Do you meet the minimum requirements to become a lorry driver? This is a profession that requires a specific licence and special skills. Driving this type of vehicle is a complex and responsible task.

To begin with, it is necessary to be of legal age, not to be deprived of the right to drive, to have a positive medical certificate and a class B driving licence. If you meet these requirements, you are eligible to obtain a lorry driving licence. As stated in the General Regulations for Drivers, to be a lorry driver you need one of the following licences: C1, C, C1+E or C+E.

To do so, it is necessary to pass the relevant exam, both theoretical and practical, in which manoeuvres are carried out in a closed circuit and driving in real traffic. 

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It is also necessary to take a course of 140 hours and pass an exam to obtain the Certificate of Professional Aptitude (CAP). Firstly, the initial exam must be taken, and then the continuous training exam, which is aimed at active lorries and must be renewed every five years. 

However, the requirements vary depending on the licence:

For the C1: it can be obtained from the age of 18 and you can drive lorries with a Maximum Authorised Mass (MMA) of over 3,500 kg and up to 7,500 kg. No more than 8 passengers in addition to the driver may be carried. A trailer with a maximum authorised mass not exceeding 750 kg may be carried. A class B licence is required.
C1+E: entitles you to drive combinations of coupled vehicles consisting of a tractor vehicle authorised to drive a class C1 licence and a trailer or semi-trailer with a maximum authorised mass exceeding 750 kg, provided that the maximum authorised mass of the combination thus formed does not exceed 12 000 kg. The minimum age is 18 years.
For C: you must be 21 years old and may drive lorries with a maximum authorised mass exceeding 3500 kg which are designed and constructed for the carriage of not more than eight passengers in addition to the driver. Such vehicles may have a trailer with a maximum authorised mass not exceeding 750 kg attached. A class B licence is required. 
The latest changes introduced by the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), which are already in force, state that the minimum age for the C licence will be 18 years old for holders of the certificate of professional aptitude (CAP) who have obtained it through the ordinary initial qualification of 280 hours duration.

C+E: authorises to drive combinations of coupled vehicles consisting of a tractor vehicle authorised to drive a class C licence and a trailer or semi-trailer with a maximum authorised mass exceeding 750 kg, without prejudice to the provisions laid down for these vehicles in the type-approval regulations. The minimum age for obtaining such a licence is 21 years.
Here, it is also included that the minimum age is 18 years old for holders of the certificate of professional aptitude (CAP) who have obtained it through the ordinary initial qualification modality. 

The aim of these new features is to facilitate young people's access to the freight transport labour market. 

However, in addition to the regulatory requirements, there are others that must be taken into account. A lorry driver must be able to cope well with working alone, be responsible when driving, have a high capacity for concentration and lead a healthy life, as this is a very sedentary job.