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Highlands · Training & driver hire

HGV Lessons, Training & Driver Hire in Inverness

Highland haulage — timber, aggregates, distilling, retail resupply along the A9 — runs on Class 1 and Class 2 drivers, and training options north of Perth are thin. Inverness and Highland trainees use our intensive block programmes so licence, Category 3a and Module 4 CPC are finished in a single trip.

Looking for HGV lessons in Inverness? Our DVSA-standard instructors run Class 1 (C+E), Class 2 (C), C1 7.5-tonne, bus and CPC courses for Inverness drivers every week, with one-to-one lorry driving lessons, flexible start dates and finance from £79/month. Most Inverness trainees meet us at a convenient local pick-up point and train on the same roads and test routes used by the DVSA examiners.

Need drivers rather than training? We are also an HGV driver agency, so employers in Inverness and across Highlands can hire Class 1, Class 2, 7.5-tonne and PCV drivers from us — every one trained and assessed in-house by our Delegated DVSA Examiner, available for short-notice cover, holiday and sickness absence, seasonal peaks or long-term and temp-to-perm placements.

Book Your Training Hire Drivers in Inverness 0333 577 3368See full prices
5.0★ from 212 Google reviews 10 HGVs · 2 coaches · 1 minibus Delegated DVSA Examiner

Getting to us from Inverness

Inverness to Kirkcaldy is around three hours on the A9 and M90, or a direct rail service. Block training with local accommodation is the usual approach.

  • A9 south → M90 → A92 (approx. 3 hours)
  • Direct Inverness–Kirkcaldy rail services
  • Intensive block scheduling designed for Highland trainees

Michelston Business Centre, Mitchelston Drive, Kirkcaldy, Fife KY1 3NB

Tests and how they work

  • Category 3a reversing (in-house)

    Run on our site — no second trip south for a DVSA slot.

  • Module 4 CPC (in-house)

    Completed as part of the same block.

Courses available to Inverness drivers

Class 1 (C+E)from £1,595Class 2 (C)from £1,395C1 7.5 tonnefrom £995Bus & Coach (D)from £1,395Minibus (D1)from £895Category 3a reversingin-house test

Need your 35 hours instead? Driver CPC periodic training runs from the same yard, and funding and finance options can spread the cost.

Highland training options are limited — block training solves it

Timber, aggregates, distilling, retail resupply along the A9 and agricultural transport all run on Class 1 and Class 2 drivers, but training provision north of Perth is genuinely thin and test availability thinner. The practical answer for most Highland trainees is a single intensive block somewhere with its own test capacity.

That is exactly what we offer. Category 3a reversing and Module 4 CPC are conducted at our Kirkcaldy yard by our Delegated DVSA Examiner, so the qualification finishes in the one trip rather than requiring a second journey south weeks later for a DVSA slot.

Making a three-hour journey worth it

Inverness to Kirkcaldy is around three hours on the A9 and M90, or a direct rail service if you would prefer to arrive rested. Nobody commutes that daily, so Highland trainees book a block and stay locally for the week — we will help you plan the dates and point you at accommodation near the yard.

The preparation matters more here than anywhere. Medical, provisional entitlement and full CPC theory including Module 2 case studies must all be complete before you travel. We check that with you explicitly before confirming a block, because a wasted trip from Inverness is a genuinely expensive mistake.

What Highland operators are short of

Highland hauliers struggle to recruit more acutely than central-belt operators simply because the population is smaller and the distances greater. That keeps rates competitive and makes newly qualified drivers genuinely welcome — a Class 1 licence is close to a guaranteed job across Inverness-shire, Ross-shire and Moray.

Timber haulage in particular is skilled, well-paid, physically demanding work with a persistent shortage of drivers. Distillery and beverage logistics, aggregates and A9 trunking make up much of the rest.

Costs, finance and the whole-trip budget

Course prices are the same wherever you travel from: Class 1 from £1,595, Class 2 from £1,395, C1 from £995, with DVSA fees, the Group 2 medical and theory itemised separately on the prices page. Highland trainees should add travel and a week's accommodation to that figure when comparing options.

