In the time it takes an average delivery driver to do half a shift, a complete self driving van could be built by one person according to the manufacturer.
This is certainly bad news for delivery drivers around the country, who may have took comfort from my prediction that self driving vans will be here, but not for years.
It seems like I might be wrong because this particular self driving electric delivery van that was unveiled at a top secret conference in London, well, it is scheduled to be on UK roads next year.
The claim is that the van can be assembled in only 4 hours by one person at a factory, which means we could see an army of these self driving vehicles ruling the roads and delivering packages.
People in the government want to see self driving vans out and about by 2020 of course, but if everything goes to plan then it could be sooner. Van drivers watch out is my memo to anyone reading this.
Maybe a change of career is in order for delivery drivers, or should you just stick with what you know? It really is your choice, but if you ask me, the local job centre might be a good starting point.
Not everyone is going to embrace self driving vans though, and even if they do, they won’t be out of a job.
Take your average builder, roofer, electrician, plumber or carpenter as an example. Sure, they might enjoy buying a driverless van and then putting their feet up on the way to a job, but once they arrive the van can’t do the work now, can it? They will still need to put in the hours.
It’s delivery drivers I fear for, especially once they work out a way for the van to actually deliver the packages…maybe with some kind of robot? Who knows exactly what is going to happen, but what I do know is that during all of this van insurance will still be very much required.
No matter if you own a company that has a fleet of delivery vans or you are a builder working for yourself…you must have van insurance by law, so make sure you start comparing quotes to get the best deals.
Many van drivers start right here, at the Nations favourite van insurance comparison website, where all you need is 3 minutes and the click of a button.
So forget about self driving vans and all of that right now, and instead, just focus on getting very cheap van insurance to save yourself a packet.