Best HGV Training in Surrey

Who is The Best HGV Training Company in Surrey?

Within the UK, at last count there are approximately 300 HGV training companies. Out of this number you will find approximately 8-10 that provide this service within the county of Surrey.

I am sure if you were to ask each one of these companies which they think is best within the county of Surrey all will reply saying theirs is. However, from a customer point of view there may be a different opinion.  

When deciding who may be the best local training company to train with there are numerous important factors that you should consider. Here we list the top 7 suggestions when making the right selection.

1. Website
In today’s society over 90% of all enquiries will initially come via websites. Therefore, it is essential to have a website that is informative, professional and up to date. Having accurate and up to date information with pictures showing the companies training vehicles is vital when gaining initial customer interest. If a website is just using photos of trucks from "Pinterest" then you have to ask one question. Why would they not want to show their own trucks? It could be that they are an HGV training broker and have no vehicles, which is commonplace. We advise you also check the companies’ registered offices and training addresses as some will advertise as being in Surrey, yet they are located in another county.

2. Training Vehicles
When you consider there is little or no regulation concerning HGV training vehicle condition or maintenance you have to be careful about who you train with.

As LGV training vehicles don’t carry loads (suffice for IBC's full of water) they are classed as private HGV's. This means there is no legal requirement to maintain or service these trucks.  A simple MOT pass once a year is the minimum standard. As a result, the standard and condition of training vehicles can vary greatly and with the price of a new artic approaching £150,000 some training companies will opt for a cheaper option.

By far the driver training is the hardest and most challenging part in the HGV licence acquisition process. Therefore, you don’t want to learn in a truck that is not safe and badly maintained. You need to learn in a modern truck that is looked after. Just head to Guildford driving test centre and see the condition and standard of some of Surrey’s HGV driving schools’ vehicles. You may be surprised by the poor standard of some of the trucks you witness. If you don’t like the standard of the training vehicles the don't train with that company.

3. Brokers
We have written many times about HGV training brokers and the fact they do not operate within the boundary of Surrey. Despite not having any training vehicles or employing an HGV driving instructors, Surrey and Hampshire HGV Training advertise themselves as one of Surrey biggest and best lorry driving schools.

In this instance most sensible people seeking HGV licence entitlement would go direct to the school with the vehicles rather than a middleman. With the internet there are so many 3rd parties making a margin on you and it's not fair. For Surrey the only HGV driving test centre is locate in Slyfield Industrial Estate, Guildford GU1 1SA. So before you buy your course just nip to the Guildford test centre and check you are making the right choice.

4. Price
The cost of your training is always in the top 3 criteria when it comes to choosing the right HGV training company in Surrey.  Prices can vary so always shop around. You have to take into account what it is you are paying for.

For example most customers would like the complete package therefore EP Training provides one price for the whole thing. This would include the medical and provisional licence application, theory tuition, theory tests, driving training and including Driver CPC.

Whether you went for the class 2 or straight to class 1 it is advisable to get a price for everything and make sure there are no hidden extras. Be wary of providers that do NOT show their prices on their websites as this could mean inflated rates over the phone. A good way to pay for your HGV driver training is via finance however be very careful as interest rates can be alarmingly high.

For the area of Surrey you should be looking to pay £1,900 - £2,100 for your Cat C, including medical to driving test and Driver CPC.

If you would like to head straight to class 1 (from car licence) then you should be looking n the price range of £3,000 - £3,500. The reason this option will no doubt cost more is because you will require more driving training on a cat C +E compared to a cat C. The driver training is the expensive part in all this.

5. Location
Surrey is a relatively large county however most parts of the area can be reached within 1 hour. Location of training is important and you don’t want to have to travel too far to start your driver training. Learning to drive a truck is mentally and physically demanding and we guarantee you will be exhausted at the end of your training day.

Ideally you should not have to travel more than 45 minutes to and from your training location (from home) otherwise it will affect your concentration levels whilst learning to drive that truck. EP Training has driver training locations in Bookham, Addlestone and Cranleigh meaning if you are based in Surrey you won’t have too far to travel.

6. Reputation
Reputation is always important when choosing the right training organisation for you. Good reputation is something that is hard earned and easy to lose. Being the biggest training company does not give you the best reputation. Being renowned for providing quality training solutions over a significant period of time is what it is all about.

7. Reviews
Our final subject for this post is all about reviews. Some may say that reviews are what will sway that choice for them, and they do carry a lot of weight in the decision making process. There are various platforms where reviews can be read including, Trustpilot, Facebook, Google, Yell etc.

Reviews should not always be taken as gospel as it has been known for companies to generate fake reviews.

This has been true when reading some HGV training brokers reviews who manifest and harvest false customer experiences. EP would advise that you first view a company’s Google business listing reviews as they seem to be more genuine than other websites.

There are also forums (Trucknet for example) where members will give you a good recommendation for a good local training school.

Having taken all the above into account we feel you will be able to make better choices when deciding who is the best HGV training company in Surrey to train with.  

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