The shocking state of UK tradespeople’s vans has been revealed by storage brand BUNKER – with 77% even admitting that their messy vans affect their mental state.
More than half of tradespeople in the UK describe their van as being messy and over a third wish they could get their vans more organised.
Almost an hour a week lost to van mess
Britian’s messy vans are more than just eyesores, they’re actually costing tradespeople valuable time, with a total of 30% saying they often waste time hunting for tools and essentials in the back of the van. On average, tradespeople waste the best part of an hour (51 minutes) each week searching for items in their vans. That could be as much as 40 hours and 48 minutes per year* lost to looking through mess.
Just under a quarter of tradespeople blame their busy schedules for their van mess, saying they don’t have time to keep their van as organised as they’d like to.
The picture isn’t clear cut though, there is an organised 41% of tradespeople who say they know where everything is in their van. And a neat and tidy 32% of tradespeople say they take pride in the organisation of their van.
Van mess and threat of theft damage mental health
More than three quarters of tradespeople admitted that the state of their van can get them down. And while chaotic vans clearly aren’t good for mental wellbeing, it’s nothing compared to the worries tradespeople face about having their van broken into and tools stolen. The Bunker research found more than a third of tradespeople said tool theft was a daily worry for them. Already widely known as a huge issue in the industry, a recent update from On The Tools revealed that nearly 90% of tradespeople are worried about tool theft in 2025** – highlighting just how widespread the issue is.
Despite several high-profile campaigns, petitions and media attention, very little appears to have changed, and the threat of tool theft remains a huge source of anxiety for UK tradespeople. Over a third of the tradespeople polled by Bunker felt that it was their biggest worry at work.
Storage brand Bunker commissioned the research as part of the launch of its new secure van storage collection, which aims to protect and organise tradespeople’s tools. Sarah Hartland, Head of Marketing for Bunker Storage commented: “We know that tradespeople are some of the hardest workers out there – it’s a stressful job, with long hours, challenging conditions and the perpetual threat of tool theft. With all that going on, it’s no wonder some trades just don’t have time to keep their vans as organised as they’d like to.
“As part of creating our van storage range we really wanted to listen to the industry, understand their concerns and how we could help make life easier. While the issue of theft is multifaceted, we want to play our part with solutions that offer protection and reassurance. That’s why the Bunker van storage range is packed with anti-theft design features including a Bluetooth tracker holder on every storage box. We’ve really tried to put security at the heart of this range, alongside organisation, to help give the nation’s hardworking tradespeople peace of mind.”
Survey commissioned by Draper Tools for Bunker Storage, conducted by OnePoll, June 2025. Sample size, 250 UK tradespeople.
*An average of 40 hours and 48 minutes is lost per year, assuming 48 working weeks a year.
**On The Tools research was conducted for the November 2024 edition of the ‘Monthly Insight’ reports offered exclusively to those subscribed to On The Tools’ TradeBrain Membership Programme.
