UK reference guides
Each guide is written from the current gov.uk pages and DVSA guidance, with the figures checked on 25 September 2026.
- How to get an HGV licenceThe steps to a Cat C or C+E lorry licence: provisional licence, D4 medical, the four Driver CPC tests with current DVSA fees, and what renewing costs.
- The HGV medical: form D4When a lorry driver needs a D4 medical report, who can fill it in, the eyesight standard for lorry and bus drivers, and the renewal ages of 45 and 65.
- Driver CPC: periodic training explainedDriver CPC for lorry drivers: 35 hours every 5 years, the difference between National and International Driver CPC, acquired rights, Return to…
- HGV drivers' hours and tachograph rulesUK drivers' hours for lorries: 9 and 10 hour days, 45-minute breaks, daily and weekly rest, 56 and 90 hour limits, working time, GB domestic rules…
- ADR: qualifying to carry dangerous goodsHow UK drivers get an ADR card: core module, packages and tanks, the nine classes, refresher every 5 years, card fees and how ADR training counts…
- The HGV MOT: annual test for lorries and trailersWhich lorries and trailers need the annual test, when the first one is due, booking at an authorised testing facility (ATF), what to bring and how to…
- The goods vehicle operator's licenceWhen a business needs an O licence, the three types, application and continuation fees, the financial standing required per vehicle and how long a…
- HGV vehicle tax and the HGV levy in 2026Most HGVs taxed between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027 pay £1 vehicle tax, but the HGV levy is still charged. Which tax classes qualify, and the levy…
- Tachograph symbols and what they meanEvery pictogram on a digital or smart tachograph: the four activity modes, out of scope and ferry/train, card and printout symbols, events and…
- Tachographs for vans: the 1 July 2026 rule for international journeysFrom 1 July 2026 vans over 2.5 tonnes on international hire-or-reward journeys between the UK and the EU come under the assimilated drivers’ hours…
- Digital tachograph driver card: apply, renew, replaceHow to get a GB driver digital tachograph card from DVLA: £32 first card, £19 renewal or replacement, online or on form D777B, the 7-day rule for a…
- HGV speed limits in the UKThe national speed limits for goods vehicles over and under 7.5 tonnes in England, Wales and Scotland, the 20 mph built-up default in Wales, the 90…
- Driver CPC initial qualification: the tests from part 1 to part 4What is in each Driver CPC test: part 1 theory (100 questions, pass 85; hazard perception 67/100), part 2 case studies (40/50), part 3a off-road…
- HGV night out allowance and lorry driver tax: what HMRC allowsHow the lorry driver overnight subsistence allowance works: HMRC’s approved £34.90 a night, 75 percent for a sleeper cab, the £5, £10 and £25…
- Lorry parking in England in numbers: the DfT 2022 survey, site by siteOur count from the Department for Transport’s site-level lorry parking data: 328 truck stops and services, 16,761 HGV spaces, 83% full on survey…
Tools
- Drivers’ hours calculatorThe 4.5-hour break, 9 and 10-hour days, daily rest deadline and 56/90-hour weeks, live from the activities you tap.
- HGV theory practice test150 questions with explained answers, an exam simulation and a mistakes list.
- Working time calculatorYour 48-hour average over the reference period, with leave counted properly.
- Driver CPC hours trackerCount your 35 hours, National or International, before the deadline.
- HGV cost per mile calculatorDiesel and running cost per mile, break-even rate and load profit, in pounds.
- HGV levy calculatorLevy band and cost for a non-UK HGV, from the 2026 rates.