How to Apply for a Provisional LGV Licence

Posted on 9th December 2019 By Charlotte Haye

If you’re looking at becoming a professional HGV driver, you may be wondering where to start. Well, if you think back to when you got your standard driving licence (which may be some time ago), there was a process you had to go through. And that process started with applying for your provisional driver’s licence. Thankfully, the process is exactly the same for your LGV licence – but with a few extra steps in the middle. But don’t worry – that’s what we’re here to talk about today.

HGV vs LGV Licence

First things first, what kind of licence do you need? Do you need an HGV licence, or an LGV one? The truth is that while this causes a lot of confusion for new drivers, it’s really a non-issue. Mainly because they are exactly the same thing. HGV stands for Heavy Goods Vehicle, and LGV can stand for either Large Goods Vehicle or Light Goods Vehicle, all of which require exactly the same licence to drive. So, it doesn’t matter which name of licence you apply for – you will only get 1, and it’s the 1 you need to drive HGV’s professionally.

D2 Forms

The first form you need to get is called a D2. This form is the actual application form that you fill in and send to the DVLA in order to apply for your provisional licence. It works in the exact same way as applying for your standard provisional driving licence, so this should be a straightforward step for you. You can order the D2 pack directly from the DVLA, or get it from your chosen training school.

D4 Forms

The good news is you only need one other form to apply for your LGV provisional licence, and it’s called the D4. You can get this either in the same pack as your D2 from the DVLA, or you can download it directly from the GOV.uk website. We recommend you download it direct, purely because you get a lot of extra information and tips on how to fill it in this way. It’s still fairly simple though – you fill in half of it yourself, and your doctor fills in the second half. You will need to have a medical exam to make sure you are physically fit and well enough to drive a heavy goods vehicle, and that there are no red flags the DVLA should be concerned about. Your doctor will fill this information in for you and hand it back ready to be sent off.

Once you’ve filled in both of these forms, you can send them off to apply for your provisional licence. Assuming there are no complications in the process and no red flags, either on your driving record or with your medical exam, you should receive your provisional LGV licence in the post within 3 weeks.

But that doesn’t mean you have nothing to do for those 3 weeks. Rather than sit around and wait, you could use those 3 weeks to get ahead on the next part of the process – your theory test. While you can’t take it yet, you can start to learn the information, research and even do practise tests to see how you’re doing. This means you will be more prepared when your licence does come through, and it shortens the length of time it will take for you to qualify.

At The LGV Training Company, we pride ourselves on supporting the next generation of drivers in gaining their qualifications. This means providing you with the information and guidance you need to apply for the right provisional licences, right through to helping you pass your tests and getting your first job in the industry. If you would like to know more, just get in touch with the team today.

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