Tradespeople spend a working week away from home each month
22nd April 2014
British tradespeople are spending on average a working week (around five nights), away from home per month, according to new research1 by Direct Line for Business (DL4B). Builders are most likely to spend a night away from home, stopping out on average nine nights per month.
The research also reveals tradespeople are travelling on average 355 miles a month to get to jobs the length and breadth of the country; the equivalent of travelling to New York2 and back every year.
The distance travelled by British tradespeople in 2013 has increased by more than six per cent compared to 2012. On average, builders travelled the furthest to do a job – a whopping 1,125 miles a month. General handy men (540 miles) and plasterers (436 miles) followed in second and third.
Between 2012 and 2013 the research also revealed how electricians saw the average length of their travel increase by 29 per cent, while plumbers travelled 15 per cent more and plasterers nine per cent. Only decorators and general handy men saw the distance they travelled decrease, both by four per cent.
Jasvinder Gakhal at Direct Line for Business said: “Our research shows the dedication of tradespeople across the UK to complete jobs. The last few years have presented some serious challenges to tradespeople, however, this proves the commitment made to ensure jobs are being done and how far people are prepared to travel to take on work.”
| Trade |
Average number of nights away
from home per month |
Average distance travelled
per month (miles) |
Average change in distance travelled 2012 vs 2013 (%) |
| Builder |
9 |
1125 |
0 |
| Plasterer |
7.7 |
436 |
8.6 |
| Plumber |
7.5 |
298 |
15.3 |
| Electrician |
6.5 |
417 |
28.5 |
| Decorator |
5.4 |
328 |
-3.9 |
| Other |
2.1 |
294 |
0 |
| General handy men |
1.8 |
540 |
-3.6 |
| Total average |
4.8 |
355 |
6.3 |
Source: DL4B
A consequence of increased mileage is higher van insurance costs for tradespeople. DL4B has recently launched DrivePlus Van, its van telematics app, which can be used to potentially offset this increased cost, through offering good driver discounts.
Van drivers (prospective and existing Direct Line customers) can save up to 15 per cent on their van insurance by tracking 300 miles of driving using DrivePlus Van, which for the average driver will take less than a month. Once 300 miles are logged, users will be provided with a driving score out of 100 (with 100 being the safest) and a promotion code to redeem the discount via telephone or the DL4B website.
Jasvinder Gakhal continued: “Telematics has been used for a number of years by fleet managers in order to track their vehicles and optimise productivity. Here at Direct Line for Business we're bringing that technology to owners of single vans in an easy to use app. With capital still stretched for many small businesses, owners of commercial vans are understandably concerned about the cost and risks of operating their vehicle. Telematics encourages responsible driving and through our App this can earn drivers a significant discount on their van insurance.”
www.directline.com
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