Bus driver to lorry driver: what carries over and what you have to do again
Already driving buses or coaches and thinking about lorries, or the other way round? Which tests you can skip, which you can't, what happens to your Driver CPC and tachograph card, and how the pay compares.
Short answer
Less carries over than most bus drivers expect. To add a lorry licence you take the lorry theory test (multiple choice and hazard perception) and the lorry practical tests (3a and 3b) in full. There's no shorter conversion theory test. You need a D4 medical if you haven't sent one in the last 12 months.
What does carry over: your tachograph card, and your periodic training, since one set of 35 hours every 5 years covers both lorries and buses. Your bus Driver CPC doesn't cover lorries, but if you hold the full bus CPC qualification, the law allows a shortened case study test for lorries. GOV.UK doesn't explain how to book it, so ring DVSA first.
What you can skip
| Step | Bus driver adding a lorry licence |
|---|---|
| Provisional entitlement | Apply on form D2. Free. Ticking C gives you provisional C1, C1+E, C and C+E, so you can go straight to Class 1. |
| D4 medical | Needed if you haven't sent DVLA a D4 in the last 12 months. A D4 is valid for 4 months, and the same form covers lorries and buses. |
| Theory test | Full lorry theory: multiple choice (£26) and hazard perception (£11). No conversion test exists. |
| Practical tests | Full lorry tests: 3a off-road (£40) and 3b on-road (£115) in a lorry |
| Driver CPC, Module 2 and 4 | Needed for lorries, unless you have lorry acquired rights. The law allows a shortened case study test if you already hold the full bus CPC qualification, but you take the full Module 4 in a lorry. Check with DVSA on 0300 200 1122. |
| Periodic training | Carries over: one set of 35 hours every 5 years covers both |
| Tachograph card | Carries over: you can only hold one driver card |
Driver CPC: the part people get wrong
- Acquired rights don't cross over. They depend on when you got each licence: a bus licence before 10 September 2008 gives bus acquired rights only. For lorries, you'd have needed a lorry licence before 10 September 2009.
- Your bus CPC doesn't cover lorries. Before you drive lorries for work, you need the lorry Driver CPC qualification.
- There is a shortcut, but ask about it. Under the rules, a driver who already holds the full initial CPC for one type of vehicle only repeats "the parts specific to the new qualification". In practice that means a shortened case study test and the full Module 4 demonstration in a lorry. DVSA used to run a "Driver CPC conversion" case study test for exactly this. GOV.UK no longer explains how to book it, so phone DVSA before paying for anything. If you only have acquired rights, expect to take the full Modules 2 and 4.
- Periodic training covers both. If your card shows different lorry and bus deadlines, finish your 35 hours by the earlier one, and the next card will show one date for both.
Module 2 and Module 4 explained · Periodic training prices
Drivers' hours if you do both
Local bus routes of 50km or less usually come under the GB domestic rules; lorries come under the stricter assimilated rules. If you mix the two in the same day or week, domestic driving counts as "other work" under the lorry rules, and you can drive for no more than 10 hours a day in total. GOV.UK, mixing rules · Lorry drivers' hours.
Bus or lorry: how the pay compares
UK full-time employees, median, 2025 (provisional).
| Lorry drivers | Bus and coach drivers | |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly pay | £39,905 | £36,340 |
| Weekly pay | £799.90 | £724.00 |
| Hourly pay | £16.25 | £16.43 |
| Paid hours a week | 47.9 | 41.5 |
Going the other way: lorry to bus
The same applies in reverse: the bus theory and practical tests in full, a D4 if you haven't sent one in 12 months, and the bus Driver CPC. The minimum age for a bus licence is 24, or 18 with the full Driver CPC on regular routes of 50km or less, and 20 with Driver CPC for other passenger work.
Before you pay for lorry training
- Book your lorry theory test first: it covers topics bus drivers won't have revised, such as loads. Theory pass rates.
- Ask the school how many cab hours it recommends for someone who already drives buses, and ask for an assessment drive before you pay. One-to-one or shared?
- Ring DVSA about the Driver CPC conversion before you book Module 2.
Compare Kent courses · How to get an HGV licence
Common questions
Do bus drivers need to take the HGV theory test?
Yes. There's no shorter conversion theory test: you take the lorry multiple choice and hazard perception tests in full, then the lorry practical tests.
Does a bus Driver CPC cover lorries?
No. You need the lorry Driver CPC to drive lorries professionally. If you hold the full bus CPC qualification, the rules allow a shortened case study test, but you take the full Module 4 in a lorry. Check with DVSA on 0300 200 1122 before booking.
Do I need a new medical to add a lorry licence?
Only if you haven't sent DVLA a D4 medical in the last 12 months. The same D4 form covers lorries and buses.
Can a bus driver go straight to Class 1?
Yes. Since November 2021 you only need a full car licence to train for C+E, and applying for C gives you provisional C and C+E.
Do lorry drivers earn more than bus drivers?
Per year, yes: £39,905 against £36,340 for full-time workers in 2025. But that's because lorry drivers work longer hours; hourly pay is about the same.