You may have noticed, but not all HGV’s are created equal. There are hundreds of different kinds of HGV on the road, all with different jobs to do. All helping support businesses, individuals and even the public sector. One of the least acknowledged of these is the dumper truck, which is particularly important in the construction industry and public waste collection. If you’re looking for a career change, you could do a lot worse than driving a dumper truck. So today, we have everything you need to know about driving a dumper truck for a living.
The phrase ‘dumper truck’ covers a few different vehicles, all of which are commonly used in the kind of jobs you see advertised on this site and others. These include:
These trucks are used for larger loads and are particularly good for construction projects, because they’re durable and yet fast. This makes getting between construction sites and materials yards a breeze. However, they usually only operate on the open roads, since they aren’t that manoeuvrable in confined spaces.
Articulated dumper trucks come in once the materials arrive on site. These tough trucks are great for difficult terrain, but they can’t cope with the same heavy loads as rigid dumper trucks. These kinds of trucks need highly skilled operatives, so you’re very unlikely to be hired to drive these without some professional training.
Tracked dumper trucks are the ideal for rough terrain and difficult weather conditions, so you will see them on construction sites in any scenario. These kinds of trucks can create a safer environment for other vehicles in the area, as they use their huge tracks to flatten the ground as they go. They’re pretty heavily favoured in early stages of construction because of this.
Mini dumper trucks are basically smaller versions of all of the above vehicles, and anyone can hire them as long as they have a category B licence. They’re simple to use, and are usually deployed for home and garden projects.
There are other dumper trucks weighing different amounts, and depending on the jobs they do they may need additional licences to operate. But these are the 4 most common types of dumper truck found out and about in the world.
Like most bigger vehicles, you will need a specific licence in order to drive a dumper truck. But dumper trucks usually only need a CAT B licence to drive – which is a standard part of your driving licence if you passed your test on or after the 1st of January 1997. Even so, you won’t be hired to drive one on just that alone. As a minimum, you will also need to hold a Driver CPC and a CPCS (Construction Plant Competence Scheme) licence before you can be hired. If you’re looking to be a premium candidate, you’ll also have things like a forklift licence to really improve your value. Not only that but if you want to drive a larger dumper truck, you’ll also need a Cat C licence, as these usually weigh in at over 3500kg.
Driving a dumper truck isn’t just a satisfying and nobler job to do – it’s a pretty neat little earner too. You don’t have to drive long distances (for the most part), and a fully qualified driver can start out at between £25,000 to £35,000 a year. There is a high demand for dumper truck drivers too, with over 30,000 jobs available at the moment for qualified drivers.
At The LGV Training Centre, we love helping new drivers take their first, or even maybe their third or fifth step on the ladder to their dream HGV driving job. Our experts run a wide range of training courses and workshops to help you gain the licence, qualifications and experience you need to start your career as a dumper truck driver. For more information, just get in touch with us today.