How do the UK’s van drivers keep Christmas moving?
Added: 20 December 2019
Keeping Christmas moving with the nation's van drivers
‘Tis the season to be busy
It’s usually Father Christmas who gets the credit for delivering millions of presents to children every year, but he is very well supported by the delivery driver ‘elves’ who find themselves working tirelessly through the season.
20% of the van community are going to spend over 40 hours working away from loved ones this festive period, with 40% saying this is because the amount of work increases. Van drivers across the country will work an average of four extra hours a week over Christmas to deliver an estimated 100 million parcels during December.
Figures from Highways England suggest the roads will be far busier than usual on the day dubbed ‘Frantic Friday’, with millions of people finishing work and travelling to see friends and family. With the rise of online shopping, and need for an efficient delivery system, the pressure is therefore on the nation’s van drivers to fight through the traffic – with almost all (95%) feeling responsible for keeping Christmas moving.
Navigating Christmas chaos
Not everyone has a red nose reindeer to lead the way, but thankfully there is help at hand for those out and about on the roads in the form of technology. In fact, 36% of van drivers feel that technology is crucial to ensuring they can deliver on time.
Whether it’s used to manage their daily workload (42%), stay connected (44%) or adapt to changes in their schedule (37%), tools such as GPS are heavily relied on by the nation’s van drivers.
Over half of these van drivers (54%) also predict that the adoption of more and improved technology will be the biggest catalyst for growth of their business over the next 12 months – which is more than those who think cash flow (44%) or recruitment (47%) will be the key to making progress.
Are you one of the people helping keep Christmas moving for all of us? Let us know how you manage in the festive season and join in the conversation #BizBarometer
Mercedes-Benz Vans Business Barometer
The Mercedes-Benz Vans Business Barometer is a nationwide quarterly survey of businesses large and small, created to help us understand the economic landscape and discover what van owners and drivers need to keep their business moving.