C+E Licence: £4k Well Spent or Total Waste?💷(UK Class 1 HGV Deep Dive)

Is a C+E / Class 1 HGV licence really worth it – or are you about to drop £4k and your social life on a 60-hour mistake? If you’ve just typed “is C+E worth it” or “is it worth getting my Class 1 lorry licence” into Google, this video is for you. I’m a working UK Class 1 driver, and in this one I’m not trying to sell you a course – I’m walking you through the real trade-offs: money, hours, family life, stress and whether you’ll actually enjoy the job after the novelty wears off. We’ll flip the question around and ask: Who is a C+E licence probably not worth it for? Because that’s often the easier (and more honest) way to look at it. What’s in this video In this video we cover: 💷 Money vs time – why Class 1 can take you from minimum wage to £60k… but at the cost of your time and social life. 🕒 Reality of the hours – why 50–60 hour weeks are normal and how that actually feels two years in. 🧑‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family & social life – eating with the kids, seeing your mates, going to the footy… what really survives once you go Class 1. 🌍 Location & employer – why HGV pay is wildly sensitive to where you live and who you work for. ✅ Who usually sticks with C+E – and who tends to bail before the two-year mark. Who this video is for This will be useful if you’re: Thinking about paying for Class 1 / C+E training out of your own pocket. A Class 2 driver wondering if the jump to Class 1 is worth the hassle. In a boring office job daydreaming about big trucks and big wages. A new or aspiring driver trying to work out if the sacrifice is worth it for you and your family. Want to dive deeper into HGV pay? I’ve already made videos looking at HGV wages by UK region and how Class 1 vs Class 2 pay compares. If you’re serious about going C+E, watch those next – some of the numbers might surprise you. Join the conversation Drop a comment: Are you glad you didn’t bail in your first two years? Or did you try Class 1 and decide it wasn’t worth it? Your stories really help people who are on the fence. 👍 If this helped, hit Like – it genuinely tells YouTube this was worth showing to other new drivers. 📩 Subscribe if you want more honest, slightly sarcastic UK HGV content instead of glossy recruitment brochure nonsense. Thanks for watching – and good luck deciding if Class 1 is worth it for you. #HGV #Class1HGV #CplusE #HGVTraining #TruckDriverUK #NewHGVDriver #LorryDriver