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LGV and HGV mean the same thing, and adverts around Solihull use both plus "Class 1" and "Class 2" interchangeably. What decides the work and the rate is the category letter. We will check yours free and match you locally.
LGV jobs around Solihull span three categories: C1 for 3.5—7.5 tonne vehicles, C for rigids over 3.5 tonnes (Class 2) and C+E for artics and drawbars (Class 1). LGV and HGV are the same thing — LGV is just the current official term. All commercial driving over 3.5 tonnes needs a Driver CPC and a digital tachograph card. Rates near Solihull run £13.00—£24.00 an hour by category, paid weekly through PAYE, with no fee to you.
Solihull is one of the West Midlands' strongest logistics and manufacturing addresses, wrapped around the M42 between Junctions 4 and 6. Jaguar Land Rover's Lode Lane plant builds Range Rover here, pulling in a dense automotive supply chain of just-in-time component deliveries. Birmingham Airport sits on the doorstep with its air-freight operations, while the Birmingham Business Park, Blythe Valley Park and the Cranmore and Kingfisher estates house distribution, engineering and headquarters functions. The NEC and its constant events traffic add further movement. Bordered by Birmingham, Coventry and Warwick and served by fast M42, A45 and M6 links, Solihull generates continuous demand for HGV trunking, time-critical component runs and van multi-drop across its B90-B93 postcodes.
Just-in-time automotive and air-freight work leaves no slack, so an unfilled cab can idle a production line or miss a flight cut-off. WSUK fills temporary driving jobs across every class - C+E Class 1, C Class 2, 7.5-tonne C1 and van/multi-drop - with drivers who can start immediately. Each is vetted through DVLA licence and Driver CPC checks, right-to-work verification and reference screening before their first shift. We handle PAYE payroll and manage tachograph and working-time compliance, so the regulatory load stays with us, not your transport office. When model changeovers, air-freight peaks or absence shift your requirements, we scale driver numbers to suit - a single cover shift or a full team through a busy run.
Job adverts use LGV, HGV, Class 1 and Class 2 interchangeably and inconsistently. The category letter is the only thing that is precise.
The 7.5 tonne box or curtain-sider. Often held automatically by anyone who passed a car test before 1 January 1997. Sometimes advertised as "small LGV".
Any rigid goods vehicle above 3.5 tonnes, typically an 18 or 26 tonne lorry. The industry calls it Class 2, and adverts may say "LGV 2" or "LGV Class 2".
Articulated lorries and rigids with a drawbar trailer. The industry calls it Class 1, and adverts may say "LGV 1". Requires category C first.
From JLR Lode Lane to Blythe Valley Park and Birmingham Business Park, Solihull employers turn to WSUK when a component run or airport delivery needs a driver and the rota is tight. We know the M42 J4-6 routes, the just-in-time automotive rhythm and the air-freight deadlines that shape local demand - so our temporary drivers arrive ready to perform.
All four terms are in daily use and they overlap confusingly. LGV and HGV are synonyms for the same class of vehicle. Class 1 and Class 2 are industry shorthand for C+E and C respectively, left over from an older licensing system. So "LGV Class 1", "HGV Class 1" and "C+E" are three names for one thing, and an advert using any of them wants the same entitlement. If you are unsure what you hold, send us a DVLA check code and we will read the categories for you.
Indicative PAYE rates as a guide — actual pay varies by shift, experience and site, with premiums for nights, weekends and bank holidays. Every rate we advertise is at or above the National Living Wage.
| Role | Indicative pay |
|---|---|
| C1 (7.5 tonne) Driver | £13.00–£15.00 / hr |
| Category C / LGV 2 Driver | £16.00–£20.00 / hr |
| Category C+E / LGV 1 Driver | £18.00–£24.00 / hr |
| LGV 1 Night Trunk | £19.00–£26.00 / hr |
| LGV Driver with ADR | £19.00–£25.00 / hr |
This page is for drivers working out what they hold, what an advert is actually asking for, and which category is worth adding next.
We will tell you what your licence actually entitles you to before you waste applications on jobs it does not cover.
From application to your first shift, with the checks and the payroll handled for you.
Tell us your licence, tickets and which shifts you can actually work.
A named consultant calls within 2 working hours to talk through what fits.
Right-to-work, references and the site induction handled before you start.
Start on shift, then paid weekly through PAYE with holiday accrued.
C+E (Class 1) is usually the hardest to fill and therefore the best paid wherever there are distribution depots near Solihull. Category C work is more plentiful and more varied. We will tell you which of the two is genuinely busier locally rather than guessing.
Yes, and it costs nothing. Generate a DVLA licence check code and send it over. We will list the categories you hold, flag anything that has lapsed such as your CPC or tacho card, and tell you what that entitlement is worth around Solihull.
Yes. LGV (Large Goods Vehicle) is the current official term used on licences and in legislation; HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) is the older term the industry still uses. Jobs advertised as LGV and HGV want the same entitlement, and the pay is the same.
LGV 1 means category C+E — articulated or drawbar vehicles, also called Class 1. LGV 2 means category C — rigid vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, also called Class 2. LGV 1 pays more because you must hold category C before you can get C+E and the vehicles are larger.
Category C, because you need it before you can take C+E. Plenty of drivers work on C for a year, then upgrade, and many operators will part-fund or fully fund the C+E test for a reliable driver. If you already hold C1 through a pre-1997 licence, going straight to C is still the route.
WSUK serves employers across the Golden Triangle. Explore our other locations.
Send a DVLA check code and we will tell you what you can drive and what is live around Solihull. Reply within 2 working hours.