The association says its Logistics Report 2016 – which also covers wider logistics issues including infrastructure and economic concerns - indicates that there are more than four million vans on the road, driven by the e-commerce explosion.
It adds that UK shoppers are spending more than ever using the internet. Online spending rose last Christmas and is expected to carry on rising in the coming years, forming an ever greater proportion of all shopping. In 2015, the average weekly spend online was £815.72m; an increase of 12.4% compared with 2014. Since 2010 the amount spent has doubled.
Published as the record commercial vehicle registrations are announced for May, the statistics have been supported by SMMT data and 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 four 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 importance of vans has been the focus of the FTA Van Excellence Operational Briefings sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Vans, along with how seriously operators should consider safety and compliance in their day-to-day work.
Cartwright added: “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.”
