We pulled 240 UK HGV driver adverts from Find a Job (the DWP's official UK board), filtered them down to real driving roles, and counted what transport managers actually ask for. This is the second trades vertical in the series, after electricians, and the patterns again favour explicit certifications over personal narrative.
The UK still has a meaningful HGV driver shortage. Industry estimates put the gap at around 15,000 drivers below pre-Brexit levels, and the recruitment volume reflects that. Class 2 roles appear in more adverts than Class 1. Driver CPC is essentially universal. Tachograph competency is now expected by default. The recruiter scan is short and specific.
The headline: lead with class, CPC, and tacho
The first two lines of an HGV driver CV should answer three questions a transport manager is screening for in the first ten seconds.
- Which class do you hold? (Class 1 / C+E, Class 2 / C, or both)
- Is your Driver CPC current?
- Are you comfortable with digital tachograph?
If those three things are not in your summary, the recruiter is doing extra work to find them and your CV slips down the pile.
The top 10 things UK HGV employers actually ask for
Ranked by frequency across 240 real adverts.
Top keywords in UK HGV driver adverts
| Keyword | % of adverts |
|---|---|
| Pay per hour stated | 71% |
| Driver CPC | 60% |
| Class 2 (cat C) | 56% |
| Class 1 (C+E) | 46% |
| Digital tachograph | 42% |
| Tachograph (any) | 37% |
| Flexibility | 35% |
| Nights | 32% |
| Reliable | 28% |
| Weekend work | 25% |
1. Pay per hour stated openly, 71%
More than two-thirds of UK HGV adverts state the hourly rate in the body of the advert. That is unusual in UK recruitment, where most adverts hide pay. It tells you the market is price-sensitive and competitive on rate.
Practical use for your CV: state your last hourly rate (or the rate range you have worked at) in the summary. It tells the recruiter your bracket without a phone call. “Most recently at £16.50 per hour PAYE Class 1 trunking” lands a CV at the top of the relevant pile and filters out roles paying too low for your time.
2. Driver CPC, 60%
Six in ten UK HGV adverts list Driver CPC as a hard requirement. The other four in ten still assume it. Put “Driver CPC current” in line 2 of your summary, with the next renewal year if it is within 12 months.
“Class 1 (C+E) HGV driver with Driver CPC (renews 2028) and digital tachograph card. 8 years across general haulage and night trunking, primarily UK-wide.”
That one line covers four of the top five screening signals.
3. Class 2 (cat C), 56%
Class 2 actually appears in more adverts than Class 1. Distribution, multi-drop, waste collection, and most local delivery work runs on Cat C. If you are starting out, Class 2 is the bigger entry point. If you hold Class 1, mention both: “Class 1 (C+E) and Class 2 (C)” opens up the full market in your summary.
4. Class 1 (C+E), 46%
Class 1 is the trunking and articulated work bracket. Almost half the adverts. If you hold C+E and most of your experience is on artic units, lead with that and name the trailer types you are comfortable with (curtainsider, box, refrigerated, tipper).
5. Digital tachograph, 42%
All UK trucks first registered after May 2006 have digital tachographs, so this should be assumed by now, but 4 in 10 adverts still list it explicitly because they have screened candidates who only worked analogue. Put “digital tachograph card holder” in your summary. Add “working time directive compliant” if you have done long-haul.
6. Tachograph (any), 37%
Broader mention of tachograph, including drivers' hours compliance. Pair the technical tachograph mention with explicit familiarity with WTD and drivers' hours rules. “Compliant with EU drivers' hours and WTD” reads as a working professional, not a beginner.
7. Flexibility, 35%
More than a third of adverts ask for flexibility. In HGV terms this means you can do days, nights, weekends, or rotating shifts as needed. Do not just say “flexible”. Name the shifts you are available for. “Available for days, nights, and weekends. Flexible on shift pattern.” That is the language transport managers screen for.
8. Nights, 32%
Roughly one in three adverts are explicitly night-shift roles or include night work. Night trunking pays a premium and is often easier driving (lighter traffic, fewer drops). If you are willing to do nights, say so on line 2 of the summary. Specific is better: “Comfortable with night trunking and overnight runs” lands harder than “flexible on hours”.
9. Reliable, 28%
Reliability is the most-named soft skill in HGV adverts. You can evidence this concretely. “6 years with current employer, zero unauthorised absence” or “Consistent 5-year tenure at previous depot” tells the recruiter what they need to know without the word reliable doing any work.
10. Weekend work, 25%
A quarter of adverts specifically ask for weekend availability or list weekend shifts. If you can do weekends, name them. If you cannot, target the Monday to Friday roles and do not waste an application on the weekend-required ones.
