Nissan’s 2013 Van Report surveyed 250 van drivers and 252 fleet managers to offer valuable insight into the habits and characteristics of van drivers and their managers. Here are a few highlights from the report.
1. There Are Five Times More Female Managers Than Female Drivers
It’s been a stereotype for a long time. But the facts reinforce the assumption: only 1 in 20 van drivers are female. While the driving scene is dominated by males, they found that nearly 1 in 4 fleet managers were female.
2. 72% of Van Drivers Feel That Driving a Clean Van Improves Overall Driving
Nissan suggested that introducing a “clean van” policy could reduce the rate of accidents and lower the premiums on a company’s van insurance policy.
3. Van Drivers Are Loyal
Almost half of the drivers surveyed said they’d been with their employer for six years or more. Nearly 1 in 10 van drivers said they’d been with their employer for more than 20 years.
4. Van Drivers Aren’t a Young Workforce
According to the survey, 71% of drivers are over 35 years of age. A mere 3% were in the 16-24 range, meaning that companies will soon need to start attracting younger workers to replace their ageing workforce.
5. Daily Mileage is Lower Than Expected
Nissan was surprised to discover that nearly half of respondents drove for 100 miles or less each day. This could be due to improvements in modern distribution strategies: larger trucks tend to make the long-haul journeys, letting the smaller vans finish the delivery more locally.
Nissan thinks that this means it’s more feasible than ever to replace traditional vans with eco-friendly electric vehicles.
6. Fleet Managers Prefer Sat-Nav When Choosing New Vans
When asked what their most preferred feature was when selecting new vans for their fleet, 40% chose satellite navigation. Surprisingly, only 9% chose fuel economy, and only 3% chose reliability.
7. 25% of Fleet Managers Do Nothing to Control Fuel Consumption
In a world where fuel prices and pollution concerns are continually rising, it’s surprising that such a large section of fleet managers are taking no measures to reduce or control fuel consumption.
Of those managers who are taking action, implementing driver training and fitting speed limiters came out ahead as the two most popular methods.
photo courtesy of Hugo90
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