Amazing Van Facts For Those Who Work as a Courier

If you work as a courier and use a van as part of your business operation, then some of the latest statistics will offer some useful information about the industry as a whole. Even if you use a motorcycle or larger commercial vehicle, you might still find these van statistics interesting.

Government figures show that a staggering 4 million vans are now registered for use on the roads of the UK. If that alone doesn’t blow your mind, then consider this – if all the UK’s vans were parked end-to-end, they’d stretch from the UK to Australia!

The Economic Impact

In many senses this is good news - and particularly so for the economy.

The logic there is clear. Few people buy a van for its aesthetic appeal or as a high-performance vehicle to impress others at weekend social events. They’re purchased almost exclusively for business purposes and to gets goods from ‘A’ to ‘B’.

The fact that the latest figures show a large increase in van numbers being purchased indicates that business around the UK is buzzing. So, van registration numbers aren’t just an indication of the health of their manufacturers or even that if you work as a courier the industry is clearly booming for you and others. No, the really important economic indicator arising from these figures is that the demand for vans reflects an ever-increasing demand for courier services - and that’s usually indicative of a healthier economy.

If goods are moving around more, then money is also flowing. That can only be good news for everyone.

The Flipside

Of course, it would be disingenuous not to mention that there are some issues to be used as counterweights to the good news outlined above.

If you do work as a courier, you probably don’t need anyone to tell you that traffic congestion on the UK’s roads is becoming a nightmare. The massive increase in demand for courier deliveries (largely arising out of the boom in online buying) is certainly a significant factor in making that congestion worse.

Then there is pollution. The increasing numbers of vehicles on the road coupled with traffic jams means very real environmental concerns must be taken into account when thinking about this rise in road traffic, even though modern vans are vastly cleaner than their predecessors of a few years ago.

It’s not easy to see how these problems can continue to get worse and suggestions such as staggered working hours may have a part to play. Ideas for solutions aren’t exactly in plentiful supply and electrically-driven commercial vans still seem a long way off in terms of real flexible viability.

Can the Demand Continue?

It’s always dangerous to try and predict the future, but as of today there seem to be no obvious reasons why consumer demand in the area of online shopping shouldn’t continue to soar in volume. That can only mean a corresponding increase in the requirements for courier and related transport services.

This is a boom time for vans and for courier services. So, if you work as a courier currently, you should be smiling!