The FTA have announced that vans and their drivers are vital to the UK economy.

According to the FTA Logistics Report 2016 there are more than four million vans on UK roads. This shows the way that the public have effected e-commerce deliveries, back in 2015 retailers predicted more than 860 million parcels would be delivered to UK homes.

The FTA's latest figures have been echoed by the latest Department for Transport (DfT) Road Traffic Estimates which shows that van traffic grew at an even faster rate than any other vehicle type within the UK.

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Mark Cartwright, FTA head of vans has commented on the increase saying, "It’s been recognised for a while that there is a clear correlation between UK GDP and van ‘traffic’ but we’re now seeing the growth in ‘van traffic’ outstrip economic performance, primarily due to internet shopping and entrepreneurial activity."

Cartwright also commented, "It is important for van operators to take safety and compliance seriously if they want to continue enjoying the operational flexibility vans provide. Self-regulation is the key to stopping moves to impose ‘truck-like’ legislation across van fleets. Van Excellence provides a very straightforward route for operators to adopt industry best practice and become an Accredited Operator."