All You Ever Wanted to Know About Dumper Trucks

There are a lot of different types of HGV out there on the roads. But when we talk about HGV’s, most people think of the large, branded delivery lorries that zip down the motorway. In reality, there are many more kinds of HGV out there, including the humble dumper truck. Dump trucks are the best friends of the construction industry, most commonly used to move materials from place to place. But they’re also used in the public sector for moving anything from salt for icy roads to residential and commercial waste. And today, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about them, including how to get behind the wheel of one.

What Licence You Need

Technically, to drive most dumper trucks you only need a Cat B licence, which if you passed your driving test after the 1^st of January 1997, you still have. If you passed before that date, you would need to upgrade your licence right away. But if you want to drive anything over 3,500kg in weight, you will need to upgrade to a Cat C licence as standard. But that’s not all. If you want to drive one professionally, then you will need to take 2 different qualifications – the normal Driver CPC, and the CPCS, which stands for Construction Plant Competence Scheme.

The Types Of Dumper Truck

The phrase ‘dumper truck’ covers a few different vehicles, all of which are commonly used in the kind of jobs you see advertised on this site and others. These include:

Rigid Dumper Trucks: These trucks are used for larger loads and are particularly good for construction projects because they’re durable and yet fast. This makes getting between construction sites and materials yards a breeze. However, they usually only operate on the open roads, since they aren’t that manoeuvrable in confined spaces.

Articulated Dumper Trucks: Articulated dumper trucks come in once the materials arrive on site. These tough trucks are great for difficult terrain, but they can’t cope with the same heavy loads as rigid dumper trucks. These kinds of trucks need highly skilled operatives, so you’re very unlikely to be hired to drive these without some professional training.

Tracked Dumper Trucks: Tracked dumper trucks are the ideal for rough terrain and difficult weather conditions, so you will see them on construction sites in any scenario. These kinds of trucks can create a safer environment for other vehicles in the area, as they use their huge tracks to flatten the ground as they go. They’re pretty heavily favoured in early stages of construction because of this.

Mini Dumper Trucks: Mini dumper trucks are basically smaller versions of all of the above vehicles, and anyone can hire them as long as they have a category B licence. They’re simple to use and are usually deployed for home and garden projects.

There are other dumper trucks weighing different amounts, and depending on the jobs they do they may need additional licences to operate. But these are the 4 most common types of dumper truck found out and about in the world.

What You Can Earn

Driving a dumper truck can be an incredibly varied and rewarding experience. You will get to do all sorts of different things every day, meet some great people and enjoy making a real difference – whether that’s watching homes be built of collecting rubbish. But it pays well too. If you have all the right qualifications (which we talked about above), you could be looking at a starting salary of between £23,000 and £35,000. And it’s an in-demand occupation too, so you’ll never struggle to find a job.

At Surrey & Hampshire HGV, we spend a lot of time working with individuals who are looking to make their next big career move. Our experts are on hand to help you work out what licence you need to do your dream job. Once you know that, we can place you in a training programme that will give you everything you need to start your career as a dump truck driver. For more information, just get in touch with us today.