HGV Drivers Wanted… But Where Are the Pay Rises?
Are HGV wages cooling off, or is there still better money down the road? In this October 2026 update, we compare advertised Class 1 and Class 2 pay across the UK and look at what the headline salaries actually include. At DHL Harlow, separate Class 1 and Class 2 adverts list the same £41,862 salary for the same 42-hour week. Both also list a separate £2,600 annual driver premium. So where does the advertised £50k-plus earning potential come from—and how do other offers compare? We look at basic pay, overtime, shift premiums, rotas and the work you’ll actually be doing. There are opportunities for new passes too, including a £23-an-hour Leicester advert with an age condition worth checking before you get too excited. IN THIS VIDEO • Advertised PAYE basic rates for experienced Class 1 and Class 2 drivers. • Regional pay comparisons and where the job adverts are appearing. • DHL offers in Harlow, Leicester, Stoke, Bury, Thirsk, Doncaster and Livingston. • New-pass opportunities in Dordon, Runcorn, Thirsk and Cardiff. • The Leicester £23-an-hour offer and its minimum age of 30. • How overtime, night premiums and holiday pay change the figures. WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU MOVE? Higher basic pay, fewer hours, less graft or better management? Put your region and licence class in the comments, and tell us how these offers compare with your own job. If you’ve worked on DHL’s Harlow contract, I’d especially like to hear how the Class 1 and Class 2 packages compare in practice. Subscribe to 56mph for more HGV wage comparisons, job-market updates and a driver’s view of the industry. JOB ADVERTS AND SOURCES - Driver HGV Class 1 : https://careers.dhl.com/global/en/job/DPDHGLOBAL44208ENGLOBALEXTERNALEARCU/Driver-HGV-Class-1 - Driver HGV Class 2: https://careers.dhl.com/global/en/job/DPDHGLOBAL44207ENGLOBALEXTERNALEARCU/Driver-HGV-Class-2 - Domestic road freight statistics, United Kingdom: April 2025 to March 2026: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/domestic-road-freight-statistics-april-2025-to-march-2026/domestic-road-freight-statistics-united-kingdom-april-2025-to-march-2026 - Class 1 HGV Driver: https://careers.dhl.com/global/en/job/DPDHGLOBAL44466ENGLOBALEXTERNALEARCU/Class-1-HGV-Driver - HGV Driver Class 1: https://careers.dhl.com/global/en/job/DPDHGLOBAL43700ENGLOBALEXTERNALEARCU/HGV-Driver-Class-1 - Class 1 Driver: https://www.adzuna.co.uk/jobs/details/5894002861?utm_medium=api&utm_source=[REDACTED] - HGV Class 1 Driver: https://www.adzuna.co.uk/jobs/details/5908094092?utm_medium=api&utm_source=[REDACTED] - HGV Driver - Class 2: https://careers.dhl.com/global/en/job/DPDHGLOBAL43174ENGLOBALEXTERNALEARCU/HGV-Driver-Class-2 - HGV Class 2 Driver: https://www.adzuna.co.uk/jobs/details/5893128254?utm_medium=api&utm_source=[REDACTED] - Driver Class 1 : https://careers.dhl.com/global/en/job/DPDHGLOBAL44157ENGLOBALEXTERNALEARCU/Driver-Class-1 - Class 1 Driver Trunker: https://careers.dhl.com/global/en/job/DPDHGLOBAL44154ENGLOBALEXTERNALEARCU/Class-1-Driver-Trunker - Class 1 Driver: https://careers.dhl.com/global/en/job/DPDHGLOBAL43401ENGLOBALEXTERNALEARCU/Class-1-Driver - Class 2 Driver - Store Delivery: https://careers.dhl.com/global/en/job/DPDHGLOBAL43402ENGLOBALEXTERNALEARCU/Class-2-Driver-Store-Delivery - Class 2 Driver: https://careers.dhl.com/global/en/job/DPDHGLOBAL44255ENGLOBALEXTERNALEARCU/Class-2-Driver - HGV Class 2 Skip Driver: https://www.adzuna.co.uk/jobs/land/ad/5903977392?se=vqvfhz-_8RGnaZsiPIlvMw&utm_medium=api&utm_source=[REDACTED]&v=159633F54E789E2D2441A035BB788B9417A8E6B6 ABOUT THE FIGURES Our main research sample covers adverts dated 19 September to 2 October 2026: approximately 5,700 adverts after allowing for likely repeats, with around 1,400 usable basic-pay figures. The experienced-driver PAYE averages use a smaller sample of nearly 70 Class 1 and Class 2 adverts. DHL’s careers site was checked separately at the start of October. These figures describe advertised offers in our samples, not average earnings across all UK drivers or a count of every vacancy. Some regional samples are small. The transport operator survey covers January to March 2026. Check each advert for its current pay, hours, duties, holiday-pay treatment, entry requirements and availability. ] #HGV #HGVWages #HGVJobs #LGV #Class1 #Class2
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Robotaxis in London (2026)… Then Driverless HGVs Next?
