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LGV and HGV mean the same thing, and adverts around Tamworth 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 Tamworth 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 Tamworth run £13.00—£24.00 an hour by category, paid weekly through PAYE, with no fee to you.
Tamworth is a heavyweight distribution town built on the M42 at Junction 10, where the A5 Watling Street crosses. Its centrepiece is Birch Coppice Business Park at Dordon - the West Midlands' largest rail-served development, home to Ocado, UPS and Euro Car Parts, with an on-site intermodal freight terminal (BIFT) connecting to the national rail network. Relay Park and the Tame Valley and Amington industrial estates add further warehousing, retail-distribution and manufacturing capacity. Positioned between Lichfield, Cannock, Atherstone and Nuneaton, and within easy reach of the M6, M6 Toll and M42, Tamworth sits inside the Golden Triangle's northern edge. That combination of rail intermodal and motorway access keeps HGV trunking, 7.5-tonne and van multi-drop drivers in constant demand across the B77-B79 postcodes.
Rail-served distribution and big retail fulfilment run on strict slot times, so one missing driver at Birch Coppice can cascade into missed loads. WSUK fills temporary driving jobs across the full range - C+E Class 1 artics, Class 2 rigids, 7.5-tonne and van/multi-drop - with drivers available at short notice. Before any shift we complete DVLA licence and Driver CPC checks, right-to-work verification and reference screening. PAYE payroll and tachograph and working-time compliance are handled by us, keeping the admin off your transport desk. As intermodal flows, e-commerce peaks and holiday absence move your demand, we scale driver supply up and back down, so you're covered at the peak without carrying surplus in between.
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.
At Birch Coppice, Relay Park and the Tame Valley estates, Tamworth employers rely on WSUK when a rail-linked trunk run or fulfilment round loses its driver. We know the M42 J10 and A5 routes, the intermodal shift patterns and the retail-distribution volumes that drive B77-B79 demand - so the temporary drivers we send arrive ready to work.
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 Tamworth. 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 Tamworth.
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 Tamworth. Reply within 2 working hours.