When you’re looking to hire a HGV driver for any business, most employers will fit well into the work environment, can meet their needs and will provide lasting value to their business. But to be successful in any interview, you need to make sure you’re asking the right questions. HGV driving is a highly specialist field with a huge number of variables between candidates. So to make sure you hire the best person for your open position, you need to understand what questions you should be asking and more importantly, why.
What kind of licence do you hold?
If you’ve never hired a HGV driver before, you might not know which type of HGV driver you actually need. Largely, it depends on what type of cargo you will be shipping, as this will define what type of vehicle you need. The standard HGV licences your drivers could hold are:
• Category C1
• Category C1+E
• Category C
• Category C+E
• Horsebox
Typically, the more types of vehicle your driver can handle, the better your options will be in the future. But if you know you will only need to operate one type of vehicle, you can use that to narrow down your search and filter out candidates.
Some basic knowledge questions
You should also make sure that your interviewee is familiar with basic HGV protocols. Most of this will have been covered in their training, so a newly qualified driver should have no problem answering these questions. But just like ordinary drivers, the longer they have been on the road, the more things HGV drivers will forget, or bad habits they will pick up. So asking questions like ‘what are the speed limits on all road types in the UK?’, ‘what is your familiarity with the driver’s hours and European working time directive?’ and ‘describe the process of safely parking and unloading your vehicle in a crowded high street’ will help you assess how up to code they really are. Holding the qualification is one thing, but still retaining that knowledge and practice after many years on the road is an entirely different matter.
How would you deal with a difficult customer?
A lot of people forget that HGV drivers do more than just drive. They are the crux of your delivery network, and therefore the people who will be interfacing with your customers. They will be the face of your business when they package, deliver and unload your goods, so you need to know that they have good customer service skills. Part of that is how they would deal with a dissatisfied customer. So if for example part of a shipment arrives broken, damaged or missing, how would they approach it? Would they get angry or standoffish, or would they apologise and take proactive steps to resolve the issue? It’s important to never underestimate the value of customer service, as your driver’s behaviour can have a real impact on your business.
Are you qualified to drive HGV’s in the UK?
This might seem like a fairly basic question, but it is essential to ask. The reason for this is that HGV driving is a very popular profession abroad, especially in European countries, and it is very common for foreign drivers to emigrate here for work. For some nationalities this isn’t a problem, but others have very different driving standards and qualifications to us in the UK. So while you might not have a problem with a driver from France, you might find some stark differences – including the holding of a valid licence – in a driver from the Ukraine. Ensuring you are employing a driver who can legally drive in this country, and any other countries you may need them to pass through or into, is essential.
Recruiting for a HGV driver to represent your business is a challenging process, especially if you are determined to hire only the best. At Rapier Employment, we specialise in matching businesses with highly qualified and skilled HGV drivers across the country. We can source drivers for hourly and salaried rates, of all categories of licence for long or short term work. For more information, or to find out how we can help you find your next HGV driver, get in touch with the Rapier Employment team today.