Thu, August 08, 2024
Understanding the Difference Between HGV and LGV
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between an HGV and an LGV? Wonder no more—the answer is here, and I hope to clear up a few other anomalies as well.
Once upon a time, on our very own planet Earth, there was a lorry designed to carry heavy loads. Naturally, this vehicle needed a name. Back in the early 1900s, someone in government decided to call it a "Heavy Goods Vehicle," or HGV, which seems fitting since it was a vehicle designed to carry heavy goods. And so, the HGV came into existence.
Difference Between HGV and LGV
Definition of HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle)
Back in the early 1900s, being a lorry driver was anything but a pleasant job. It was tough work, especially since HGVs at the time didn't even have air-filled tires; they used solid rubber because pneumatic tires hadn't been invented yet. That innovation came around 1912, allowing lorry drivers to finally experience a more comfortable ride.
But I digress. From the early 1900s up until 1970, you didn't need an HGV license to drive an HGV. However, as the roads became increasingly busy, someone in the government decided that a specific license for HGV drivers was necessary. And so, on February 2, 1970, it became a legal requirement for anyone wanting to drive a lorry to hold an HGV license.
Definition of LGV (Large Goods Vehicle)
Before 1970, if you wanted to drive a lorry, all you needed was a car license and some experience—not necessarily in lorry driving. However, once specific license classes were introduced, the landscape changed. Although we didn’t have stage testing back then, and still don’t—stage testing actually disappeared during the pandemic.
Up until 1997, an ordinary car license allowed drivers to operate vehicles weighing up to 7.5 tons. It's worth noting that "ton" refers to an imperial measurement, as the UK hadn’t yet switched to the metric tonne.
Difference Between HGV Class 1 ,2 and 3
The classes for HGVs were categorized as follows:
- Class 1: This category was for all articulated vehicles, excluding the wagon and drag or draw-bar combinations we see today. These vehicles had a maximum weight of 32 tons and a maximum length of 15 metres.
- Class 2: This covered any rigid vehicle with more than two axles, with a maximum weight of 28 tons.
- Class 3: This included any rigid vehicle with two axles, with a maximum weight of 16 tons.
Vehicles in Classes 2 and 3 could also tow a trailer, but this depended largely on the construction of the suspension and braking systems. Additionally, all vehicles were subject to a maximum axle weight limit of 10 tons.
When Did HGV Become LGV?
But all that is old news, as things changed dramatically on January 1, 1997. This date marked the beginning of the confusion between HGV and LGV. I vividly remember the debates among instructors—some were convinced that "HGV" was dead, replaced by "LGV," which stands for Large Goods Vehicle.
So here we are, post-1997, and people say there's no such thing as an HGV anymore. Wrong—the HGV acronym still lives on. However, the classification system has shifted from groups to categories. We no longer have Class 1, 2, or 3 vehicles. Instead, we now have…
- Category C1 is a subcategory that you’ll need if you want to drive goods vehicles weighing between 3.5 tonnes and 7.5 tonnes, as an ordinary car license only allows you to drive vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes.
- Category C covers all rigid goods vehicles, granting access to vehicles from 3.5 tonnes upwards. This category includes fire engines, refuse lorries, tippers, tankers (but only rigid ones), and horse boxes. The size and number of axles don’t matter, as long as the vehicle doesn’t exceed the current maximum construction and use regulations for goods vehicles, which is currently 32 tonnes.
- Category C+E allows drivers to operate vehicles with trailers. The "E" in this category stands for trailers, so if you add a trailer to a Category C1 vehicle, it becomes a C1+E. Similarly, if you attach a trailer to a Category C vehicle, it becomes a C+E, granting access to any vehicle that draws a trailer, including both rigid goods vehicles pulling a trailer and articulated vehicles. The current construction and use regulations set the maximum weight limit for these vehicles at 44 tonnes.
The End of Stage Testing
From January 1997 until 2020, we had what was called stage testing. This system was introduced by the government to make our roads safer as they became increasingly congested. However, in 2020, the government stopped stage testing to expedite getting more drivers on the road—a move that hasn't been as effective as hoped.
Weight Limits and Regulations
It's also worth noting that there isn't an actual weight limit on your HGV/LGV license; the weight limits are imposed on individual vehicle types by the construction and use regulations. These regulations are based on how the specific lorry is built, which brings me to a little story that I can’t resist sharing.
Back in the 1980s, when I was working for a training company in Slough, I had the pleasure of training a chap named Chris Lee. Chris was the head salesperson for Volvo Trucks at Heathrow. After passing his Class 1 HGV test, he brought a very special truck to our training centre and let me take it for a spin. The truck was a Volvo F16, a shiny black lorry with a big chrome stack (that's the exhaust attached to the back of the cab). The plated weight of this beast was 150 tons. Although it wasn’t loaded when I drove it, getting a 150-ton truck moving requires a lot of gears—or ratios—in the gearbox. This particular truck had a 32-speed range-changing splitter gearbox, making it quite the experience to drive!
It was a manual gearbox with an 8-speed range change, offering 4 low and 4 high gears, with 4 ratios in each gear. Needless to say, you really had to think about your gear changes.
HGV and LGV Categories
But I digress again. As I mentioned earlier, when we talk about licenses, we should technically refer to categories C1, C, and C+E. However, the truth is, you can say it however you want, and we'll know what you mean. We might wear a little smile, but don’t pay any mind to that as long as you're getting your point across. Here are a few examples of terms I’ve heard—or even used myself:
- Class 1 LGV
- Group C+E
- Category 2 vehicle
- HGV vehicle (the "V" in HGV stands for "vehicle," so technically, this is redundant)
- Class 1 category vehicle
- Category 1 HGV A category group 1 vehicle.One of the big ones. You may even hear some people refer to MGV, Medium Goods Vehicles, but don't worry—there isn't a license category for that.
Category D Vehicles
Let's not forget those Category D vehicles either...
- Category D1: This is a subcategory of the D class vehicles (see what I did there?), covering vehicles with no more than 17 seats, including the driver's seat.
- Category D: This category includes any rigid bus, whether it's a single or double-decker. And here's the kicker—remember those bendy buses that are very long and bend in the middle? Despite their length, they were categorized as rigid buses simply because the back half couldn’t be removed by the driver, so they fall under Category D as well.
- Category D+E: This covers any rigid bus pulling or towing a trailer that weighs more than 750 kg, which the driver could remove.
Well, that's all I have on those pesky license categories, but I think you get the idea. At EP Training, it's very rare that we'd correct you because we're used to hearing all kinds of terminology. I only smile when I hear so-called professionals getting it very wrong—actually, I usually laugh out loud (aren't I terrible?).
Concusion
To wrap things up, whether you call it HGV or LGV, the important thing is understanding the license categories and their requirements. The transition from HGV to LGV in 1997 introduced new classifications, but the essence of what these vehicles can do remains the same. Remember, it's less about the labels and more about the specific category of license you hold. At EP Training, we embrace all terminologies—what matters most is that you're clear on what each license allows you to drive.
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