These past few months – no, scratch that – this past year has been especially difficult for our van drivers, particularly those of whom have continued to work through the ongoing pandemic. With many industries forced to their knees and having to close, delivery drivers carry on, battling harsh weather conditions and risking it all to ensure their goods and parcels continue to be delivered on time, where possible.
Many members of the public, afraid to leave their houses for anything that isn’t essential, would have crumbled if it were not for you bringing packages of joy to their places of residence. I don’t know about you, but I’ve certainly been ordering an excess of ridiculous items from the likes of eBay and Amazon in an attempt to keep myself sane during this current lockdown. From a chessboard to candles to chilli oil, you’ve got on with it and brought us our goodies. So, thank you, and just in case you haven’t heard this recently, we salute you, our valued van delivery drivers.
Here’s a plea from us – be vigilant and stay safe out there. There’s been a growing number of incidents, especially during lockdown, where van drivers have been targeted for crime. Just this past weekend, a delivery driver working for Asda in Hereford had his van stolen in the midst of making a delivery. Thankfully, the driver was left unharmed and the van was found a little while later, abandoned in the middle of a field belonging to a farmer, engine running and all.
Since coronavirus rules have been put in place, police have warned criminals may target delivery drivers in particular. Right before Christmas, a related offence saw a van belonging to an Amazon delivery driver, stolen, with hundreds of packages inside. Police were able to track the robbers down and arrests were made. In the lead up to Christmas in 2020, and in the West Midlands alone, there were 162 offences reported relating to theft or robbery by van drivers. A warning was issued asking delivery drivers, couriers and postal workers to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious. It goes without saying that members of the public must do their best to protect our delivery drivers, too.
So to our van drivers… Please put your safety first and follow the advice from your local police. Should you find yourself a victim of a crime, you’re going to want to make sure your insurance is up to date, too. Let us help out with that. It’s the least we can do for all you do to keep our nation going.