Firms lose £1,000 day by day a van is out of motion as breakdowns trigger stress to soar
Research from Mercedes-Benz Vans found that four in 10 business owners say the amount of time their vans are off the road has led to stress to soar among staff
Businesses are putting vans to work harder than ever(Image: Getty)
Four in 10 business owners say the amount of time their vans are off the road has led to stress and mental wellbeing issues among staff.
As growing numbers of vans are used on Britain’s roads every year, new research from Mercedes-Benz Vans shows how vital it is to keep them in action.
When a van goes off the road, the impact on drivers is rarely limited to inconvenience. Four in 10 claim downtime increases stress, nearly a quarter (23%) say it leads to longer hours, 26% say it disrupts teams and 13% say it lowers staff morale or wellbeing.
The research comes as UK businesses are putting vans to work harder than ever to meet customer expectations, with van mileage now well above pre-pandemic levels. And as they rely on vans to keep jobs moving, meet customer expectations and protect revenue, uptime has never mattered more.
The study found that the average UK firm suffers a £1,172.20 loss every day a van is out of action – at a time when businesses are already battling rising costs. It also revealed that on average UK businesses have faced 6.5 days of disruption in the past 12 months, with the impact felt throughout the company.
A third (33%) of business leaders said it disrupts workflow and 29% said it results in employees working longer hours. The findings – which feature in the Uptime Advantage Report – also revealed 17% businesses have experienced frustrated or abusive customers as a result of vans being off the road, while 16% report a loss in wages and 24% have faced customer complaints.
The situation looks set to get worse as tightening budgets mean vehicle fleets are being kept on the road for an average of four to five years instead of the traditional three years, increasing the risk of breakdown. Businesses are being urged to look at the service support they have in place to keep vans on the road and reduce financial losses.
Ross Baxter, who manages a fleet of 200 vans at healthcare home delivery company Sciensus, said: “We deliver specialist, often life‑changing treatments directly to people across the UK, helping them stay well, maintain their independence and continue with their daily lives. Getting those medicines to patients safely and on time is at the heart of everything we do.
“Our vehicles are specially designed to maintain strict temperature control throughout each journey, so if a van is taken off the road, the impact can be immediate, creating pressure across our operations and potential risk to continuity of care. That is why vehicle reliability and the ability to respond quickly when issues arise are so important in our fleet operation. Minimising vehicles off‑road time helps us protect the integrity of the medicines we carry and continue delivering for patients without disruption
The Mercedes-Benz Vans findings also show 24% of businesses said vans off the road had led to missed performance targets while 18% worry about losing contracts. It found that against that backdrop keeping vehicles well-maintained and running (34%) is the most critical factor in keeping their business operational – alongside improving operational efficiency (31%) and managing cash flow (30%).
Eight in 10 (88%) said they would be more confident in growing their business knowing they have the right support cover with their vans.
Simon Neill, operations director at Mercedes-Benz Vans UK, said: “For many UK businesses, a van isn’t just a van. It’s the business showing up.
“Our new research lays bare what happens when a van goes off the road. Uptime isn’t something you can park in the operations folder and forget about.
“It shapes productivity, customer relationships, and it lands on people first. Customers start chasing. Employees feel the strain. And business owners lay awake working out what it’s costing them.”
He added: “The ambition at Mercedes-Benz Vans isn’t just to be the best at fixing vans when they go wrong, but at stopping them going wrong in the first place using data and experience. Because prevention will always be better than cure. We know the pressures businesses are under right now, big and small, and we want them to know we have their backs.”
The research also revealed the top five reasons vans were taken off the road were mechanical failure (42%), wear and tear (34%), tyre damage or blowouts (27%), road accidents (23%) and pothole damage (21%), with parts shortages and workshop delays often making downtime longer.
