Night Trunking Explained for HGV Drivers

Night trunking, or just trunking, is one of the most sought-after patterns in HGV work. It is steady, motorway-heavy driving with little or no handball, usually running at night when the roads are quiet. For a lot of Class 1 drivers it is the ideal job: good money, minimal hassle, and long stretches of open road. Here is how it works.

What trunking actually is

A trunk run is a shuttle. You take a loaded trailer from one point to another, usually between distribution centres, depots, ports or transport hubs, then either bring a different trailer back or run empty. It is sometimes described as hub-to-hub work. The trailers are pre-loaded, so you are rarely touching freight yourself. Your job is to couple up, drive the leg, and drop the trailer at the far end.

Trunking is almost always Class 1 (Category C+E) artic work, because the whole point is moving full trailer loads efficiently. A classic trunk pattern is a there-and-back run: you drive out to a partner depot, swap trailers, and drive home, all in one shift. Others do a single leg and are relieved by another driver at the far end in a system sometimes called a double-man or relay.

Why it is often done at night

Trunking runs at night for a simple reason: the freight network moves stock overnight so it is on the shelves for the next trading day. Goods leave the national distribution centre in the evening, trunk to regional hubs overnight, and are broken down for local multidrop delivery in the morning. Night trunk drivers are the link in that chain.

The upside for the driver is the roads. Motorways at 1am are a different world from the daytime grind. Less traffic, fewer roadworks in flow, easier reversing at quiet yards, and far less stress. Many drivers who have done both say a night trunk run is the most relaxed driving in the industry once you are used to the hours.

The pay premium

Night work pays more, and trunking is at the well-paid end of Class 1. Agency Class 1 rates in 2025 to 2026 run roughly £18 to £24 an hour, and night trunk work often sits toward the top of that, sometimes with a specific night premium on top of the base rate. Permanent night-trunk roles frequently pay in the £45,000 to £55,000 bracket, above general Class 1 day work, precisely because employers need reliable drivers willing to work unsociable hours.

Because the work is trailer-swap based with little handball, the physical demands are low compared with multidrop. You are being paid a premium for the hours and the responsibility, not for lifting.

The health side of nights

The catch with night trunking is your body clock. Working nights long-term goes against your natural rhythm, and it takes discipline to stay healthy and alert. This is not a minor point; tiredness at the wheel of a 44-tonne vehicle is a serious safety issue, and the drivers hours rules on breaks and rest exist partly to manage it.

Drivers who thrive on nights tend to protect their sleep hard. That means a dark, quiet, cool room in the day, blackout blinds, a consistent sleep routine even on days off where possible, and being firm with family about not being disturbed. Eating well is harder at night, so many plan proper meals rather than living on service-station food and energy drinks. Caffeine helps but stacked late in a shift it wrecks your daytime sleep, so timing it matters.

The drivers hours rules apply exactly as they do in the day: up to 9 hours driving (10 twice a week), a 45-minute break after 4.5 hours, and proper daily and weekly rest. On nights, taking those breaks properly is even more important because fatigue builds faster.

Who night trunking suits

Night trunking is a great fit for drivers who want strong Class 1 money, prefer quiet roads to daytime traffic, do not want the handball of multidrop, and can genuinely cope with living on a night schedule. It is popular with experienced drivers who value a steady, low-drama shift and are happy to trade sociable hours for better pay and an easier drive.

It is a poor fit if you struggle to sleep in the day, if your home life makes daytime rest impossible, or if nights leave you wiped out. If you have never worked nights, it is worth trying a short stint before committing, because people react to it very differently. Get the sleep routine right, though, and night trunking is one of the best jobs a Class 1 driver can hold.