More loads than drivers? Find out when to hire a truck driver, when to subcontract, and how to recruit the right HGV driver for your fleet.
Tristan Bacon — Updated 13 August 2026
More customer work is usually good news. But when your load volume starts growing faster than your available drivers, it creates another decision: do you hire a truck driver, or subcontract some of the additional work?
Hiring can make sense when demand is stable and you want to build permanent capacity into your fleet. But it also brings a longer-term commitment, from salary and employer costs to training, holiday cover and ongoing management.
If the extra work is seasonal, tied to a new contract or difficult to predict, subcontracting the loads to another haulage company can give you the capacity you need without immediately expanding your permanent fleet.
Before you start writing a truck driver job advert, work out which problem you’re actually trying to solve.
Fleets, bookings, subcontractors, compliance & payments.With HX, you can manage them all in one place.
There are two different capacity problems that can look similar at first.
If you have a suitable vehicle sitting unused because you don’t have anyone available to drive it, recruiting an HGV driver could be the obvious next move. For a shorter-term absence or temporary gap, an agency driver may also be an option.
But if all your vehicles and drivers are already working, another driver alone doesn’t create much additional capacity. You may need another vehicle as well — or another haulage company that can take the excess loads for you.
That distinction matters when you compare your options.
Neither model has to be permanent. Many haulage companies use a combination of their own fleet and subcontractors as demand changes.
Subcontracting is particularly useful when you know you need additional capacity, but you don’t yet know whether you’ll need it every week.
Buying permanent capacity for your busiest month can leave you carrying unnecessary costs during your quietest one.
If volumes rise around Christmas, retail peaks or another busy period, you can use subcontractors to manage seasonal demand rather than expanding your permanent operation to match a short-lived peak.
X2 UK uses this flexibility extensively. HX enables the company to move from around 500 loads a week to around 1,000 around Christmas without maintaining the permanent fleet needed to cover peak volumes all year.
A contract may look attractive on paper but behave differently once the freight starts moving.
Before adding another HGV and a truck driver, subcontracting can help you establish:
You can then make a hiring or fleet investment decision with actual operating data behind it.
Direct Connect Logistics took a similar measured approach to expansion. The business used HX to understand demand before investing in additional vehicles, including identifying demand for 18-tonne capacity before adding those trucks to its fleet.
Recruiting a HGV driver properly takes time. You have to advertise the role, screen candidates, complete checks, agree terms and potentially wait for a new employee’s notice period.
A customer who needs a load collected tomorrow won’t necessarily wait for that process.
Haulage Exchange gives members access to 10,000 haulage businesses and more than 60,000 vehicles across the network. The average posted load receives a quote in around four minutes, helping operators find additional capacity without relying only on their own fleet.
You can read more about how haulage companies find carriers quickly on HX.
You might also receive a profitable job that your own operation isn’t equipped to complete.
That could mean ADR-qualified haulage services, a HIAB, a Moffett, refrigerated equipment or another specialist vehicle.
Training a HGV driver or investing in new equipment can make sense if that work becomes regular. For occasional loads, it may be easier to find an operator that already has the necessary capability.
Chadkirk Transport takes this approach when its own fleet can’t cover a customer requirement. The team uses HX to find suitable subcontractors, including operators with ADR, HIAB and Moffett capabilities.
Subcontracting offers flexibility, but there comes a point where permanent capacity may make more commercial sense.
Hiring becomes more attractive when the work is predictable, recurring and likely to continue over the long term.
A permanent truck driver may also give you more control where:
Avoid comparing a subcontractor’s rate with a driver’s salary alone.
The real comparison should include the full cost of adding capacity in-house: pay, employer costs, pension contributions where applicable, holiday cover, recruitment, training and management, as well as the costs of acquiring and operating another vehicle if you need one.
You should also consider what happens when demand falls. Our guide to managing spare capacity in a haulage fleet covers ways to keep additional vehicles productive during quieter periods.
For customer-facing work, permanent truck drivers can have another advantage: familiarity. Drivers who regularly serve the same accounts can learn site procedures, build relationships and become part of the service customers associate with your business.
That’s particularly valuable when you’re trying to turn individual jobs into long-term haulage customer relationships.
If the commercial case stacks up, here’s how to hire properly.
Start with the work, not the person.
What vehicle will they drive? Where will they go? What shifts will they work? What freight will they handle?
Consider:
Your wider fleet management strategy should influence the role. Hiring a truck driver who is excellent at long-distance artic work won’t necessarily solve a requirement for local multi-drop rigid deliveries.
The more specific you are now, the easier the next stages become.
A useful job advert doesn’t simply generate applications. It helps unsuitable candidates decide not to apply.
Include the important details upfront:
Avoid relying on phrases such as “competitive salary”, “must be flexible” or “great opportunity”.
Experienced HGV drivers want to know what the job actually involves.
