HGV driver: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Large goods vehicle drivers (SOC 8211)
About £33,569 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +4.7% on last year
£3,478 a month About £2,797 a month after tax 183 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £30,838 in 2021 to £41,735 in 2026 (+35%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £21,728 | £25,664 | £30,838 | £36,021 | £40,396 |
| 2022 | £23,232 | £27,977 | £34,053 | £40,216 | £45,415 |
| 2023 | £25,748 | £30,895 | £37,320 | £43,369 | £49,062 |
| 2024 | £26,914 | £32,863 | £38,761 | £45,731 | £51,803 |
| 2025 | £28,187 | £33,661 | £39,851 | £46,579 | £53,097 |
| 2026 | £28,997 | £34,896 | £41,735 | £49,027 | £55,556 |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £41,735 a year and half earn more. That is 2% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £34,896 and £49,027; the middle 80% between £28,997 and £55,556.
Ranked by median, it is number 136 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,797 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,791 in Scotland.
The median for men is £41,765 and for women £36,878, a gap of 12% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £28,997 | £2,416 |
| 20th | £33,029 | £2,752 |
| 25th (P25) | £34,896 | £2,908 |
| 30th | £36,474 | £3,039 |
| 40th | £39,111 | £3,259 |
| Median (50th) | £41,735 | £3,478 |
| 60th | £44,715 | £3,726 |
| 70th | £47,474 | £3,956 |
| 75th (P75) | £49,027 | £4,086 |
| 80th | £50,734 | £4,228 |
| 90th (P90) | £55,556 | £4,630 |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £41,765 | £42,129 | 180 |
| Women | £36,878 | £39,472 | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £33,569 | £2,797 |
| Scotland | £33,487 | £2,791 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £42,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 75 job titles to SOC 8211 Large goods vehicle drivers. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Articulated vehicle driver
- Carman
- Carrier
- Cartage contractor
- Cattle remover
- Cattle transporter
- Coal carrier
- Coal carter
- Coal deliverer
- Coal deliveryman
- Coal hauler
- Coal man
- Coalman
- Concrete mixer driver
- Concrete pump driver
- Contractor
- Drayman
- Driver
- Driver-fitter
- Driver-mechanic
- Dustcart driver
- General carrier
- General haulier
- Goods driver
- Haulage contractor
- Haulage driver
- Haulage hand
- Haulier
- Hgv delivery driver
- Hgv driver
- Hgv multi drop driver
- HGV multi-drop driver
- HGV shunter
- Hgv/lgv driver
- Large goods vehicle driver
- Lgv driver
- Lgv/hgv driver
- Livestock transporter
- Loader driver
- Loader-driver
- Lorry driver
- Low loader driver
- Low-loader driver
- Milk collector
- Mobile library driver
- Motor haulage driver
- Motor vehicle driver
- Owner
- Owner-driver
- Railway carrier
- Refuse collection driver
- Refuse collector-driver
- Refuse driver
- Removal driver
- Rolley driver
- Rolly driver
- Roundsman
- Rullyman
- Scammell driver
- Shunter driver
Show all 75 titles
- Skip driver
- Tanker driver
- Timber hauler
- Timber haulier
- Tipper driver
- Tractor driver
- Transport contractor
- Transport driver
- Transport operator
- Transporter driver
- Truck driver
- Truckman
- Wagon driver
- Waste collection driver
- Waste disposal contractor
Similar occupations
All jobs in Process, plant and machine operatives
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.