What is the difference between a Code 10 and a Code 14 licence?

They are the everyday names for heavy vehicle licence codes. “Code 10” usually means C1, which covers rigid goods vehicles heavier than a light vehicle up to about 16,000 kg gross vehicle mass, and is often extended to EC1 when a trailer is added. “Code 14” means EC, the code for articulated vehicles and heavy combinations such as a truck-tractor with a semi-trailer or an interlink. Most long-distance freight moves on EC. Check the exact category printed on your licence card, because employers read the code on the card, not the nickname, and some want a specific combination.

What is a PrDP and do I need one to drive a truck?

A Professional Driving Permit (PrDP) is required, in addition to your driving licence, for drivers of goods vehicles above the light vehicle mass, of vehicles carrying passengers for reward, and of vehicles carrying dangerous goods. There are three categories: G for goods, P for passengers, and D for dangerous goods, which you can only get on top of G or P. A PrDP is valid for two years. To renew it you apply at a driving licence testing centre, and you need a medical certificate. Driving a truck without a valid PrDP exposes you and the operator to fines and can void insurance cover.

How do I get my first truck driving job without experience?

Most transport companies want experience on the code they operate, which makes the first job the hardest. Common routes in are: driving smaller rigid trucks on local deliveries before moving to Code 14; working as a driver’s assistant and learning the routes, loading and paperwork; and joining a company that runs a driver development or learnership programme, sometimes supported by a SETA. When you apply, show a clean licence record, a valid PrDP, reliability in whatever job you have now, and willingness to work nights, weekends and away from home. Be wary of anyone who asks you to pay for a job or a guaranteed placement.

How is truck driver pay set in South Africa?

Road freight has a bargaining council, the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry, whose main agreement sets minimum wages and conditions by job grade for employers it covers, including rules on hours, overtime and allowances for nights away. The national minimum wage is the floor for everyone and is reviewed every year, usually from 1 March. We do not quote amounts because they change. Ask the employer whether it falls under the council, which grade you will be on, how overtime and subsistence allowances are paid, and check the current rates with the council or the Department of Employment and Labour.

What do I need for cross-border truck driving?

Cross-border routes into Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia and beyond need more than a Code 14 and a PrDP. You need a valid passport with enough pages, and the operator needs cross-border permits for the vehicle through the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency. Some destinations require visas, and routes through several countries mean several sets of customs paperwork. Expect long waits at busy borders such as Beitbridge, and ask the employer how waiting time, meals and nights away are paid. Employers usually want experienced drivers for cross-border work, because a mistake at a border can hold a load for days.

Truck Driver Jobs in South Africa: Code 10, Code 14, PrDP and Cross-Border Work

Most of what South Africa buys and sells moves by road. Fuel, groceries, cement, steel, fruit for export, containers from Durban harbour and coal to Richards Bay all ride on trucks along the N3, the N1, the N4 and hundreds of regional roads. That keeps truck drivers in demand in every province, from local delivery runs in Joburg to interlinks crossing into Zimbabwe.

It is also a job with more paperwork and more responsibility than it looks. The code on your licence decides which vehicles you may drive, your Professional Driving Permit must be valid on the day, and a single careless trip can end a career. This guide covers the codes, the PrDP, the kinds of driving jobs, how pay and hours are set, and how to present yourself to a transport manager.

Truck licence codes in South Africa: Code 8, Code 10 and Code 14

Drivers and adverts use the old nicknames; the licence card uses the current categories. Know both.

Common licence categories for goods vehicles. The category printed on your card is what counts; confirm details at a driving licence testing centre.
Card category	What people call it	Typical vehicles
B	Code 8	Cars, bakkies and light delivery vehicles up to 3,500 kg GVM
EB	Code 8 with trailer	Light vehicle with a heavier trailer
C1	Code 10	Rigid trucks above 3,500 kg up to 16,000 kg GVM: local distribution, removal trucks, tippers
C	Heavy rigid	Rigid trucks above 16,000 kg GVM
EC1	Code 10 with trailer	C1 trucks drawing a heavy trailer
EC	Code 14	Articulated vehicles and heavy combinations: truck-tractor with semi-trailer, interlinks, tankers

A higher code generally covers the lower goods codes, but check what your card says and ask a licensing centre if you are unsure. Your licence card must be renewed every five years; an expired card means you are not licensed to drive, whatever your experience.

