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LGV and HGV mean the same thing, and adverts around Derby use both plus "Class 1" and "Class 2" interchangeably. What decides the work and the rate is the category letter. We will check yours free and match you locally.
LGV jobs around Derby span three categories: C1 for 3.5—7.5 tonne vehicles, C for rigids over 3.5 tonnes (Class 2) and C+E for artics and drawbars (Class 1). LGV and HGV are the same thing — LGV is just the current official term. All commercial driving over 3.5 tonnes needs a Driver CPC and a digital tachograph card. Rates near Derby run £13.00—£24.00 an hour by category, paid weekly through PAYE, with no fee to you.
Derby is a powerhouse of advanced manufacturing, home to Rolls-Royce, Alstom's rail works and, with Toyota's plant at nearby Burnaston, a deep automotive supply chain — all generating precise, high-volume inbound and outbound freight. Industrial and distribution activity spreads across Raynesway, Sinfin, Pride Park and the Wyvern area, linked by the A38, A50 and A52 to the M1 (J24/J25) and the wider network. Derby sits within reach of the East Midlands Gateway rail-freight interchange and East Midlands Airport to the south-east, reinforcing the region's role in national and international logistics. Food production, retail distribution and general haulage add to the manufacturing freight, while nearby Nottingham, Burton upon Trent and Leicester extend the logistics footprint. This concentration of engineering, distribution and airfreight-linked activity sustains strong demand for drivers across every licence class.
Derby's manufacturers and distributors run to exacting schedules, and production changeovers, contract peaks, retail seasons and holiday absence regularly leave transport teams short of drivers. WSUK fills temporary driving jobs with Class 1 (C+E) drivers for trunking and inbound supply runs, Class 2 (C) drivers for rigid distribution and line-side deliveries, 7.5-tonne (C1) drivers, and van and multi-drop drivers for local and last-mile rounds across the DE postcodes. Every driver is vetted with DVLA licence checks, CPC verification and right-to-work confirmation, and we manage PAYE payroll with tacho and working-time compliance. From single-shift cover to a full seasonal team, we scale driver supply to match your throughput.
Job adverts use LGV, HGV, Class 1 and Class 2 interchangeably and inconsistently. The category letter is the only thing that is precise.
The 7.5 tonne box or curtain-sider. Often held automatically by anyone who passed a car test before 1 January 1997. Sometimes advertised as "small LGV".
Any rigid goods vehicle above 3.5 tonnes, typically an 18 or 26 tonne lorry. The industry calls it Class 2, and adverts may say "LGV 2" or "LGV Class 2".
Articulated lorries and rigids with a drawbar trailer. The industry calls it Class 1, and adverts may say "LGV 1". Requires category C first.
WSUK covers Derby and the DE1–DE24 area, including Raynesway, Sinfin, Pride Park and Wyvern, plus nearby Nottingham, Burton upon Trent and Leicester. We supply temporary HGV and van drivers to manufacturers, RDCs, 3PLs and hauliers along the A38, A50 and A52 corridors, matching driver classes and shift patterns to each operator's routes and delivery windows.
All four terms are in daily use and they overlap confusingly. LGV and HGV are synonyms for the same class of vehicle. Class 1 and Class 2 are industry shorthand for C+E and C respectively, left over from an older licensing system. So "LGV Class 1", "HGV Class 1" and "C+E" are three names for one thing, and an advert using any of them wants the same entitlement. If you are unsure what you hold, send us a DVLA check code and we will read the categories for you.
Indicative PAYE rates as a guide — actual pay varies by shift, experience and site, with premiums for nights, weekends and bank holidays. Every rate we advertise is at or above the National Living Wage.
| Role | Indicative pay |
|---|---|
| C1 (7.5 tonne) Driver | £13.00–£15.00 / hr |
| Category C / LGV 2 Driver | £16.00–£20.00 / hr |
| Category C+E / LGV 1 Driver | £18.00–£24.00 / hr |
| LGV 1 Night Trunk | £19.00–£26.00 / hr |
| LGV Driver with ADR | £19.00–£25.00 / hr |
This page is for drivers working out what they hold, what an advert is actually asking for, and which category is worth adding next.
We will tell you what your licence actually entitles you to before you waste applications on jobs it does not cover.
From application to your first shift, with the checks and the payroll handled for you.
Tell us your licence, tickets and which shifts you can actually work.
A named consultant calls within 2 working hours to talk through what fits.
Right-to-work, references and the site induction handled before you start.
Start on shift, then paid weekly through PAYE with holiday accrued.
C+E (Class 1) is usually the hardest to fill and therefore the best paid wherever there are distribution depots near Derby. Category C work is more plentiful and more varied. We will tell you which of the two is genuinely busier locally rather than guessing.
Yes, and it costs nothing. Generate a DVLA licence check code and send it over. We will list the categories you hold, flag anything that has lapsed such as your CPC or tacho card, and tell you what that entitlement is worth around Derby.
Yes. LGV (Large Goods Vehicle) is the current official term used on licences and in legislation; HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) is the older term the industry still uses. Jobs advertised as LGV and HGV want the same entitlement, and the pay is the same.
LGV 1 means category C+E — articulated or drawbar vehicles, also called Class 1. LGV 2 means category C — rigid vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, also called Class 2. LGV 1 pays more because you must hold category C before you can get C+E and the vehicles are larger.
Category C, because you need it before you can take C+E. Plenty of drivers work on C for a year, then upgrade, and many operators will part-fund or fully fund the C+E test for a reliable driver. If you already hold C1 through a pre-1997 licence, going straight to C is still the route.
WSUK serves employers across the Golden Triangle. Explore our other locations.
Send a DVLA check code and we will tell you what you can drive and what is live around Derby. Reply within 2 working hours.