read these Delivery Driver
interview questions
Wondering how to become an HGV / Delivery Driver? HR GO Recruitment can you give you the insider knowledge to get you on your way!
If you’ve been applying for driving jobs and you get contacted back by one of the companies that you applied to, the next stage is the interview. To have the best chance of success, it’s important to prepare for the possible HGV driver interview questions and answers that they’re looking for in a candidate.
They’ll be expecting you to demonstrate a high quality of communication, so how you answer the interview questions and the content you include will be integral to your success. Multiple people will be interviewed on the same day as you, so it’s important you give great answers and stand out!
It’s likely that your interviewer will ask you a range of different questions, even if you mentioned it on your CV. You can also check out our HGV Driver CV template if you need an upgrade. You’ll likely face both competency based questions, operational questions, any role specific queries they may have and possibly behavioural questions to gauge how you would react to certain situations.
Competency & Operational Based Questions for Delivery Drivers
Question: How much experience do you have as a HGV Driver?
For this question, you’ll want to outline your experience driving HGV vehicles including what category of vehicles you’ve driven, (C1, C+E etc,) and how long you drove those vehicles. You should also outline any main responsibilities you had.
Answer: I’ve worked as a HGV driver for 5 years, during which time I’ve driven C1 and C+E category vehicles. During my time as a HGV driver, I’ve delivered goods on time, solved problems whilst on long haul journeys, safely loaded and unloaded goods, and carried out regular maintenance on my vehicles.
Question: Have you ever been involved in an accident on the roads? How important is safety?
For this question, honesty is the best policy. If you’ve been involved in any accidents you should explain what happened, and whose fault it was. You should talk about how safety is paramount when driving a HGV and anything you should look out for when on the road.
Answer: I’ve never been involved in any accidents whilst driving a HGV. Safety is the most important thing to consider when driving a vehicle, which is why focus is imperative. I always take extra care if the roads are wet or icy, as these can cause accidents much more easily than in normal conditions. Never going above the speed limit is important in preventing accidents.
Question: If you’re running late for a delivery, should you speed up to get there quicker?
This is a question some companies may ask to catch you out when it comes to road safety. They expect you to hold road safety to the highest standard, so would be disappointed if you said you would speed up to meet the expected delivery time.
Answer: No. By speeding up to meet the delivery expectations, I would be compromising road safety which could potentially cause an accident. It’s more responsible to continue driving at a safe speed and let both the employer and the customer know there will be a delay to the delivery.
Role Specific & Behavioural HGV / Delivery Driver Interview Questions
Question: How do you ensure a good quality of communication whilst on the road?
Communication is always important for a HGV driver, but some companies may ask you to expand on your experience with communication and the best way to communicate whilst on the road.
Answer: Communication is very important to make sure your supervisor or dispatcher as well as the client are aware of your progress and any potential delays to the delivery. I always make sure that I use the tools in my lorry (including radios etc) that allow me to make these constant updates to my supervisor. This allows everyone to know exactly what’s happening which can improve customer satisfaction.
Question: If tensions increase or a client begins to get angry and impatient with you, how do you deal with the situation?
With this question, the interviewer will want to determine how you react under pressure, especially if you’re facing aggression from a client. The important thing to establish with your answer is that you would remain calm and not retaliate with anger of your own.
Answer: I have experienced a client becoming angry and impatient on one occasion in the past, so I have some experience dealing with this issue. I always ensure I remain calm and communicate effectively with the client to find out what the issue is and how I can help them to resolve it. This should be balanced with finding a solution quickly due to other delivery time slots still needing to be met.
Question: What do you think your biggest weakness is as a HGV driver?
This is one of an interviewer’s favourite questions, so you should know how to answer. They’re interested in finding out how self aware you are, and whether you can take responsibility for your actions. You should answer truthfully and explain how you try and avoid it.
Answer: I feel like my biggest weakness is always wanting to meet deadlines. Although this is an important aspect of the job, I can become a little stressed when it comes to delays and other issues on the road. To overcome this I make sure to keep calm in these situations and ensure to communicate.
Conclusion
These HGV interview questions and answers should help you to be well prepared for your interview. The last thing to keep in mind is that the interviewer will almost always ask whether you have any questions for them, so it’s a good idea to prepare one or two before you go. These can include questions about company ethos, shift patterns as well as many others.
Learning how to become a HGV driver is a difficult task, but a career as a lorry driver can be rewarding and exciting, especially if you have a passion for driving or large goods vehicles.
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