HGVMETA reveals he took home £54,267 after tax in one year as an agency lorry driver

How much can an HGV driver really earn? UK lorry driver and YouTuber HGV Meta has answered that question with his own bank balance, breaking down a full year of weekly take-home pay as an agency driver. His total: £54,267.26 after tax.

That figure isn't gross pay or a "potential earnings" estimate. It is the money that actually reached his account, after tax, across a year with job changes, cancelled shifts and weeks where he didn't work at all.

Not a year without a life

HGV Meta is keen to stress that the number didn't come from working every day. He says he never slept in his truck once during the year, went home to his own bed every night, and had 38 days off - not counting Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Compared to your average 25 days off...

Some weeks he worked six shifts. Others he worked one or two, and some weeks nothing at all.

Best weeks and worst weeks

His weekly chart shows why agency pay can look scary at first. His best weeks came in at over £1,300, with some reaching £1,400. His worst were around £173, £193 and £275.

Same year, same driver, still agency. You cannot judge agency off one bad week.

His advice is to look at the average across the year, not individual weeks.

Where the money came from

Iceland GXO via agency (Enfield): Most of his year was spent here, and he recommends it for new drivers. There's consistent work, lots of overtime and competitive rates, and the store reversing is "the hardest you'll have to do". He says he only had about five shifts cancelled there all year.

FTS: Easy work but poor money, and the reason for some of his lower weeks around August and September.

Menzies, via agency: After another agency let him down, Best Connections found him a week of night-time, two-driver work in under 24 hours.

GIST Full Time: A short spell on a full-time contract. He praises the store staff and canteen, but says there wasn't enough overtime and he didn't like switching between artic and rigid lorries. Even full-time, he was taking home only around £1,000 a week there.

Sainsbury's GXO via agency(nights): His last three months of the year, and his strongest earning period. The work was nearer home, which meant less fuel and less tiredness.

The hidden cost: travel

HGV Meta warns new drivers that the drive to work matters. His Iceland depot was 25 miles each way, and fuel "eats heavily" into earnings. His rule of thumb is to aim for no more than half an hour each way.

Thinking about getting started?

His video also features HGV Academy , who can help you get your hgv license in no time. Use code HGVMETA to get £250 off your course quote. For a realistic picture of starting pay, see HGV Academy's HGV driver salary guide: new drivers typically start on £30k-£50k*, and experienced drivers earn £50k+ with overtime.

*Depends on your location across the UK