The Professional Driving Permit (PrDP)

On top of your licence, you need a Professional Driving Permit to drive goods vehicles above the light vehicle class, passenger vehicles for reward, or vehicles carrying dangerous goods.

PrDP G (goods): the one almost every truck driver needs.
PrDP P (passengers): buses, minibus taxis and staff transport.
PrDP D (dangerous goods): fuel, gas, chemicals. Only available on top of G or P, and employers will also want specific dangerous goods training.

A PrDP is valid for two years. You apply or renew at a driving licence testing centre, and you need a medical certificate. Put your renewal date in your phone well in advance: queues and system delays at licensing centres are common, and driving on an expired PrDP is an offence that no transport manager will overlook.

Kinds of truck driving jobs

Local distribution

Delivering to shops, sites and depots within a city: Code 10 rigids, multiple drops a day, back home at night. Good for building experience. You deal with customers, paperwork and offloading, often with an assistant.

Long-distance and linehaul

Code 14 interlinks and tautliners between Gauteng, Durban, Cape Town, Gqeberha and Polokwane. Nights away, sleeper cabs, set rest stops and tight delivery windows. This is where most freight jobs are and where experience is expected.

Tankers and dangerous goods

Fuel, gas and chemical transport with PrDP D, extra training and strict procedures for loading, offloading and emergencies. Operators are selective, and the responsibility is high.

Construction and mining

Tippers, concrete mixers and haul trucks on sites and at mines. Shorter distances, rougher roads and site rules on top of road rules. Mines often want their own medicals and inductions.

Cross-border

Routes into Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia and further. You need a valid passport and patience at borders; the operator needs cross-border permits through the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency. Usually for experienced drivers.

Let transport operators find you

Create a free Hirovo profile, add truck driving to your skills, list your licence code and PrDP, and set the area you work from. Employers who post nearby can message you in the app.

Create a free profile →

How to get your first truck driving job

Almost every advert asks for experience, and that makes the first job the hardest one. Drivers usually get in through one of these routes:

Start smaller. A Code 10 job on local distribution, or a Code 8 job driving a light delivery vehicle, builds a record that a linehaul operator will take seriously.
Start as a driver’s assistant. You learn loading, securing, paperwork, routes and customers, and you get to know the transport manager who will decide who drives next.
Look for development programmes. Some transport companies run learnerships or driver development programmes, sometimes with support from the Transport Education Training Authority (TETA). Ask the company directly rather than paying a third party who claims to place you.
Move inside a company. Warehouse staff and forklift operators at logistics companies are sometimes trained up as drivers when a post opens.

When you get your Code 14, do not rush onto the biggest combination. Many operators want new drivers to prove themselves on shorter routes first, and a clean first year matters more than a long first trip. Expect an assessment drive and a medical, and expect the employer to check your licence and PrDP with the issuing authority.

Driver training schools are private businesses. Before you pay for lessons towards a heavy code, check that the school is registered, what vehicle you will be tested in, and how many hours of real driving you get. A school cannot guarantee you a job afterwards.

Truck driver pay, hours and allowances

Road freight has its own bargaining council, the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry. For employers it covers, the council’s agreement sets minimum wages by grade and rules on hours, overtime, night-out and meal allowances. The national minimum wage is the floor for all workers; it is reviewed every year, usually from 1 March. Figures change, so we do not print them here; ask the council or the Department of Employment and Labour for the current tables.

