What Exactly is the Difference Between HGV and LGV?
Manchester Medicals provides medical examinations and tests for a number of different professions including HGV medicals, LGV medicals, pilot medicals, cabin crew medicals and much more.
In the UK, the terms HGV and LGV are often interchangeable, however HGV stands for heavy goods vehicles and LGV actually stands for large goods vehicles.
The confusion between the two terms arises from this interchangeableness, with many people believing that LGV stands for light goods vehicles.
The reality is however, both are covered under one licence in the UK and European Law.
The licence covers all commercial trucks that feature a maximum mass of over 3500Kg.
So What Type of Medical Do You Need for HGV and LGV Licenses?
The LGV medical and HGV medical are both the same. You need to pass two different stages of a medical examination to be deemed fit for the road.
These examinations are put in place to ensure that you are safe to drive and not a danger to yourself or any other driver on the road.
So, what are these two stages?
The Initial Examination
The initial stage of the LGV medical and the HGV medical consists of a face to face interview with the candidate. At this interview, the candidate will be asked to disclose any medical conditions or treatments that they have had prior to the interview.
The candidate is expected to disclose all of their past illnesses and treatments regardless of whether they feel they are important or not, as they may well have an impact on the candidate’s ability to drive safely.
If a candidate fails to disclose this sort of information and there is a problem further down the line such as an accident on the road, they could find themselves seriously at fault and charged with criminal negligence.
The Second Physical Examination
The second part of the examination consists of a physical examination. At this point of the LGV medical or HGV medical, the candidate will be fully examined by the Doctor to check that they are in physical condition suitable for the road.
This may consist of an eye sight test, reflex testes and other types of physical examination such as a cardiac test.
This part of the examination is to highlight any potential physical risks that a candidate could have such as poor hand eye coordination, bad eye sight, slow reflexes etc.
If the candidate passes all of these tests, then and only then they will be deemed fit enough to drive either a HGV or LGV
Who Can Carry Out The LGV Medical and HGV Medical?
The LGV medical and HGV medical can be carried out by any registered Doctor. However, if you are getting this examination you may be waiting a while.
Instead you may want to go private for your LGV medical and use a company such as Manchester Medicals.
Contact Your Provider of the LGV Medical Today
Contact Manchester Medicals– your provider of the LGV medical today to book an appointment at a time that suits you for your full medical.