Self-driving cars with no human safety driver are due to be trialled in London in spring 2026 — and that raises the obvious question: if robotaxis can survive London traffic… how long before we see driverless lorries on UK motorways? On the continent, the freight industry is already pushing the “first realistic step”: geofenced depot-to-depot freight corridors. One example: IVECO + PlusAI expanding testing on a defined ~300 km Madrid–Zaragoza corridor (with a safety operator on board). In this video, I walk through the UK timeline (2014 → now) and why the real early wins are likely to be ports, airports, and controlled routes (not your local multi-drop or tight city centres). Example: DHL + Oxa ran an autonomous vehicle in live traffic at Heathrow, covering 1,300 km in 14 days — and notice how controlled that environment is. #HGV #Trucking #AutonomousVehicles #SelfDriving #UKRoads #driving
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Never Do These Seven HGV Driver Hours Actions
New to HGV driving? Just got your tacho card? Suddenly realised there are more numbers than a Countdown episode and everyone else SEEMS to “just know” the rules? This video takes you from confusion → confidence with the 7 NEVER rules every UK HGV driver should learn on day one. Plus… the two BIG gotchas that catch out almost every new driver. (Ask me how I know.) Whether you’re training for Class 1/C+E, Class 2, or you’ve just landed your first proper driving job, this guide will keep you legal, confident, and out of the office explaining infringements you didn’t even know existed. 📌 What This Video Covers ✔ EU Drivers’ Hours Explained Simply ✔ Working Time Directive (WTD) basics ✔ Daily & weekly driving limits ✔ Break rules for 4.5 hours, 6 hours, 9 hours ✔ How breaks really work with tacho vehicles ✔ The 7 NEVER rules that keep you legal without needing a law degree ✔ The two GOTCHA mistakes that EVERYONE makes All explained in plain English, with practical examples and a few Liam Neeson moments.
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C+E Licence: £4k Well Spent or Total Waste?💷(UK Class 1 HGV Deep Dive)
Is a C+E / Class 1 HGV licence really worth it – or are you about to drop £4k and your social life on a 60-hour mistake? If you’ve just typed “is C+E worth it” or “is it worth getting my Class 1 lorry licence” into Google, this video is for you. I’m a working UK Class 1 driver, and in this one I’m not trying to sell you a course – I’m walking you through the real trade-offs: money, hours, family life, stress and whether you’ll actually enjoy the job after the novelty wears off. We’ll flip the question around and ask: Who is a C+E licence probably not worth it for? Because that’s often the easier (and more honest) way to look at it. What’s in this video In this video we cover: 💷 Money vs time – why Class 1 can take you from minimum wage to £60k… but at the cost of your time and social life. 🕒 Reality of the hours – why 50–60 hour weeks are normal and how that actually feels two years in. 🧑👩👧👦 Family & social life – eating with the kids, seeing your mates, going to the footy… what really survives once you go Class 1. 🌍 Location & employer – why HGV pay is wildly sensitive to where you live and who you work for. ✅ Who usually sticks with C+E – and who tends to bail before the two-year mark. Who this video is for This will be useful if you’re: Thinking about paying for Class 1 / C+E training out of your own pocket. A Class 2 driver wondering if the jump to Class 1 is worth the hassle. In a boring office job daydreaming about big trucks and big wages. A new or aspiring driver trying to work out if the sacrifice is worth it for you and your family. Want to dive deeper into HGV pay? I’ve already made videos looking at HGV wages by UK region and how Class 1 vs Class 2 pay compares. If you’re serious about going C+E, watch those next – some of the numbers might surprise you. Join the conversation Drop a comment: Are you glad you didn’t bail in your first two years? Or did you try Class 1 and decide it wasn’t worth it? Your stories really help people who are on the fence. 👍 If this helped, hit Like – it genuinely tells YouTube this was worth showing to other new drivers. 📩 Subscribe if you want more honest, slightly sarcastic UK HGV content instead of glossy recruitment brochure nonsense. Thanks for watching – and good luck deciding if Class 1 is worth it for you. #HGV #Class1HGV #CplusE #HGVTraining #TruckDriverUK #NewHGVDriver #LorryDriver
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HGV WAGES Luck or Logic | Brand New UK Data
Is HGV pay really a lottery, Is there still some logic left in the job market? In this week’s UK HGV wages update we look at: Class 1 vs Class 2 average hourly rates this week. Huge Regional differences in advertised pay. Over 1,300 new Class 1 vacancies posted this week. Pertemps & Royal Mail are dominating listings Is a £70k Class 2 job really a thing? UnFathomable Offering award for the worst advert of the week.... If you’re job-hunting, planning a move, or just curious where HGV wages are trending, this is the clearest snapshot of the current market. Subscribe if you want weekly HGV wage reports, heatmaps, and real driver-market data without the fluff. #hgv #hgvjobs #hgvdriver #truckdriver #class1 #class2 #wages #pay #ukjobs
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HGV Money Explosion 💥 Class 2 Heats Up as Class 1 Gears for Christmas
UK HGV wages and job vacancies have exploded this week — and not just for Class 1. Class 2 work is heating up fast with 260+ new ads, while Class 1 still leads the numbers with 700+ new jobs posted across the UK. In this episode of The Weekly Rest Show, we break down which regions are hiring, what they’re paying, and which adverts are worth your time. Featured jobs include new-pass Class 1 roles in Severn Beach, tramping work with Pertemps, and steady shifts with KSK Logistics. Plus, the latest on Operation Tramline, RHA’s EU entry/exit update, and a few choice rants from behind the wheel. The Featured Jobs. #HGV #TruckDriver #UKJobs #Class1 #Class2 #HGV_Wages
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UK HGV Pay Watch: Class 1 Stalling | Class 2 Overtime Goes BOOM!
