Honest John Vans Van News Miscellaneous

Delivery drivers are more important than postal workers, claims survey

Craig Cheetham, contributor
Tue, 27 Aug 2024

Almost half of people in Britain believe that delivery drivers play a greater role in society than the humble postie, according to research carried out on behalf of Mercedes-Benz Vans.

A total of 47 per cent of British people claim that delivery drivers play a more important role in the community then postal workers, with those aged 34 and under getting more than twice as many visits from delivery drivers as they do from the postie every week (5.4 to 2.5).

Overall, 40 per cent of respondents also said that they felt as much warmth and affection towards delivery drivers as they do towards their postman or woman, echoing the boom in online shopping and home deliveries that has shot up over the past five years. The huge surge in demand for home deliveries has led to a 37% increase in the number of vans on UK roads, from 3.2 million in 2012 to 4.5 million by the end of 2022.

The research, which forms part of Mercedes-Benz Vans’ Under the Bonnet Report 2024, also revealed delivery drivers make more visits to households than the postman – knocking on our doors an average of 2.7 times a week, compared with 2.3 times a week for postmen.

Sarah Palfreyman, sales director for Mercedes-Benz Vans in the UK, said: “Our Under the Bonnet report demonstrates the crucial role van drivers play in our communities, fuelled by the rise in online shopping and home deliveries.”

 

Ask HJ

What do the three digits in a van name mean?

I am looking at buying a panel. Some adverts have the wording "Professional 335" or another 3 digit number. What does it mean?
The van you refer to is a Peugeot Boxer Professional 335, and this is simply the model and trim level of the van. In the case of the Peugeot, 'Professional' is the basic trim level and the number relates to what's known as the Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), the '35' part suggesting it is a 3.5t van. Unless you have a need to carry particularly heavy loads then you don't need to worry too much about this, but if you've not had much experience of previous van ownership we'd advise you to look into the weight classes of different types of van to make sure they're not for the purpose you need, and to familiarise yourself with van speed limits, which are different to those of cars.
Answered by Craig Cheetham
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