Drivers in London need to know the city’s roads and have good navigation skills. Choosing a good HGV (heavy goods vehicle) driving company to work for is no easy task in a competitive job market of 8,000 HGV job openings. The average annual salary is £31,110 for HGV drivers in London, which is nearly on par with the national annual average income of £31,461 across the UK.
Understanding what you want and how to get it depends on which HGV driver employers you’re applying to work for. London is home to five excellent driving companies with rich histories of performance and several job opportunities for HG drivers.
1. DHL Express
DHL Express has been a well-known leader in the driving industry since 1969, with over 100,000 people doing their best every day at DHL to deliver products and services. They have been recognised as the fourth best place to work globally by Great Place To Work and FORTUNE’s 2019 employer ranking. Many employees have also cited DHL Express as an excellent place to work in London due to the great benefits, use of innovative technology for the driving industry, and a pleasant working environment.
2. Royal Mail
Founded more than 500 years ago, the Royal Mail Group is the primary postal service in the United Kingdom. The postal service operates in 44 countries and delivers more than 14.0 billion letters and 1.8 billion parcels annually. As one of the leading driving companies in London, the Royal Mail Group has opened internal and external recruitment for HGV drivers in 2021 due to the persistent increase in parcel volumes in recent years.
3. Good Logistics
Good Logistics (formerly John Good Group) is a leading company with offices in London that has been in business for over 180 years. Today, they are known as one of the best logistics companies around the UK, offering overseas shipping and logistics services. Good Logistics is open to recruiting HG drivers to meet the increased demand for parcel and delivery deliveries in the UK and overseas.
4. Travis Perkins
As the UK’s largest distributor of building materials and equipment, Travis Perkins relies on a fleet of lorries and HG drivers to move 100,000 materials throughout the UK. Since Travis Perkins employs 20,000 people across 1,700 branches in the UK, they emphasise a progressive career path for their drivers, encouraging them to gain new qualifications.
5. Veolia
Veolia began in 1966 as an on-site heating services business. In the 1980s, the company ventured into HVAC installation and eventually moved into a waste, energy, and water management company that employs over 14,000 UK citizens. Driving jobs with Veolia boast varied road transport routes and allow you to drive HGVs, skips, and front-end loaders. Drivers earn about £29,025 per year, about 30% above the average wage for delivery company drivers. Veolia values drivers with general maintenance worker skills, so if you are considering working with this company, highlight your experience in this area.
Deciding on a Driving Company
These top five driving companies all possess qualities you want in a potential employer, but how do you choose between them?
One method you can use is to compile a list of the most important benefits to you. Consider the following perks and decide which are your top priority. Then match them with the qualities of the top five driving companies to determine which would be a good fit for you.
- Promotional opportunities
- Competitive pay
- Flexible shifts
- Job security
- Positive employee culture
- Community investing
- Multiple locations
- Pension scheme
- Incentives and bonuses
- Strong leadership
- Environmental awareness
- Public reputation
You will want to consider the location of your driving company and how it may impact your cost of living. The North East is affordable, offers an average salary, and can provide you with a decent quality of life for those looking to start a comfortable new career as an HG driver.
The East Midlands is ripe for job opportunities, with 9% of open roles related to logistics and 140,000 HGV journeys completed each day. There are 16,000 HG East Midlands jobs to choose from, so you can earn the same salary as you would in London while staying within the budget.
Yorkshire and the Humber is the most job-rich region with over 20,000 HG driving job opportunities. In Yorkshire, 140,000 HGV journeys are completed daily because of the area’s growing reliance on industrial companies. However, communication can be long and tedious in this region, so consider this before applying.
Discover UK Driving Jobs
When you’re ready to start searching for UK driving jobs with these top five HGV companies, visit jobsfuel.com. Jobsfuel.com can match you with delivery driver opportunities in your area. By comparing salaries, requirements, and location, you can decide which company to apply to for truck driver positions.
Whether you want to become an Uber driver or transport heavy goods in the East Midlands area, an online job board can help you find the right opportunity. You can then use the job description to assist you in preparing an application that uses key language related to the role, bettering your chances of progressing to the interview stage.
