As Commercial Vehicle Show Ends so the Value of the Van to Road Haulage and Beyond Revealed

UK – The CV Show, the one place all sectors of the commercial vehicle sector, whether manufacturer, road haulage operator or ancillary supplier can meet and network, closed its doors in Birmingham this week after another successful expo. Claiming visitor numbers exceeding 20,000 makes this an essential call for those in the road transport industry.

One of the notable things which transpired was the increasing importance of vans and LCVs in the delivery sector. With ever more restrictions on larger commercial vehicles the ubiquitous van is likely to become more so in coming years.

This particularly applies as a raft of controversial new regulations make pollution from road vehicles as frowned upon as smoking is now with regards to public health. Electrifying the drive train of a van takes far less technology, and expense, than it does to produce or convert its equivalent bigger brothers.

This year’s show prompted a report from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) demonstrating both the essential nature of these smaller vehicles and the strength of the market as van sales boom, up 59% since 2000, twice the growth of car sales.

The SMMT also reveals the essential nature of the van, claiming 10% of the British work force relies on the vehicle for employment, with 4.6 million Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) registered in the country today, over 10 times the size of the UK’s HGV pool.

You can read the SMMT report ‘Light Commercial Vehicles – Delivering for the UK Economy’ here.

Photo: Sometimes a larger vehicle really would be a better idea!