FTA say vans key to UK economy

The FTA Logistics Report has said that vans and their drivers are crucial to the economy with more than four million of them on the road, demonstrating the huge change in the way people shop in the UK.

It is predicted by retailers at the end of last year that due to the massive surge in e-commerce that over 860 million parcels would be delivered to UK homes.

FTA’s statistics have been supported in the latest Department for Transport (DfT) Road Traffic Estimates, which showed that van traffic grew faster than any other vehicle type in the UK, and currently covers around 48 billion miles in 2015.

Mark Cartwright, FTA Head of Vans said:  “If ever there was a need for evidence to support how vans power our daily lives, the latest DfT figures provide it.  There are now over 4 million vans on UK roads, covering more miles than ever before, and their numbers are growing at a rate faster than any other type of vehicle.

“This is further confirmation of the humble van’s importance to the UK’s economic activity. It’s been recognised for a while that there is a clear correlation between UK GDP and van ‘traffic’ but we’re now seeing the growth in ‘van traffic’ outstrip economic performance, primarily due to internet shopping and entrepreneurial activity.”

The key role played by vans has been the focus of the FTA Van Excellence Operational Briefings, along with how seriously operators should consider safety and compliance in their day-to-day work.

The last in the series of Van Excellence briefings took place this week at Ashton Gate Stadium – home of Bristol City FC and Bristol Rugby, and gave van operators an opportunity to examine best practice across a range of major areas including road safety, the psychology of driving and driver distraction.

Mr Cartwright commented: “It is important for van operators to take safety and compliance seriously if they want to continue enjoying the operational flexibility vans provide. Self-regulation is the key to stopping moves to impose ‘truck-like’ legislation across van fleets. Van Excellence provides a very straightforward route for operators to adopt industry best practice and become an Accredited Operator.”

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