VAN drivers are better drivers when their van is clean – and their favourite radio station is Radio 2, according to the 2013 Nissan Van Report.
Nissan surveyed 250 drivers to reveal more about their lives on the road and what makes them tick in one of the first pieces of research into this group of professional drivers.
Not surprisingly, 63 per cent of drivers said they couldn’t live without their radio in their vehicle and when they tune in, 23 per cent choose Radio 2. Surprisingly, more van drivers listen to Classic FM than Radio 5 Live and seven per cent list Talk Sport as their favourite station.
The survey also shattered some van driver stereotypes. How many motorists have seen vans with ‘clean me’ etched into the dirt and grime? The research shows van cleanliness is not a laughing matter with 92 per cent of drivers saying they feel better when driving a clean vehicle and three out of four (72 per cent) believe it actually makes them a better driver.
The stereotypical commercial vehicle driver would spend their life eating junk food, but not so the modern-day van driver. Almost a third (32 per cent) of survey respondents said a packed lunch was their number-one choice of snack while just five per cent prefer a pie or pasty versus the eight per cent biting on a healthy fruit option.
Nearly half of drivers questioned (48 per cent) are driving 100 miles or less per day reinforcing that they could successfully use a Nissan eNV200 van without having to compromise their daily delivery routines. Spending longer behind the wheel are the 26 per cent of drivers who said they drove more than 200 miles every day.
Hardworking and loyal
More than one third of van drivers (39 per cent) are over 45 years of age, but only three per cent of respondents were aged between 16-24, reinforcing that companies will have to start recruiting young blood to replace an ageing workforce. Van drivers are a loyal bunch with 45 per cent of respondents saying they had been with their employer for six years or more.
Jon Pollock, Nissan’s corporate sales director, said: ‘Van drivers have been given some unfair press in the past which is why we wanted to build up a real picture of what they do, how they think and the features they value on their van. Our research says they are health-conscious, hardworking and loyal individuals.
‘Nissan is becoming a serious LCV manufacturer and we’re excited to be in the final phases of testing the eNV200. Our van driver research supports our decision to build an electric van as almost half the van drivers questioned could use the eNV200 as they drive less than 100 miles a day. The eNV200 promises low running costs and zero CO2 emissions at the point of use.’