PCV Theory Test Study Guide 2026

The theory test for lorry and bus drivers

The lorry (LGV) and bus or coach (PCV) theory test is also Driver CPC part 1. It has two parts, which you book separately. You can take them on the same day, in either order.

• You can flag questions and change answers in the multiple-choice part.
• Each hazard perception clip has at least one developing hazard (one clip has two). You score up to 5 points per hazard. Clicking constantly or in a pattern scores nothing.
• You must pass both parts within 2 years of each other. The certificate lasts 2 years from your first pass.
• Within that time, you must pass the Driver CPC part 3a (off-road) and part 3b (on-road) driving tests.
• If you fail, you can rebook straight away, but you must wait 3 clear working days.
• Bring a GB photocard licence (or a Northern Ireland or EU photocard licence). Without a photocard, bring your paper licence and a valid passport.

To book, you need provisional lorry or bus entitlement, which needs a D4 medical report. Revise with The Highway Code, Know your traffic signs and the DVSA guide for your vehicle type. GOV.UK has a free practice test on the same topics. After you qualify, you keep your Driver CPC with 35 hours of periodic training every 5 years, and you carry your Driver Qualification Card when driving professionally.

Bus and coach licence categories

Revise with The Highway Code, Know your traffic signs and the DVSA Guide to Driving Buses and Coaches.

Drivers' hours for buses and coaches

Which rules you follow depends on the number of passenger seats, the route length and the type of service.

GB domestic rules for passenger vehicles

• Drive no more than 10 hours in a working day.
• The spread-over from start to finish of work is no more than 16 hours.
• If your working day is under 8 hours 30 minutes, take a break of at least 30 minutes after 5 hours 30 minutes of driving.
• If it is 8 hours 30 minutes or more, either take that break, or take at least 45 minutes off driving in the first 8 hours 30 minutes, followed by a break of at least 30 minutes.
• Take at least 10 hours of rest between working days. This can be cut to 8 hours 30 minutes up to 3 times a week.
• Take at least one 24-hour period off duty every 2 weeks. The working week runs Monday to Sunday.
• If you drive less than 4 hours every day in a week, the rules do not apply that week.
• Overnight shifts follow the rules in force on the day the shift began. Emergencies are exempt while you deal with them.

Under the assimilated rules, coach drivers follow the same limits as lorry drivers: 9 hours of daily driving, 45 minutes of break after 4 hours 30 minutes, 11 hours of daily rest and 45 hours of weekly rest. On an international coach trip, the weekly rest can start after up to 12 consecutive 24-hour periods. Driving under these rules is recorded on a tachograph.

Speed limits and lanes

Built-up areas have a limit of 30 mph in England and Scotland and 20 mph in Wales, unless signs show otherwise. Under rule 265, passenger vehicles over 7.5 tonnes built to carry more than 8 passengers must not use the right-hand lane of a motorway with three or more lanes, except in the cases listed in the Code.

Other drivers should give way to buses signalling to pull out from stops when it is safe (rule 223), and must not stop or park at or near bus stops (rule 243). Bus lane signs show their hours and which other vehicles may use them (rule 141).

Caring for passengers

The PSV conduct regulations say drivers must take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of passengers who are on, getting on or getting off the vehicle. Passengers must not distract the driver or talk to them while driving, except in an emergency, for safety or to ask the bus to stop.

• Stop close to the kerb so people do not have to step into the road.
• Before moving off, check that the doors are closed and use your mirrors to make sure no one is boarding, running for the bus or close to it.
• Give older passengers and people with reduced mobility time to sit down or hold on before you move.
• Brake and accelerate smoothly. Standing passengers can easily fall.
• For wheelchair users, lower the bus or use the ramp, and make sure the wheelchair is safely in the wheelchair space before you move.
• Keep gangways and emergency exits clear, and store luggage in the hold or racks.
• Do not let passengers stand forward of the marked line near the front.

Seat belts on coaches

Where seat belts are fitted, passengers aged 14 and over must wear them. Passengers must be told to wear them, for example by an announcement, a video, or signs at each seat.

Difficult situations

If a passenger becomes aggressive, stay calm, stop when it is safe and contact your control room or the police. If a passenger falls or is hurt, stop safely, help or get help and report it. Follow your company procedure for lost children and lost property.

Driving a large passenger vehicle

• Know your vehicle's height. On a double-deck bus, watch for low bridges and overhanging trees.
• When pulling away on a bend, watch the rear for tail swing.
• When turning, the rear wheels cut in, so you may need extra road space (rule 221).
• Approach busy stops slowly. People at the kerb can be hit by the bus or its nearside mirror.
• Check that doors, exits and safety equipment work during your daily walkaround. Do not drive a bus with faulty doors.
• Bus and coach tyres need at least 1 mm of tread across three-quarters of the breadth, all the way round.

Emergencies

• If a fire starts, stop in a safe place, switch off the engine and get everyone off quickly and away from the vehicle.
• On a motorway with a hard shoulder, get passengers out on the side away from traffic and wait behind the barrier.
• If your bus stops in a live lane, use hazard lights and move people to a safe place if it is safe to do so.
• After a collision, if details are not exchanged, report it to the police as soon as possible and within 24 hours.

The drink-drive limit for bus and coach drivers is the same as for other drivers: 80 mg per 100 ml of blood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 50 mg in Scotland. Rule H1 reminds you that drivers of large vehicles carry a greater responsibility to keep others safe.

Key numbers at a glance

A simple study plan

1. Read this guide once from start to finish, without trying to memorise everything.
2. Read the matching chapters of the DVSA Guide to Driving Buses and Coaches. Mark every number, limit and time you find.
3. Take the first practice test. Write down each question you get wrong and look up the rule.
4. Make a one-page list of key numbers, and test yourself on it every day.
5. Take the other practice tests until you score at least 80% every time.
6. Finish with the mock exam, timed if the real test is timed.

Short, regular study works better than one long session. Twenty or thirty minutes a day for two weeks will help you remember more than one long night before the test. Read each question to the end before you look at the answers, and watch for words like minimum, maximum, before and after.