Fleet Vans Working Longer, Selling for More

In the world of commercial van driving, the average long-term driver can expect to operate the same vehicle for nearly 4½ years before it is replaced. Furthermore, he/she can expect to put in just under 74,000 miles. At least that is the way it has been until the first quarter of this year. New figures show that the UK’s fleets are in transition when it comes to panel vans. Companies are holding on to their vehicles longer, and discovering these are worth more when taken out of commission.

Recent numbers from Manheim’s five-year Market Analysis Report showed that companies are now more likely to hold on to fleet vans for 12 months longer than they did in 2010. During that time, they expect to put an additional 8,000 miles on them. When it comes time to decommission, the average fleet vehicle can be sold for about £4,400, representing an increase of 9.5% since 2010.

Let us take a moment to let that sink in. Companies are running their van fleets 12 months longer and, at the point of de-fleeting, earning 9.5% more through the sale of the decommissioned vehicles. The numbers show just how far the van market has come since the dark days of the financial crisis.

We should also point out that the number of van driving jobs has not decreased since 2010. If anything, companies need more drivers today than they did five years ago. This translates into purchasing more new vehicles to add to existing fleets, giving companies additional vans they will be selling 4 to 5 years down the road. Industry experts expect a subsequent reordering of the van market between now and the end of the decade.

Professional Driving Is Good Work

We spend a lot of time talking about HGV and PCV driving here at the HGV Training Centre. We should, given that the two categories make up the lion’s share of the training we offer. However, van driving is an excellent career choice for someone who wants to be a professional driver but is not interested in working with larger vehicles. One does not have to possess an HGV or PCV licence to enjoy working behind the wheel.

Van driving is an integral part of the UK economy for local and regional deliveries. Where lorries and box trucks are designed to carry large amounts of bulky freight from one point to another, vans are more likely to be used on local routes for smaller loads. For example, florists and parcel delivery companies certainly run more vans than larger trucks.

The HGV Training Centre can prepare you for a career of van driving through our van driver training programme. This programme offers students the classroom and hands-on training they need to pass both their theory and practical skills tests. Moreover, because we train drivers at more than 45 locations throughout the UK, we make the process as convenient as possible regardless of where you live. Why not get started today?

Sources:

1. Commercial Fleet – https://www.commercialfleet.org/news/latest-news/2015/04/15/fleets-run-vans-for-longer-and-further-than-five-years-ago-but-are-worth-more-at-defleet-time