The insurance company Aviva recently conducted a survey amongst their clients which dispelled the myth that “White Van Man” was no more than an urban thug.

Tradesmen in London are the smartest, sexiest and most successful drivers on the road their research showed, with over 70% having an interest in politics and current affairs.

Smart Tradesmen in London

Over half of the white van drivers surveyed said that they regularly read books, compared to one-in-ten sports car owners.

Sexy Tradesmen in London

Most of the white van drivers questioned responded that they like to keep themselves in shape and pursued some form of outdoor leisure activity.

Successful Tradesmen in London

Half of all van drivers were the boss of their own business, as compared to 83% of sports car drivers who work for someone else.

Nigel Bartram, motoring expert at Aviva, who carried out the survey, said: “It’s great to prove what we already knew – van drivers are switched on and enterprising! Gone are the days of the traditional white van man stereotype. What our research shows is that van drivers are entrepreneurial and responsible.  This is why we have tailored direct motor insurance to cater for the 21st century van driver.”

With half of van drivers opting to fix household appliances when they break rather than ask for help, they are also the handiest to have at home. After a hard day’s work, a tradesman in London is more likely to catch a news bulletin or documentary than anything else on the box and, out of all drivers questioned, is the least likely to watch reality TV.

Sofeminine.co.uk added a female perspective to the results of the survey with the comment that “A white van driver may not be so likely to have a degree, but he has a big package” – So much for stereotypes!

For a deeper look into the psyche of a white van driver tradesman in London, visit the Social Issue Research Centre web site, who produced a quite eye-opening and humorous insight into this social phenomenon, and concluded that in order to change their image, tradesmen in London should paint their vans a different colour!

 

The cost of DIY bodge-ups according to the Clydesdale Bank

Research from the Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks has revealed that bodged DIY jobs in the home cost homeowners £235 million to put right last year.

The recent survey was conducted amongst two thousand of the banks´ customers and showed that over a quarter had experienced a DIY disaster within the past twelve months.

With one in ten respondents having to pay up to £500 to get their mistakes fixed, a spokesman for the Clydesdale Bank commented that while DIY may be a great way to save money, it is important to have the correct tools and right set of skills to avoid a job around the home becoming a very expensive exercise.

The bank estimates that nearly 5 million people across the country ended up paying for DIY mistakes after they attempted to do DIY jobs such as decorating, plumbing or gardening. Instead of wishing you had never started a job that is ultimately going to cost you a lot of money, why not consult Mr Skill´s Tradesmen’s Directory and benefit from the financial advantages of using a London tradesman.

 

The Department for Transport (DfT) in conjunction with the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) are introducing new driving regulations for lorry drivers that will affect removal companies in London when they are implemented as part of new European requirements on driver testing, training, examination and licensing which come into force in 2013.

At present, London removals drivers of medium-sized and large buses and lorries need to renew their licences every five years once they reach the age of 45. Over-45s also need to demonstrate their fitness to drive through a full medical report. From 2013, under-45s who drive these vehicles will also need to confirm medical fitness and renew their licence every five years.  However, under-45s will not require a full medical report and will still only need to renew their photograph every 10 years. All other drivers and riders will continue to renew their driving licences every 10 years as is currently the case.

Noel Shanahan, Chief Executive of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency which is responsible for the administration of driver licences and vehicle registration, said:

“The UK haulage and bus industry operate to high levels of safety and the vast majority of drivers in the industry already ensure that they are fit to drive and notify the DVLA if they have any concerns.  This new measure will provide an additional reminder but we are proposing to introduce this in a way that minimises the impact on drivers.”

Additional regulations still to be confirmed will also be applied to light van drivers who tow trailers – most likely to affect London man-with-a-van operations. The proposals are that drivers will be allowed to tow slightly larger trailers than they can currently on a normal car driving licence (Category B) if they take a further test or undergo training although new restrictions will apply to the overall size of the vehicle/trailer combination that can be driven on a category B+E licence.

If you want to find a removal expert to help you with moving home, please consult our Tradesmen´s Directory for an excellent source of highly rated tradesmen in London. When moving home it is advisable to get several moving home quotes, as prices can vary on the distance you are moving and the number of hands required.