Online shopping has become very popular in the UK over recent years, and it has been van drivers right at the forefront of this revolution. Not anymore though.
One of the biggest online shopping companies is Ocado, and if they have their way, then delivery drivers are soon going to be a thing of the past, with many being handed their P45 and directions to the local job centre.
This is because Ocado have just launched a new driverless delivery van onto UK roads, and if everything goes well then it could soon be an army of vans setting off from their hubs every morning…no drivers required.
The driverless delivery van has been described as a cross between a tuk-tuk and milk float, and will have an electric charging pad that powers a top speed of 25mph, with a possible 18 miles on one battery charge.
If you ask me, I don’t think that supermarket delivery drivers have anything to worry about just yet, because these vehicles seem like they are designed to serve small areas, which means Ocado would need thousands of them on the roads to serve the entire nation.
Not only that, but right now the prototype can only carry 8 crates, which is not even enough to carry 1 large order of shopping.
So…supermarket delivery drivers of the UK, before you start considering a change of career, you might want to think again, because it’s going to be a few years until robots take the drivers seat.
Until that time, you are still very much needed by supermarkets such as Ocado, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, and Sainsburys, and although they are planning for a day when delivery drivers are no longer needed, at the moment everyone is still friends.
You might even want to tell your boss about the benefits of comparing van insurance so they can save a bit of money that way.
Van insurance companies do special deals for a fleet of vans, and I’m sure if all the supermarket delivery drivers in your team have good driving records then a lot of potential discounts could be found.
That goes for all van drivers and companies that use vans on a daily basis. You don’t have to be a large supermarket to be offered special discounts, and you don’t even have to be in a profession where robots are expected to take over.
Take your average white van man for example, who might be a builder, roofer, or “man with a van.” I’m sure that self driving vans will be useful in these professions in the future, but there will still be people doing the jobs, so to speak.
This is why a comparison website for van drivers will always be around. There for the average man and woman van drivers who want the best quality van insurance at very cheap prices.