HGV Driver Class 1
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
About the role
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A job where you are in the driving seat!
As the face of Tesco out on the road, our HGV drivers get the opportunity to meet and talk to different colleagues at stores. That’s why this role is about much more than just driving: it's about helping others and delivering great service, with a smile.
No two shifts are ever the same, for most of the day you’ll feel like your own boss, out on the road delivering to our stores, but there is always a team of managers and colleagues back at the distribution centre ready to support you when you need them.
You’ll meet great people, learn new things and be part of a specialist, diverse team, where everyone is welcome.
Whether you are looking for stability or flexibility to suit your lifestyle, or the opportunity to progress your career, this can be the role for you.
What is in it for you
- Paid breaksÂ
- Holiday starting at 20 days plus a personal day rising to 22 days after 12 months (plus Bank holidays)
- Request flexible working from day one
- Get 10% off and 15% at pay day weekends – save up to £2,000 a year with your Colleague Clubcard with an additional card to share with family outside your home
- Access to free wellbeing services with a range of resources to support your mind, body, and life
- Life cover of five times your pay and an award-winning pension with matching contributions up to 7.5%
- Benefits to suit you, choose what you use – from discounts and shares to cycle to work schemes
- Uniform provided and policies to support you for all of life’s moments, big and small
- Access to our colleague networks providing a space for colleagues to come together from a range of backgrounds. For more information about our colleague networks please click here.Â
- Click here to read more about the benefits we have available for our colleagues
You will be responsible for
- Professionally representing the Tesco brand whilst on UK roads
- Ensuring our products reach our stores on time and in good condition
- Being out on the road but also working collaboratively with colleagues and representing Tesco to everyone you meet
- Driving safely, responsibly and within the law
- Collecting as well as delivering, supporting your distribution centre by moving trailers and keeping vehicles fuelled
You will need
- To be passionate about delivering great customer service
- Friendly, approachable and reliable
- Able to adhere to WTD and EU Drivers Hours
- To become a Tesco Driver, you'll need a full HGV 1 (C+E) EU license with no more than six penalty points, needs a valid DQC and a Driver Card.
Should you be successful in your application, your offer will be subject to and conditional upon you providing your bank account details before your agreed start date.
About us
Our vision here at Tesco is to become every customer's favourite way to shop, whether they are at home or out on the move. Our core purpose is ‘Serving Britain's shoppers a little better every day’. Our business was built with a simple mission – to be the champion for customers, helping them to enjoy a better quality of life and an easier way of living. This hasn't changed. Customers want great products at great value which they can buy easily and it's our job to deliver this in the right way for them. In the UK, we serve some 66 shoppers every second, so it's our goal to ensure every one of those customers experiences just a little better service on each visit.
At Tesco, inclusion means that Everyone’s Welcome. Everyone is treated fairly and with respect; by valuing individuality and uniqueness we create a sense of belonging. Diversity and inclusion have always been at the heart of Tesco. It is embedded in our values: we treat people how they want to be treated. We always want our colleagues to feel they can be themselves at work and we are committed to helping them be at their best. Across the Tesco group we are building an inclusive workplace, a place to actively celebrate the cultures, personalities and preferences of our colleagues – who in turn help to build the success of our business and reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.
We know life looks a little different for each of us. That’s why at Tesco, we always welcome chats about flexible working. Some people are at the start of their careers, some want the freedom to do the things they love. Others are going through life-changing moments like becoming a carer, nearing retirement, adapting to parenthood, or something else. So, talk to us throughout your application about how we can support.
We’re proud to have been accredited Disability Confident Leader and we’re committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. For further information on the accessibility support we can offer, please click here.
Please note
Tesco will only recruit individuals who have passed the school leaver’s age. To find out the school leavers age for your country please click here
We can only accept candidates over the age of 18 if the role requires working before 6:15 am or after 9:45 pm or involves working in areas such as the warehouse, beers, wines & spirits, counters, bakery and driving roles.
On the occasions where we have high volumes of applicants, some roles may close earlier than the advertised end date in order for us to manage all of the applicants appropriately. We will only be able to offer individual feedback to those candidates who attend an interview.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Lead your CV with your HGV Class 1 (C+E) licence details, DQC expiry date and Driver Card number — the advert lists these as hard requirements and recruiters screen for them first.
📊 Quantify your driving experience: e.g. 'Completed 8-10 multi-drop deliveries per shift across 12 store locations, maintaining 99% on-time delivery rate over 3 years'.
🎯 Explicitly state your current penalty points total (e.g. '0 penalty points') in your Personal Statement — the advert specifies a maximum of six, so addressing this upfront removes a screening barrier.
🌐 Highlight WTD and EU Drivers Hours compliance experience with a concrete example, such as 'Maintained full tachograph compliance across 200+ shifts with zero infringements'.
🤝 Include a line about representing an employer brand on the road — Tesco emphasises the customer-facing nature of the role, so mention any experience as a brand ambassador or customer-service-focused driver.
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Completed an average of 9 multi-drop deliveries per shift across 14 store locations, achieving 98% on-time delivery over 2 years with zero tachograph infringements.
- •Managed daily trailer coupling, vehicle fuelling and walk-around inspections at a 50-vehicle distribution centre, reducing pre-shift defect reports by 20% through consistent checks.
- •Maintained full EU Drivers Hours and WTD compliance across 400+ shifts, passing 3 consecutive DVSA roadside checks with no prohibitions or fixed penalties.
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
Your cover letter is ready
We've drafted a cover letter for Tesco. Preview the opening, then unlock the full personalised version.
Letter preview — tailored to Tesco
Dear Hiring Manager,
Tesco's reputation for reliable, customer-focused store delivery is exactly the environment in which I want to apply my HGV Class 1 (C+E) licence and Driver CPC qualification. Having maintained full EU Drivers Hours and WTD compliance throughout my driving career, I understand that safe, on-time delivery is as much about professionalism on the road as it is about technical skill behind the wheel.
My background in multi-drop HGV delivery has equipped me with strong trailer-handling experience, a disciplined approach to vehicle checks, and the ability to represent an employer's brand positively at every store visit. I hold a current DQC and Driver Card with zero penalty points, and I am comfortable working both independently on route and collaboratively with distribution centre colleagues.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›Walk me through your daily vehicle walk-around check procedure before starting a shift.
- ›How do you ensure you remain compliant with EU Drivers Hours rules during a long shift?
- ›What steps do you take when coupling and uncoupling a trailer at a distribution centre?
- ›Describe how you would handle a tachograph discrepancy discovered mid-route.
- ›What actions do you take if your vehicle develops a fault while out on delivery?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you had to manage a tight delivery schedule and how you prioritised your drops.
- ›Describe a situation where you had to deal with a difficult interaction at a store and how you handled it.
- ›Give an example of when you identified a safety risk on the road and what you did about it.
- ›Tell me about a time you worked as part of a distribution team to solve an operational problem.
- ›Describe a situation where you had to adapt quickly to a change in your delivery route or schedule.
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you had to manage a tight delivery schedule and how you prioritised your drops.
Give an example of when you identified a safety risk on the road and what you did about it.