Finance from Ideal4Finance spreads the course cost from around £79 a month with a soft eligibility check. It is also worth asking Highland employers directly — with recruitment as tight as it is, part-funding a licence for the right candidate is common.

Driving work around Inverness

Timber and forestry haulage, distillery and beverage logistics, aggregates, agricultural transport and A9 trunking. Highland operators frequently struggle to recruit, which keeps rates competitive.

Our HGV driver agency

HGV driver hire in Inverness — cover for employers

If you run vehicles in Inverness or anywhere across Highlands, we also supply drivers. Direct HGV is both a training school and an HGV driver agency, so the Class 1 (C+E), Class 2 (C), 7.5-tonne and PCV drivers we send you are people we have trained, assessed and licensed ourselves. That means we know how each driver reverses, couples, handles a tacho and treats your vehicle before they ever turn up at your gate.

We cover short-notice sickness, holiday cover, seasonal peaks, long-term placements and temp-to-perm hires for hauliers, builders' merchants, waste operators, tipper fleets, agricultural contractors and passenger operators around Inverness. Every driver is checked for a valid Driver CPC card, in-date digital tachograph card and clean licence category before placement, and we can run a practical driver assessment on your own vehicle type if you want proof of standard first.

Class 1 & Class 2 cover

Artic and rigid drivers available for day, night and trunking work in Inverness.

Assessed, not just CV-checked

Every driver is assessed by our Delegated DVSA Examiner before we place them.

Short notice and long term

One-day sickness cover through to ongoing weekly placements and temp-to-perm.

Hire drivers in Inverness 0333 577 3368

Inverness HGV training questions

Why travel from Inverness for training?
Because the whole qualification can be finished in one block here. With Category 3a and Module 4 conducted in-house, there's no return trip for separate test dates.
Do you train on modern vehicles?
Yes — our fleet is 10 HGVs, 2 coaches and a minibus, so you learn on current equipment rather than something twenty years old.
How many days should I plan to be away?
Five days for Category C, or eight to ten for a combined Class 2 and Class 1 programme including tests. We confirm the exact schedule before you book travel.
What has to be finished before I travel down?
Group 2 medical, provisional Category C entitlement on your licence, and the CPC theory including hazard perception and Module 2 case studies. We check all three with you before confirming your block.
Do you cover Moray, Ross-shire and the wider Highlands?
Yes — Elgin, Nairn, Dingwall, Fort William and further afield all work on the same intensive block basis. The travel plan changes; the training does not.
Is there a direct train from Inverness?
Yes, direct services run to Kirkcaldy, and the yard is a short taxi ride from the station. Several Highland trainees prefer it to driving the A9 twice in a week.
Can I hire HGV drivers in Inverness?
Yes. Direct HGV supplies Class 1 (C+E), Class 2 (C), 7.5-tonne and PCV drivers to operators in Inverness and across Highlands. We train and assess our own drivers, so every placement has been checked on a vehicle by our Delegated DVSA Examiner before they arrive. Call 0333 577 3368 to discuss cover.
How quickly can you cover a driver shortage in Inverness?
Where we have an available driver we can often cover same-day or next-day sickness and holiday absence in Inverness. Longer bookings, seasonal peaks and temp-to-perm placements are arranged in advance so you get the same driver each week rather than a different face every shift.
Are your agency drivers CPC and tachograph compliant?
Every driver we place is checked for a valid Driver CPC qualification card, an in-date digital tachograph card and the correct licence categories, with licence checks repeated during longer placements. We can also assess a driver on your own vehicle type before the first shift.
Do you supply drivers as well as train them?
Both. We are an HGV training school and an HGV driver agency, which is unusual in Scotland. Employers in Inverness can hire assessed drivers from us, put their existing staff through Class 1, Class 2 or Driver CPC training, or use us for driver assessments and fleet checks.

Other areas we cover

HGV training FalkirkHGV training PerthHGV training DundeeHGV training BathgateHGV training EdinburghHGV training GlasgowHGV training StirlingHGV training DunfermlineHGV training KirkcaldyHGV training AberdeenHGV training AyrshireHGV training Midlothian