Although they play a significant part of the UK economy and their use has risen by some 40% in the last 10 years, we still know relatively little about those vans and their role.

Since the economic downturn and partial recovery, van registrations have recovered faster than any other major commercial vehicle sector.

This paper looks at some of the reasons for that growth and examines some of the characteristics of the UK van fleet. It also looks at the operating environment for the nation's van fleet and suggests some of the ways in which this environment may develop and at other factors that may affect the sector.