HGV training glossary
Every term you'll meet in a lorry training quote or advert, in plain English, with the DVSA fee where there is one.
- Cat C (Class 2)
- The licence for rigid lorries over 3,500kg, such as delivery wagons and tippers. The cab and the load area are one vehicle.
- C+E (Class 1)
- The licence for a category C lorry towing a heavy trailer: articulated lorries ("artics") and drawbar combinations. Since November 2021 you can go straight from a car licence to C+E.
- C1 (7.5 tonne)
- The licence for vehicles between 3,500kg and 7,500kg, such as small lorries, horseboxes and ambulances. Drivers who passed their car test before 1 January 1997 usually have it already.
- Artic
- An articulated lorry: a tractor unit that pulls a semi-trailer, joined by a fifth-wheel coupling.
- Drawbar
- A rigid lorry towing a separate trailer on a drawbar. It needs a C+E licence, like an artic, but reverses differently.
- Rigid
- A lorry with the cab and body on one chassis. Driven on a Cat C licence.
- D2
- The DVLA form you use to apply for provisional lorry or bus entitlement. Applying is free.
- D4 medical
- The Group 2 medical examination report a doctor fills in before you can get provisional lorry entitlement. It checks things like eyesight, heart conditions, diabetes and sleep problems.
- Provisional entitlement
- Permission on your licence to learn to drive a lorry under supervision. You need it before training on the road.
- Theory test, part 1a
- The multiple-choice part of the lorry theory test. The DVSA fee is £26.
- Theory test, part 1b
- The hazard perception part of the lorry theory test, using video clips. The DVSA fee is £11.
- Driver CPC
- The Driver Certificate of Professional Competence. You need it to drive a lorry for work. New drivers gain it by passing CPC Modules 2 and 4 alongside the licence tests, then keep it with 35 hours of periodic training every five years.
- CPC Module 2
- The case studies test for the Driver CPC, based on real work situations. The DVSA fee is £23.
- Module 3a
- The off-road part of the practical test: reversing into a bay and, for C+E, uncoupling and recoupling the trailer. The DVSA fee is £40, and approved training sites can run it themselves.
- Module 3b
- The on-road driving test. The DVSA fee is £115 on weekdays and £141 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
- CPC Module 4
- The practical demonstration test for the Driver CPC, where you show you can load a vehicle safely, keep it secure and handle emergencies. The DVSA fee is £55 on weekdays, £63 on evenings and weekends.
- DQC
- The Driver Qualification Card, which proves you hold the Driver CPC. You must carry it when driving professionally.
- Digital tachograph card
- The driver card that records your driving and rest times in a lorry fitted with a digital tachograph. You apply to DVLA for it.
- Cab hours
- The hours you spend driving with an instructor, not counting classroom time, waiting or the test. The most important number in any quote.
- One-to-one training
- You have the instructor and the truck to yourself. Shared training splits the time between two or more learners, so you drive less for the same number of hours booked.
- All-in price
- Our like-for-like figure: the advertised price plus anything it leaves out that you need for a licence, such as the medical, theory and CPC tests and DVSA test fees.
- Full package
- A course price that includes the medical, theory tests, CPC tests and DVSA test fees, usually booked for you.
- Training only
- A course price for the driving lessons and usually the practical tests, leaving you to arrange and pay for the medical and theory tests yourself.
- Pass protection
- A promise to pay for one or more retests if you fail. Check exactly what it covers: the DVSA fee, the truck, the instructor, and how many attempts.
- Broker
- A company that sells you a course but passes you to another school to train you. Its cut comes out of what you pay.
- Approved off-road test site
- A training site approved by DVSA to run the Module 3a off-road test itself, so you don't need a DVSA test centre for that part.
- MAM (maximum authorised mass)
- A vehicle's maximum weight when fully loaded, shown on its plate or in the handbook. Licence limits use MAM, not what the vehicle weighs on the day. A car licence covers up to 3,500kg MAM, or 4,250kg for electric and hydrogen vehicles.
- Acquired rights
- Drivers who held a lorry licence (C1, C1+E, C or C+E) before 10 September 2009 don't need the initial Driver CPC tests. They still need 35 hours of periodic training every 5 years to drive for a living.
- Representative APR
- The interest rate, including fees, that at least half of the people accepted for a loan are offered. Others can be offered a higher rate. Common for HGV training finance at 29.9%.
- Section 75
- The part of the Consumer Credit Act that makes a credit card company, or a lender that arranged finance through the seller, jointly liable if the seller breaks the contract. It covers purchases over £100 and up to £30,000.
- Cooling-off period
- The 14 days in which you can cancel a service booked online, by phone or away from the seller's premises, for a full refund, unless you asked for it to start sooner.
- Traffic Commissioner
- An official who decides whether lorry and bus drivers are fit to hold their licences, and can suspend or revoke them. DVLA refers drivers with serious offences or too many points.
- Value score
- Our score out of 10 for each course. Training is worth 5: cost per cab hour (up to 3) and cab hours (up to 2). Support is worth 5, graded on what you can see before you pay: learning platform (up to 2), admin and paperwork, job support and retest cover (up to 1 each). A claim with nothing to show scores 0.
- Learning platform
- An app or website for the theory test, hazard perception and CPC Module 2, ideally with mock tests in the real format and progress tracking. Ask to try it before you pay: a provider with a real platform can show you.