According to the  Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the UK’s van market is very buoyant thanks in part to the growth of on-line shopping and the huge swing to home delivery during the lock downs and beyond. Not only are we shopping more and more on-line for our groceries and having them delivered but the closure of shops and stores meant that the click and collect options were denied for many too.

 

Light commercial vehicle (LCV) registrations last year rose by more than 20% compared to the previous year with a growth in excess of 62,000  above the 2020 numbers with 355,380 new vehicles on the road in 2021 including a record 12,759 electric vans.

 

 The strength of the commercial van sector is also attributed to the growth of the UK’s construction sector which quickly recovered after the initial lockdown and has experienced something of a boom since.  Whilst there have been significant investments in van fleets there has also been significant growth in the ‘owner driver’ sector particularly within parcel delivery vans.  As a direct result of recognising the need to provide a service to repair or replace van tyres, Tyrenet launched its on-line portal and an emergency van tyre replacement service that aims to get the van driver back on the road within 90 minutes.  The mobile van tyre fitting service can also be paid for on-line within the website and so avoiding the need to set up an account.  

 

An interesting and perhaps predictable change in the  van sector is the uptake of electric vans increasing by 12,759 (142.3%),  which is a mere 3.6% market share.  2022 is expected to continue that trend as conventional diesel and petrol vans are being phased out at the same time as cars.  Whilst electric vehicles have less wear and tear on tyres, the increasing ownership trends will still provide  growing roadside  tyre repair and replacement demand. 

 

According to the SMMT,  “there were significant increases for both 4x4s and the heaviest vans weighing greater than 2.5-3.5 tonnes of 183.0% and 27.8% respectively, while vans weighing greater than 2.0-2.5 tonnes were the only segment to decrease, albeit by a marginal -0.8%. “.

 

Tyrenet also aims to sign up van fleets for tyre maintenance whilst the bulk of its business are emergency van tyre callouts there is also a significant and growing need to provide day to day tyre checks and maintenance for fleets at local depots.  Tyrenet is able to provide a combined service with local basic maintenance through its network as well as a fast roadside van tyre service through its national network of 24 hour tyre dealers and fitters who can attend an emergency local to them to maintain a quick van tyre solution.

 

Tyrenet is keen to sign up more accredited tyre dealers and fitters to bolster the network both in geographic areas where there are gaps in proximity or availability of tyre stock but also to add resources in areas that are particularly busy.  Tyrenet is also being contracted by truck and van fleets to provide a maintenance service as well as the nationwide emergency tyre service.