When you compare offers, look past the basic rate:

Grade and code. Code 14 grades are paid differently from Code 10. Make sure the contract names your grade.
Overtime and waiting time. Long days at depots and borders are normal. How are they counted?
Allowances for nights away. Are meals and overnight costs paid as an allowance, and is it in writing?
Incentives and deductions. Fuel-efficiency or trip bonuses are common; so are deductions for damage or fines. Deductions must follow the law and your contract; they cannot be taken at the employer’s discretion. Our guide to employee rights in South Africa explains the basics.
UIF and COIDA. As an employee you should be registered for UIF and covered under COIDA for injuries on duty.

Safety on the road: fatigue, hijacking and the vehicle check

A transport manager is really asking one question: will this driver bring the truck, the load and themselves back in one piece?

Pre-trip inspection. Tyres, brakes, lights, couplings, load securing, fluid levels, and the documents on board. Sign the check honestly; a defect you report is the operator’s problem, a defect you hide becomes yours.
Fatigue. Long hours kill drivers. Take your rest breaks, sleep in safe places, and refuse to drive when you are too tired. A good operator plans trips so that you can.
Hijacking and cargo theft. Follow the company’s route and stop rules, do not stop for strangers, and never pick up passengers. Know the emergency procedure and the tracking company’s number.
Load limits. Overloading damages roads and trucks and brings fines at weighbridges. If a load looks wrong, say so before you leave.
Traffic fines and your record. Fines follow you. A clean record is one of the strongest things on a driver’s CV.

Documents to have ready for a truck driving job:

Valid driving licence card, with the right code for the vehicle.
Valid PrDP (G, and D if you do dangerous goods), with the expiry date in your diary.
ID document, and a passport if you want cross-border work.
Any dangerous goods, defensive driving or forklift certificates.
A list of the vehicles, routes and loads you have handled.
Contact details of a transport manager who will give a reference.

Life on the road: what employers expect

Long-distance work changes your week. You may leave on a Sunday night and return on a Friday, sleep in the cab at truck stops or depots, and spend hours waiting to load, offload or clear a border. Operators look for drivers who can handle that calmly and keep to procedure when nobody is watching: fuelling only where they are told to, keeping the logbook and trip sheets accurate, answering the control room, and reporting delays early rather than explaining them afterwards. Tracking systems record speed, harsh braking and stops, so your driving is visible whether you like it or not; treat that as a record that can work in your favour.

Scams aimed at drivers

Driving jobs attract fake adverts. Walk away from anyone who asks you to pay for a placement, a “PrDP fast-track”, a uniform or training before a job. A PrDP is only issued through a licensing centre; nobody can sell you one. Be careful, too, with “cross-border jobs” that need you to send your passport or documents to someone you have not met. Verify the company’s name, address and depot, and go there in person.

A truck driver CV that gets read

Keep it short and put the essentials first: your licence code, PrDP categories and expiry date; the vehicles you have driven (“Code 14 interlink, 34-ton, 4 years”); the routes and load types (“Gauteng–Durban linehaul, refrigerated”); any cross-border experience; your record; and a reference. Forklift competence is a useful extra for drivers who load and offload; see forklift operator jobs in South Africa. For layout, see how to write a CV in South Africa.

How Hirovo works for truck drivers

Hirovo is a free jobs and local services marketplace. It is new in South Africa, so you may not see many transport posts in your area yet; a profile now means operators who start posting nearby can find you.

Make a free profile, add truck driving as a skill and write your code, PrDP and experience.
Set your base so employers near your depot area see you.
Apply and message in the app, and check the employer yourself: Hirovo does not vet employers or verify licences and permits.

In short

Truck driving in South Africa runs on three documents: a licence with the right code (Code 10 for rigid trucks, Code 14 for articulated vehicles), a valid PrDP, and your ID or passport. Keep all three current, build experience from local runs towards linehaul or cross-border work, and compare offers on grade, overtime and allowances, not only the basic rate. Never pay anyone for a job or a permit. A clean record and a good reference will open more doors than anything else.