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We all need a licence to drive but it becomes a little more complicated if you are an HGV driver. It can be easy to forget the rules surrounding driver medicals so we thought it a good idea to remind you of what the requirements are.
You have to pass a medical, in normal circumstances, to obtain a provisional category C licence and the frequency of licence renewal increases as you get older. You must:
Each renewal application from age 45 must normally be accompanied by a medical examination report signed by a doctor – known as a D4. However, during the last year, COVID has seen a relaxing of the rules by the Government meaning a D4 has not been needed to renew an HGV licence.
This change has been left open-ended, until further notice, but as restrictions start to ease, we anticipate a return to the rules requiring a D4 accompanying a licence application renewal – so watch this space, we will let you know!
It’s also worth remembering that drivers who have renewed their application in this way without a D4, now have a licence valid for only one year.
As things begin to return to some sort of normality, it’s worth taking some time to think about your next driver’s medical. D4Drivers provide a cost-effective, convenient medical, including an eye test, which in normal circumstances will be available at any one of our more than 80 clinics across the country.
Appointments can be made to suit you and include short-notice appointments, including weekends, with most drivers seen within one week. A D4Drivers medical involves one of our doctors examining you in line with D4 medical form requirements.
We will complete your eye test, take your blood pressure and record it, list on the form any medication you are taking and conduct a medical history questionnaire/examination. The driver checks the form to make sure all the information is correct and then sends it off to the DVLA who will make a decision on licensing and may request further information from your GP or specialist.
Current medical regulations mean that someone who obtains a category C (HGV) licence at age 20 will go a quarter of a century before needing to visit a doctor for another D4 medical, when they turn 45. Equally after 45 a group 2 driver medical is only needed once every 5 years until it becomes annual at 65.
We work with a number of individuals and companies who recognise that a professional driver should receive a regular health check more regularly. D4Drivers offer a D4 screening equivalent to the DVLA D4 medical and we recommend this is undertaken on an annual basis, the difference being that instead of sending the D4 medical form to DVLA our doctor will advise on whether the driver is currently reaching group 2 driver medical standard and we produce a certificate of fitness.
This can be booked as a pre-employment medical to group 2 standard through our online booking portal.