18-Year-Old Shows Lorry Driving Is for Anyone

For the Stubbs family in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, lorry driving is something that is in the blood. So it should be no surprise that Britain’s youngest HGV licence holder is 18-year-old Jess Stubbs, according to a report from Irish Trucker.

Jess recently earned her licence, joining her sister in a family business that includes her father, uncles, and multiple cousins. The young driver said she never had interest in going to university like some of her other peers. She enjoys the freedom offered by professional driving, preferring that to any other career choice.

Although some might suspect the quality of Ms Stubbs’ driving because of her age, the career is one being embraced by more and more young people as time goes on. It should be noted that new rules require all HGV driver trainees to earn CPC certification along with their commercial driver’s licence. The CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence) demonstrates that the driver is able to perform his or her job safely on Europe’s roads.

All current HGV and PCV drivers are required to earn CPC certification – PCV drivers by 10 September this year (2013), HGV drivers by September of next year. Furthermore, drivers will have to undergo remedial certification every few years to maintain their licences.

A Career Choice or Anyone

If nothing else, Ms Stubbs proves that lorry driving is a career for anyone who enjoys the freedom of the open road. There’s no need to be stuck behind a desk, staring at computer screen, just to earn a good living. The HGV industry has plenty of well-paying jobs with bright futures.

According to industry experts, the road haulage and transport industries are currently undergoing a significant shortage of qualified and licensed drivers. Some of that is due to a slowly improving economy requiring greater haulage capacity. However, another factor is the fact that there are not enough new drivers to replace those who are retiring.

Experts expect the shortage to continue for some time into the future. That means individuals looking to start a career as a lorry or coach driver should have no trouble finding a position once training is complete. The HGV Training Centre even helps in that regard, offering our students a jobs database that is updated every single day.

Our company is one of the leading HGV training facilities in the country with more than 45 different locations. Each location is staffed by dedicated professionals ready and willing to do whatever it takes to get you on the road. We will help you fill out your paperwork, prepare you for your theory test, provide you with your practical skills training, and even go with you to your final practical skills test.

If you are a fleet manager or company owner, we also provide company-wide training to driver teams of all sizes. We work with a number of companies in the UK to provide ongoing training and CPC certification training. We encourage you to contact us to see how we can help your company.