Become an HGV truck driver: test the job before your career change

A typical day

• 4:45 am: picking up the truck at the depot, driver card in, walk-round check.
• 5:10 am: checking the load and documents, setting off.
• 7 am: first delivery, unloading with the tail lift, document signed.
• 9:30 am: 45-minute break after 4 h 30 of driving.
• 12:30 pm: last delivery, reservation noted on a damaged package.
• 2:30 pm: back at the depot, paperwork to the planner, truck returned clean.

How to become an HGV truck driver

To drive an HGV professionally you need two keys: a C (rigid) or CE (articulated) licence, after a medical, and an initial professional qualification. In France this means the 140-hour FIMO or a longer course of at least 280 hours; a 35-hour refresher, the FCO, follows every five years. Across the European Union the equivalent is the Driver CPC, and other countries have their own commercial licences, so check your local rules. Training centres often combine licence and qualification, and employers may fund them. With Europe short of drivers, hiring is often quick. The G-Learn trial is the first step to find out whether the job suits you; its certificate is not a diploma.

Pay

Pay varies widely by region and status, type of haulage and allowances.

The hard parts

• Days often start very early, and long-distance drivers spend several nights away from home.
• Sitting for hours and eating on the road wear the body down without good habits.
• Traffic, waiting at customers and limited driving time create real time pressure.

Sources: French Ministry of Ecological Transition — driver training (FIMO, FCO) · IRU via Trans.info — European driver shortage (2025) · Trans.info — age of European truck drivers · Belgian Mobility FPS — driving times, Regulation (EC) 561/2006