Once the advert is ready, use a mixture of logistics job boards, LinkedIn, your own website and referrals. Your existing HGV drivers can be particularly valuable here: good drivers often know other good drivers.
A quick initial screening can save both sides time.
Check whether the applicant has the correct licence category, relevant vehicle experience and a work history that suits your operation.
References are useful too. Ask recent employers about reliability, attendance and professionalism rather than simply confirming dates of employment.
For HGV driving roles, a practical assessment can also tell you more than a CV. Depending on the job, you might assess:
Then use the interview to understand how they actually approach the job.
Be equally open about your side of the relationship. Explain the shift patterns, vehicle standards, defect-reporting process, route expectations, pay structure and the way your transport office works.
A candidate finding out the reality of the job on day one is far more likely to become an early leaver.
Once you’ve identified the right candidate, verify their documents rather than relying solely on copies supplied during the application process.
Check that the licence includes the correct vehicle entitlement and review any relevant penalty points or disqualifications.
The DVLA’s online driving licence checking service lets you check another person’s driving record using a check code supplied by the driver.
Professional HGV drivers will normally need a valid Driver Certificate of Professional Competence.
Drivers can give an employer temporary access to their official training record, while our guide to HGV Driver CPC explains how the qualification and ongoing training requirements work.
You can also use the GOV.UK Driver CPC training service to view an employee’s record when they’ve supplied the required temporary password.
Where the vehicle and work are within scope, make sure the truck driver has the appropriate digital tachograph card. GOV.UK provides information on driver digital tachograph cards.
It’s also worth testing practical understanding rather than simply checking that a card exists. Our guides to HGV drivers’ hours and tachograph laws can help you review the key requirements.
Carry out the appropriate right-to-work check before employment begins.
Depending on the applicant, that could involve physical documents or the government’s online right-to-work checking service.
Category C drivers are subject to the stricter Group 2 medical standards used for lorry and bus licences. The DVLA requires medical assessments as part of initial Group 2 licensing and at specified renewals from age 45.
Rather than treating a D4 form as an ongoing employee certificate, confirm that the driver’s relevant licence entitlement is valid and have appropriate procedures for drivers to report medical conditions that may affect their ability to drive.
GOV.UK has further information on Group 2 medical requirements and the D4 medical report.
Finally, verify any specialist qualifications the job requires, such as ADR, HIAB or forklift certification.
Your offer should clearly set out pay, working hours, normal location, probation period, notice period and any relevant bonus or overtime arrangements.
Then make the first few shifts structured.
Introduce the driver to the transport team and explain:
Where possible, pair a new employee with an experienced driver for part of their initial onboarding.
Small misunderstandings about everyday processes can quickly become frustrations. Clear expectations from the beginning make it easier for the driver to settle in.
Recruitment isn’t finished when the employment contract is signed.
Replacing an experienced HGV driver means another round of advertising, screening, checks, onboarding and lost productivity, so retention deserves attention too.
Regularly speak to drivers about routes, shifts, vehicles and recurring problems. If someone repeatedly flags a defect, difficult delivery site or planning issue, responding quickly shows that feedback is taken seriously.
Training can also help drivers develop with the business. That could mean CPC training, specialist qualifications or progression onto different vehicle types.
Most importantly, make pay and bonus structures clear and manageable. A complicated incentive scheme that drivers don’t understand is unlikely to motivate anyone.
For a deeper look at this, see our guide to reducing HGV driver turnover.
The decision doesn’t have to be hiring or subcontracting forever.
Subcontracting can help you handle demand while you establish whether there’s enough work to justify another permanent driver and vehicle. Once volumes become predictable, you can bring more capacity in-house.
Equally, growing fleets can continue using subcontractors for peaks, specialist loads and work outside their usual coverage.
Chadkirk Transport is a good example. Its own operation has grown to more than 25 vehicles, but the company still uses HX when its fleet is full or a customer needs specialist capability.
Find reliable carriers and scale your capacity with Haulage Exchange
Advertise your loads to over 60,000 vetted subcontractors, and get quotes within 4 minutes.
Hiring generally makes more sense when you have consistent, profitable work that is expected to continue and enough vehicle capacity to support another driver. Subcontracting can be more flexible when demand is seasonal, uncertain, urgent or requires vehicles and qualifications you don’t currently have.
Check the driver’s licence and relevant entitlements, Driver CPC status, tachograph card where required, right to work and any specialist qualifications needed for the role. You should also verify references and consider a practical driving assessment.
Don’t look at salary alone. Your business case should account for employer costs, pension contributions where applicable, holiday cover, recruitment, onboarding, training and management. If another vehicle is required, include its finance or purchase cost, insurance, fuel, servicing, tyres and downtime too. Compare that all-in figure with what you currently spend subcontracting equivalent work.
Often, but check the terms you have agreed with your customer before doing so. Some contracts may place conditions on subcontracting or require approval. You also remain responsible for protecting the service standards and customer relationship associated with the work, so choose subcontractors carefully.
