He says: “Whereas at one time vans were very much at the bottom of the rung as far as tyres and tyre awareness was concerned, particularly in fleets with a heavy truck concentration, many of these operators are now realising the cost of running vans can be high.

“Consequently there is a lot more focus being put on partnering with a reliable service provider, which can help them to extract the maximum performance from every van tyre in their fleet.

“We are also seeing a move away from van fleets buying lower cost tyres and instead investing in more mid-range and premium products.

"As vans become increasingly higher-powered and fleet utilisation continues to rise, so tyre performance becomes ever more paramount.”

Many van operators are finding that going down the budget tyre route does not necessarily mean they are spending any less on tyres than they would if they invested in a quality tyre in the first place. In fact, in many cases, they could be spending significantly more.

Tattersall says: “The cost of tyres, particularly the larger, wider fitments, and the cost of running some big vans is not dissimilar to the cost-per-mile of operating some trucks.

"Vehicle running costs are unlikely to come down dramatically, so it is important fleets focus on getting as much life out of their tyres as possible, and this is best achieved by partnering with a professional service partner who can offer advice on tyre choice, and back that up with regular and thorough fleet checks.”

Lee Kelly, sales manager – national car, at ATS Euromaster, says: “Van tyre management tends to be better where a company has a fleet manager or a site manager responsible for the vehicle parc, and with whom a service provider can have a close working relationship, to enable regular fleet checks to be organised.

“The majority of professionally-managed van fleets are now focusing on the fact that tyres are an important part of the vehicle, and therefore they are investing in fitting quality tyres from recognised brands.

"This has also led to the fitting of cold weather tyres, especially in the home delivery sector, to ensure greater safety and improved performance due to the nature of operations which must be able to deliver to end customers in all conditions.