If you’re an organised person with good people skills who loves the idea of a career on the open road, there’s a chance you’ve considered a job as an HGV driver. If you’d love to get started on your HGV career, here are the top skills we think employers are looking for.
Reliability
First things first, you may find yourself responsible for transporting highly valuable loads so responsibility, honesty, and integrity is crucial to being a great HGV driver. You’ll need to have an excellent eye for safety and the ability to always go for best practice in everything you do.
Organisation
Hand-in-hand with reliability comes organisation; at any time you may be required to organise loading and unloading, plan your best route, supervise projects, and ensure all paperwork is correctly filled out and filed. Good timekeeping is also vital.
Excellent Driving Skills
It should go without saying, but obviously you should be an excellent driver! An impeccable driving record and good knowledge of road safety should stand you in good stead for employment, as well as knowledge and experience of driving in other countries if your role requires it.
Mechanical Skills
Drivers will often be required to carry out routine maintenance, so a good mechanical or engineering skill set will be necessary to keep your truck in working order.
Stress Management
Long journeys can be physically exhausting as well as stressful if you’re working against the clock. The best HGV drivers have excellent stamina plus the ability to work alone and concentrate for long hours under pressure without giving in to stress. It’s also important to consider that you may often have to spend time away from family and the stress this can put both on you and your loved ones.
Interpersonal Skills
Last but not least, great HGV drivers have excellent interpersonal and communication skills. This is necessary both for working with your team to ensure projects run smoothly, as well as for interacting with customers.
What Should You Look For in an Employer?
Remember, it’s not just employers who get to be fussy. There’s a huge skills shortage in HGV driving right now, so you can be picky when it comes to choosing your employer too.
From the right salary to a good working environment and excellent safety and security, it’s important to ensure the business you join will support and take care of you as much as you take care of their cargo.
If you’re interested in HGV driving jobs throughout the UK, speak to the expert recruiters at Seven Engineering & Logistics or upload your CV today.
