UK Edition
How 'white van man' affects our daily lives
Britain’s dependence on “white van man” - and woman - has been underlined by new research into how commercial vehicles affect the public’s everyday lives.
Half of the population have received online orders delivered via vans in the past week, according to data from automotive industry trade body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), while Britain is now the EU’s biggest online retail market, with £67.3bn of sales last year.
This growth in internet shopping and home delivery has made the 'white van man' an important part of our everyday lives.
Recent government data showed 250,000 people listed van driving as their main occupation - but they represent only a fraction of the 1.8m sole traders such as painters and builders whose businesses depend on their vans.
When all commercial vehicles - including trucks, buses and taxis - are included, there are five million goods and service vehicles on UK roads.
Their importance to the UK economy was highlighted by the SMMT research which found that almost 90pc of those surveyed said their quality of life would be reduced if commercial vehicle services were reduced.
“Commercial vehicles play a vital role in powering our essential services,” said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes. “Britain’s commercial vehicles are the backbone of our economy.”
Despite the recent announcement of £100m-plus of investment in Vauxhall’s van production plant at Luton, which guarantees output there well into the next decade, commercial vehicle production in the UK is currently in decline.
Last year 78,000 commercial vehicles rolled out of British plants, a 16.7pc drop on the previous year and the lowest level since 2009.
There are also fears that that the sector could be the subject of a tax raid by the Treasury. At the Spring Statement Chancellor Philip Hammond said a consultation was being launched to encourage commercial vehicles to go green, with the least polluting vans getting a cut in vehicle excise duty (VED).
The vast majority of vans on UK roads are powered by diesel, which ministers are trying to reduce the popularity of as they say it is more polluting. Currently vans which meet Euro 5 pollution standards pay £140 a year in VED.
Although no details of the a potential policy have been released, there are concerns that more polluting vans powered by diesel could face VED rises, with incentives offered to encourage drivers to swap to electric alternatives.
Mr Hammond said any such scheme would “follow our successful intervention to incentivise green taxis”, which is worth about £1,500 a year on the zero-emission cabs which cost more than £40,000.