Newly Qualified or Old Dog HGV Driver in the UK? Here’s the weekly Class 1 & Class 2 wages and vacancies round-up: regions, average rates, overtime/night pay trends, and fresh job postings. Includes West Midlands vs London pay context, plus industry news drivers need to know! Subscribe for Monday job scans + pay trends. #hgv #truckdriverjobs #UKJobs #Class1 #Class2 #wages How the UK HGV job maps are made: Its a work in progress and data accuracy will improve: Currently, each week I collect new UK HGV job adverts (Class 1 C+E and Class 2) from public job boards (e.g., Adzuna), delete near-identical posts, and map each job to an region (East Midlands, North West, etc.). From the cleaned set I calculate average base hourly pay (and any “enhanced”/overtime rates when shown) and produce a 7-day snapshot by region. I also estimate vacancies from ad volumes using a simple ads-to-vacancy ratio to avoid over-counting repeat/agency listings, then render both a pay heatmap (vs UK average) and a vacancy heatmap with labels. Strengths: timely, comparable week-on-week, region-standardised, and focused on what truck drivers actually see advertised. Limitations: adverts are not confirmed vacancies, some duplicate/agency postings slip through, small sample sizes (e.g., London/Northern Ireland) can skew pay, and ad text can be incomplete (bonuses/shifts not always clear). Treat this as a useful indicator, not an official statistic. Keywords: UK HGV jobs, Class 1 C+E, Class 2, driver pay, vacancies, ITL1 regions, weekly update.
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5 Tips for a new HGV Class 1 Driving Assessment.
Newly Qualified HGV Class 1 Drivers can stumble over the reversing section of a new job driving assessment. Following these simple tips will reduce the stress and make the reverse a breeze. Hook up the tractor trailer and reverse onto the dock like a true professional!
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Exposing Some Of The Highest HGV Class1 Hourly Pay Available This Week.
Analysis of over 700 Online job adverts posted in the past 7 days gives a complex picture of the UK HGV driver market. Detailed Pay breakdown for New and experienced Class1 and Class2 Lorry drivers. Tractor Trailer hourly pay is increasing but not at the same speed for every UK region. \/ \/ \/ \/ Links to jobs featured in the video\/ \/ \/ \/ Tesco https://apply.tesco-careers.com/members/modules/job/detail.php?record=959162 Grafters https://www.totaljobs.com/job/hgv-class-1-night-driver/grafters-recruit-ltd-job105799569?WT.mc_id=A_RE_ADZORG_MP5_C48_0_TJ&adjust_t=1b4qhvi6_1bp228lp&adjust_campaign=A_RE_ADZORG_MP5_C48_0_TJ&utm_source=adzuna&utm_medium=adzuna Acorn https://www.totaljobs.com/job/class-2-driver/acorn-by-synergie-job105754355?WT.mc_id=A_RE_ADZPPC_MP2_C48_0_TJ_adz_1050-6f05d705&adjust_t=1b4qhvi6_1bp228lp&adjust_campaign=A_RE_ADZPPC_MP2_C48_0_TJ&utm_source=adzuna&utm_medium=adzuna Driver Hire https://www.adzuna.co.uk/jobs/details/5394259401 Croydon Moffett https://www.adzuna.co.uk/jobs/details/5404254399?utm_medium=api&utm_source=6f05d705
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Top Truck Driver Thinking Gets This Tractor Trailer Out Safely
Getting A HGV On The Loading Dock Is Sometimes Only Half the Battle. This Retailers Yard demonstrates how much thinking power a lorry driver needs. Skill at controlling the Tractor Trailer is important but planning the maneuver and setting it up correctly is not to be sniffed at.
1,667 views