in van or car delivery and fund the training from that work; how to become a delivery driver in the UK covers that route. If you already hold Cat C, the C+E upgrade comes first. The form below shows which employers are hiring drivers near you.