The signals that quietly separate you from the pile
Six signals that do not make the top 10 but appear often enough to matter where they apply.
- Customer service, 22%. One in five adverts mention it. Multi-drop and last-mile work treats the driver as the brand. If you have done multi-drop, name the customer-facing element directly.
- Trunking, 18%. Long-haul work. If you have run scheduled trunks between depots, name the routes or distance ranges.
- HIAB or lorry loader, 12%. Niche but high-value. Holding HIAB widens the role pool noticeably. Surface the certification number.
- Multi-drop, 16%. The day-shape signal for urban delivery work. Name the typical drop count if you have done it (“30+ multi-drop runs daily”).
- Distribution and depot work, 13%. The most stable shift patterns. Worth naming if you have done it, especially for drivers looking to come off long-haul.
- Maximum 6 points, 10%. If you have a clean licence or 6 or fewer points, name it plainly. This filters you in directly.
What HGV driver adverts barely mention
- Years of experience. Only 7% of adverts list a specific years requirement. Most just want competence. Quantifying your years in the summary still helps the recruiter though.
- Communication. Just 18%. Worth a passing mention but not worth leading with. The certificates and class are the screen.
- UK driving licence in general. Only 6% bother to specify because UK driving licence is implicit for a UK HGV role.
- European work. Only 4%. The post-Brexit reality is most UK HGV roles are now UK-only, so European experience is interesting context rather than a screening signal.
Transport managers scan, they do not read. Lead with class, CPC, and tachograph. Pay rate next. Shift availability third. Everything else is detail that earns its place after those four answers are visible.
Before and after
A Class 1 driver with 8 years on UK trunking had this summary.
“Hard working and reliable HGV driver looking for a new opportunity. Strong work ethic and ability to work under pressure. 8 years of experience. Good with people and a great team player.”
Tailored against a real advert using the patterns from 240 real adverts.
“Class 1 (C+E) HGV driver, Driver CPC current to 2028, digital tachograph card holder. 8 years on UK trunking and general haulage, primarily night trunking on curtainsider and box trailer. Last rate £17.20 per hour PAYE. Available for nights, days, weekends. Clean licence, no points.”
Same driver, same experience. The vague version asked the recruiter to guess the answer to every screening question. The tailored version gave them all four answers in the first two lines, then handed them three more.
Frequently asked
Should I lead my HGV CV with Class 1 or Class 2?+
Lead with whichever you hold and whichever the advert is asking for. Class 2 appears in 56% of UK HGV adverts and Class 1 in 46%, so the market is genuinely split. If you hold both, write "Class 1 (C+E) and Class 2 (C)" on line 1. If you hold one, name it. Do not just write "HGV driver" because the recruiter is searching for the literal cat letters.
Do I need to put my Driver CPC card number on my CV?+
You do not need the card number, but the words "Driver CPC" or "DCPC" should be in the first two lines of your CV. The qualification appears as a requirement in 60% of UK HGV adverts. Mention when your CPC expires if it is within the next 12 months, because transport managers will plan around it.
How important is digital tachograph experience on an HGV CV?+
It is now the standard. 42% of UK HGV adverts mention digital tachograph by name, plus another 37% mention tachograph generally. If you have used digi-tacho cards (mandatory on all UK trucks first registered after 2006), say so. "Digital tachograph card holder" on line 2 of the summary is the right level of detail.
Should I list my points or clean licence status on my HGV CV?+
Yes if it is clean. "Clean UK driving licence" or "No points" is a direct screening line in roughly 1 in 10 adverts, and many more recruiters check at interview. If you have 3 points or fewer, name it. If you have 4 to 6 points, mention "6 or fewer points" because some adverts screen at 6. If you have 7 or more, do not list it; lead with experience instead.
Is ADR worth mentioning on an HGV driver CV if I am not applying for hazardous goods?+
If you hold ADR, name it even on non-ADR applications. It signals professional certification beyond the minimum CPC, and a small number of employers run mixed fleets where the ADR-capable driver is preferred. Put it after CPC in the summary. If you do not hold ADR, do not chase it for a CV; target the ADR-required roles only when you have it.
Should my HGV CV mention trunking, multi-drop, distribution and the route types I have done?+
Yes, these are major screening terms. Trunking appears in 18% of adverts, multi-drop in 16%, distribution in 13%. Transport managers screen for the kind of work pattern you are used to because the day looks very different between a single trunk run and a 30-drop urban round. Name the specific pattern you have done so the manager knows your shape.
The next time you see a UK HGV advert
Read the first three lines. They will name the class, the shift pattern, and the rate. Your CV summary should answer all three in the same order, with your CPC and tachograph status alongside. If it does, your CV does the work the recruiter would otherwise do for you, and a 6-second scan becomes a phone call.