Professionalism needed to shake off white van man image, says FTA

Date: Thursday, September 24, 2015 |

Strong leadership and professionalism will be key to improving the image of the van sector and shaking off the ‘white van man’ stereotype, the Freight Transport Association has said.

The freight body has launched its annual Van Excellence Report, which predicts that van usage will double from 2010 to 2040.

The Van Excellence scheme was launched in 2010 to enable van operators to demonstrate industry compliance and share good practice ideas in order to raise standards in the industry.

The scheme now has more than 100 company members, including Hertz, BT Fleet and ATS Euromaster.

Currently, half of the vans in the UK are operated by sole traders, while the biggest single sector is the postage and parcel arena, the FTA said.

According to the FTA’s Van-Dependency Index – which is calculated as the number of vans per £1m gross value added - the construction trade is ranked at 15.9, while the postal and courier sector has a value of 28.73.

“Van Excellence has been embraced by the industry as a valuable initiative to enhance standards of van operator compliance and celebrate those who demonstrate excellence,” said Mark Cartwright, FTA’s head of vans.

“The Van Excellence report reinforces this message, recording achievements so far and highlighting the economic and social value of van fleets which are indispensable to the UK economy,” he added.

See the October issue of What Van? for an interview with the FTA’s Mark Cartwright.

What Van? Britain's biggest and best van buyers' guide