{{about|the British slang term|the confidence trick|White van speaker scam|the television programme|White Van Man (TV series)}} {{short description|Stereotypical British independent tradesman}} [[Image:White vans Oxford.JPG|thumb|right|Reconstruction work on Mansfield Road, Oxford, with assorted white vans]] [[File:Mercedes sprinter 2 v sst.jpg|thumb|right|A Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, a typical white van]] '''"White van man"''' or '''"a-man-with-a-van"''' is a stereotype used in the United Kingdom for a Luton van and smaller-sized commercial van driver,<ref>{{cite web|author=WARREN HOGE |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/14/world/leatherhead-journal-the-white-van-man-of-england-oh-he-s-a-devil.html |title=Leatherhead Journal; The White Van Man of England: Oh, He's a Devil! – New York Times |work=Nytimes.com |date=2000-07-14 |access-date=2013-08-05}}</ref> typically perceived as a selfish, inconsiderate driver who is mostly petit bourgeois and often aggressive.<ref name="guardian2006">{{cite web|author=Leo Benedictus |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2006/jul/07/leobenedictus.features11 |title=The question: Can we ever love White Van Man? | Life and style |work=The Guardian |date=2006-07-07 |access-date=2013-08-05}}</ref> According to this stereotype, the "white van man" is typically an independent tradesperson, such as a builder, plumber or locksmith, self-employed, or running a small enterprise,<ref name="guardian2006"/> for whom driving a commercial vehicle is not their main line of business, as it would be for a professional freight-driver.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Shaw|first1=Esther|title=Watch out for White Van Man!|url=http://www.moneysupermarket.com/car-insurance/blog/watch-out-for-white-van-man/|publisher=Moneysupermarket.com|access-date=22 July 2015|date=25 April 2013}}</ref> The "white" refers to the archetypal and most common colour of the van, not the driver himself.
==Usage== The first recorded use in the British press was in an article titled "Number is up for White Van Man – scourge of the road." published by ''The Sunday Times'' on 18 May 1997 and written by Jonathan Leake, that paper's then-transport editor. Later in 1997, it was used by BBC Radio 2's Sarah Kennedy. She was made honorary president of the First Ford Transit Owner's Club in 2005.<ref name="kennedy">[http://www.carpages.co.uk/ford/ford-transit-03-06-05.asp carpages.co.uk – Ford Transit Owners Club]</ref>
''The Sun'' newspaper ran a regular "White Van Man" column for some years;{{When|date=July 2016}} in the column, the driver of a light goods vehicle was interviewed in his van on the issues of the day. These columns were accompanied by a picture of whichever driver had been interviewed leaning out of his cab.{{cn|date=July 2016}}
The term was used in 2010 as part of road safety campaigns by the Freight Transport Association.<ref name="handyshippingguide1">{{cite web|url=http://www.handyshippingguide.com/shipping-news/freight-transport-association-warns-white-van-man-of-overloading-freight-dangers_1867 |title=Freight Transport Association Warns White Van Man Of Overloading Freight Dangers – Latest industry shipping news from |publisher=The Handy Shipping Guide |date=2010-06-24 |access-date=2013-08-05}}</ref>
==See also== * Essex man * Pickup truck * The man on the Clapham omnibus * The Man in the White Van
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/working/5037.shtml BBC Radio 4 documentary on White Van Man Speaks] * [http://philica.com/display_observation.php?observation_id=10 Academic study of white van overtaking habits around cyclists by Dr Ian Walker] * [http://www.sirc.org/publik/white_van_man.html SIRC report: White Van Man] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606170753/http://www.sirc.org/publik/white_van_man.html |date=2012-06-06 }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:White van man}} Category:Culture of the United Kingdom Category:Stereotypes of the working class Category:English phrases Category:Stereotypes of working-class men Category:Social class in the United Kingdom Category:Socioeconomic stereotypes