What do you really earn per hour?
Advertised rates are written to look good. Your true hourly rate is what you took home, divided by every hour the job took, door to door. Work yours out below, then read the guides.
- Free calculator, nothing sent anywhere
- Written by a driver, for drivers
- GB rules, 2026
The rate on the advert isn’t your rate.
Put in your own numbers: gross weekly pay from your payslip, the advertised rate, and every hour the job actually took, including waiting nobody paid for.
- Waiting at the RDCWhether waiting time is paid, and how to raise it: the waiting time guide.
- “A wait is not a break”Logging waiting as a break costs you twice. POA explained.
- Comparing job offersThe highest advert doesn’t win. Class 1 vs Class 2 rates compared.
- Agency vs employedThe full-year maths, not the headline hourly figure. In the pay guides.
HGV pay in the UK, 2026: the honest version.
Typical ranges drivers actually report for common work patterns. Averages hide the spread: tramping and weekend work sit at the top, multi-drop and days at the bottom. Your own numbers beat any table: use the calculator above.
| Work pattern | Typical hourly | Typical weekly (50-55h) | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 tramping | £15-18 | £800-1,000 | Night-out pay inside the hourly figure; time away from home |
| Class 1 days, general haulage | £14-16 | £700-850 | Unpaid yard time and early starts |
| Class 1 RDC / container work | £13-16 | £650-850 | Long unpaid waits at gates; POA abuse |
| Class 2 days / multi-drop | £12-14 | £550-700 | Handball; drops paid per stop not per hour |
| Agency (either class) | £15-20 | £600-950 | No guaranteed hours, holiday and gaps unpaid |
| Owner-driver | varies | varies | Rate must cover costs, not just wages: see the bundle |
Illustrative ranges from driver reports and job adverts, October 2026, not a survey. Always check the current market for your area and work. Full detail: HGV pay rates UK guide.
Plain-English answers to the pay questions.
Written from the driver’s side. Where the rules are involved, each guide tells you exactly what to check on GOV.UK and with the DVSA.
HGV pay rates UK
Class 1 and Class 2 rates compared properly: hourly vs salaried, agency vs employed, and what the full-year maths really looks like.
Read the guide → RulesPeriod of availability explained
The most misused button on the tacho: when POA is legitimate, when it isn’t, and how it quietly changes what you’re owed.
Read the guide → MoneyWaiting time at RDCs
Do HGV drivers get paid for waiting? What the Working Time Regulations actually say, how to keep your own record, and the words to use with the traffic office.
Read the guide →The British Driver’s Bundle.
When you want the full picture: three PDF books by Gary Webster covering pay, hours, rights, agency vs employed vs owner-driver, and a one-week audit that puts a real number on your own week. Instant download, £19.99.
Or read a free chapter first (no email needed).
FAQ
Is HGV pay going up?
Advertised rates have risen since the 2021 shortage, but so have diesel, food and rent. What matters is your true hourly rate after every unpaid hour: the advert moving up doesn’t help if your unpaid waiting moved up too.
Class 1 or Class 2: which pays better?
Class 1 usually commands more per hour and opens tramping and agency work, but a good Class 2 day job close to home can beat a badly-paid Class 1 role once commuting and unpaid time are counted. Compare offers on true hourly rate, not licence class.
Is agency pay better than employed?
Agency hourly rates are usually higher, but there are no guaranteed hours, gaps between placements are unpaid, and holiday must be factored in. The full-year maths is in the pay rates guide and, in depth, in Know Your Worth.
Who writes this site?
Gary Webster, a UK HGV driver. The books behind it are published at garywebster.co.uk. This site gives general information, not legal or financial advice: always check the current rules on GOV.UK and with the DVSA.