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LGV and HGV mean the same thing, and adverts around London 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 London 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 London run £13.00—£24.00 an hour by category, paid weekly through PAYE, with no fee to you.
London's freight ecosystem is defined by the M25 orbital, the North and South Circular (A406/A205) and overnight trunking down the M1 and M40 from Midlands RDCs into city depots before the morning peak. Park Royal in the west is one of Europe's largest industrial estates, joined by distribution clusters at Enfield and the Lea Valley in the north, Barking and Dagenham in the east, and the Thames Gateway - where DP World London Gateway and Tilbury handle deep-sea container volumes. Heathrow adds air-freight demand to the west. The capital layers tight delivery windows, the ULEZ, the Direct Vision Standard (DVS) HGV safety permit and dense multi-drop rounds onto every movement, so operators run a constant mix of trunking, regional and last-mile work across a congested, high-compliance network.
This environment drives heavy, ongoing demand to fill temporary driving jobs. Trunking from RDCs and ports needs Class 1 (C+E) drivers; regional and store distribution calls for Class 2 (C) drivers; and dense urban multi-drop and last-mile work suits 7.5t (C1) and van drivers who know the ULEZ and DVS rules. Demand spikes around retail peaks, event logistics and holiday absence, when one missed slot cascades across delivery windows. WSUK supplies vetted London drivers for temporary cover, ongoing contracts and multi-driver mobilisations, with DVLA licence and CPC checks, right-to-work verification, PAYE payroll and tacho and working-time compliance handled up front, scaling crews as capital volumes move.
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.
From our Midlands base and overnight M1 trunking links we fill temporary driving jobs across London - Park Royal, Enfield, Barking and the Thames Gateway - supplying Class 1, Class 2, 7.5t and van drivers to hauliers, 3PLs and multi-drop operators on the M25 and North Circular for cover, peaks and short-notice shifts, backed by a single point of contact.
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 London. 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 London.
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 London. Reply within 2 working hours.