Vans are ‘essential to 3.4m people’

Written by: Fuel Card Services, Last updated:11th August 2020

Van

The UK’s economy would grind to a halt if it wasn’t for the 3.4 million people who make use of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) to keep businesses moving.

This is the conclusion of a new report from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Vans are driving the economy forward

Entitled ‘Light Commercial Vehicles: Delivering for the UK Economy’, the report outlines how ten per cent of the country’s workforce make use of LCVs to carry out their daily responsibilities at work.

The report shows the UK’s LCV market is now estimated to be worth approximately £10 billion per annum. Users of these vehicles add around 11 per cent to national GDP each year.

Responding to the report, SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “The UK’s van fleet is the backbone of our society, driving our economy and allowing millions of workers to carry out the jobs that our country relies on.

“Industry is supporting these businesses by responding to a changing society, developing and delivering the cleanest and safest vehicles in history.”

In addition, he states that a thriving UK van market is essential to future economic stability and the government must therefore continue to offer incentives and policies which support businesses to invest in LCVs.

Overall, the number of vans on the UK’s roads has grown at twice the pace of cars since 2000, as a result, there are an estimated 500,000 people driving a van as part of their main role.

Jenny Smith, general manager for Tele-Gence, commented: “The nation’s businesses rely heavily on vans to ferry goods and make their operations work efficiently. It’s great to see this workhorse of thousands of companies receiving the recognition it deserves.”

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