Lothians · Training & driver hire
HGV Lessons, Training & Driver Hire in Midlothian
Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg, Penicuik, Loanhead, Gorebridge and Newtongrange drivers train with us for Class 1, Class 2, C1, PCV and Driver CPC. You get a named LGV driving instructor for the whole course rather than a rota of faces, a private reversing yard with room to actually learn the Category 3a exercise, and a Delegated DVSA Examiner on staff so your off-road test is conducted on site instead of queueing for a DVSA date.
Looking for HGV lessons in Midlothian? Our DVSA-standard instructors run Class 1 (C+E), Class 2 (C), C1 7.5-tonne, bus and CPC courses for Midlothian drivers every week, with one-to-one lorry driving lessons, flexible start dates and finance from £79/month. Most Midlothian 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 Midlothian and across Lothians 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.
Getting to us from Midlothian
Midlothian to our Kirkcaldy yard is around 50 minutes via the City Bypass and the Queensferry Crossing, or roughly an hour by rail from Eskbank on the Borders Railway with a change at Edinburgh Waverley.
- A7 / A768 → Edinburgh City Bypass (A720) → A90 → Queensferry Crossing → M90 → A92
- Borders Railway from Eskbank or Newtongrange to Waverley, then direct train to Kirkcaldy
- Penicuik and Loanhead trainees usually join the A701 to the bypass
Michelston Business Centre, Mitchelston Drive, Kirkcaldy, Fife KY1 3NB
Tests and how they work
Category 3a reversing (in-house)
Run at our own yard by our Delegated DVSA Examiner, on the vehicle you trained in.
Module 3b on-road test
A standard DVSA test — preparation and booking handled for you.
Module 4 CPC
Assessed in-house as part of your programme.
Courses available to Midlothian drivers
Need your 35 hours instead? Driver CPC periodic training runs from the same yard, and funding and finance options can spread the cost.
Driving work around Midlothian
Midlothian's quarrying and aggregates fleets, the Straiton and Newbridge distribution parks, construction supply into the Shawfair and Millerhill developments, waste and recycling operators at Millerhill, plus Edinburgh city logistics all recruit Class 1 and Class 2 drivers. Our driver agency places newly qualified drivers with Lothians hauliers.
Our HGV driver agencyHGV driver hire in Midlothian — cover for employers
If you run vehicles in Midlothian or anywhere across Lothians, 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 Midlothian. 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 Midlothian.
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.
Midlothian HGV training questions
- Do you have an LGV driving instructor covering Midlothian?
- Yes. Our instructors train drivers from across Midlothian — Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg, Penicuik, Loanhead, Gorebridge, Mayfield and Newtongrange. Training runs from our Kirkcaldy yard, about 50 minutes up the A720 and over the Queensferry Crossing.
- Is one-to-one instruction available?
- All practical LGV training is one-to-one with the same instructor for the duration of your course, so nothing gets repeated or lost between sessions.
- How quickly can I start?
- Once your provisional entitlement and medical are in place we can usually start within two to three weeks, including weekend dates for drivers who can't take a full week off work.
- Can I hire HGV drivers in Midlothian?
- Yes. Direct HGV supplies Class 1 (C+E), Class 2 (C), 7.5-tonne and PCV drivers to operators in Midlothian and across Lothians. 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 Midlothian?
- Where we have an available driver we can often cover same-day or next-day sickness and holiday absence in Midlothian. 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 Midlothian 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.