Enter your hourly rate, the hours you work and any overtime to see your gross HGV driver pay and what you take home after Income Tax and National Insurance — whether you're Class 1, Class 2 or on a night trunk run.
Hourly rate · weekly hours · overtime
HGV (lorry) drivers are usually paid an hourly rate with overtime once they pass their basic contracted hours, though some firms pay a fixed annual salary. Class 1 (articulated, category C+E) drivers earn more than Class 2 (rigid, category C), and night, weekend and tramping (away-from-home) work attracts premium rates. After the driver shortage of recent years, rates rose sharply, with experienced Class 1 drivers commonly on £15–£20 an hour.
| Role | Typical hourly rate 2026 |
|---|---|
| Class 2 (rigid) day work | £13–£16 |
| Class 1 (artic) day work | £15–£19 |
| Class 1 nights / trunking | £17–£22 |
| Class 1 tramping / weekend | £18–£24 |
Many HGV firms pay a tax-free night-out (subsistence) allowance when you sleep in the cab away from home, under HMRC's approved scale. That cash isn't taxed and isn't shown here, so your real take-home on a tramping job can be higher than the figure above. Compare your pay with other hourly work on the hourly wage calculator or model overtime on the overtime calculator.
Experienced Class 1 drivers commonly earn £15–£20 an hour, often more for nights, weekends or tramping work, which works out at roughly £35,000–£48,000 a year with overtime. Class 2 rigid drivers typically earn a little less.
No — the subsistence (night-out) allowance paid when you sleep in the cab away from home is tax-free up to HMRC's approved scale rate, so it does not appear in your taxable pay and boosts your real take-home on tramping jobs.
Overtime is taxed as normal earnings at your marginal Income Tax and National Insurance rate. Because it stacks on top of your basic pay, the tax on each overtime pound can be higher than on your standard hours.
It assumes you are paid for all 52 weeks at the rate and hours you enter, which broadly covers paid holiday for salaried and most agency drivers. If you are not paid for some weeks, reduce the weeks accordingly by lowering your hours.
