Despite the ‘ white van man ’ being labelled with a junk food-loving , exercise-shy image , many are now more likely to be found tucking into a healthy lunch and heading to the gym at the end of the day .

According to the research , the average van driver will work out twice a week , with more than one in ten heading to the gym at least five times a week .

And instead of grabbing whatever they can on the go , one in seven will make their own packed lunch so they know exactly what they will be eating .

One in ten also claims to eat a very healthy diet of fruit , vegetables and salad while on the road .

A spokesman for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles , which commissioned the research , said : “ This research seems to show that nowadays , van drivers are leading a much healthier lifestyle than you might expect . Rather than grabbing whatever they can while out on the road , they are tucking into homemade lunches of salad and fruit – a far cry from the food you might expect them to be eating .”

Researchers from Onepoll . com also found that four in ten ( 41 per cent ) of van drivers will swap sugary and salty snacks for salads and fruit as they try to eat as healthily as possible , despite being out and about for most of their day .

And more than three quarters do at least one form of exercise every week , with those in the West Midlands the most active , working out an average of three times a week . Scottish van drivers exercise the least .

It also emerged football is the sport of choice for 54 per cent of van drivers , but 29 per cent are more likely to be found watching

or playing rugby . Almost one in five name golf as their favourite activity , with tennis , snooker and cycling also popular among van drivers . Twelve per cent even said scuba diving was a much-loved hobby .

It also revealed that many drivers claim to be more polite , patient and understanding on the road than the old ‘ white van man ’ stereotype would have you believe . In fact 39 per cent are concerned about the stereotype associated with the white van driver , while 27 per cent went as far as to say they think it ’ s unfair . The research , which was commissioned by Volkswagen Commercial

Vehicles , surveyed 500 van drivers across regions in the United Kingdom . Again , proving the ‘ white van man ’ image is outdated , 43 per cent of the respondents were women .

Six in ten say they are courteous drivers and half claim to be polite and understanding , while 47 per cent have stopped to help road users who have broken down or been involved in an accident .

More than a quarter of van drivers tune into the sounds of Radio 2 when driving , with 23 per cent enjoying Heart and one in ten listening to Classic FM .

And when it comes to hobbies and interests , 35 per cent enjoy

reading and 28 per cent love cooking up a storm in the kitchen . Other popular hobbies include going to the theatre ( 22 per cent ), collecting antiques ( 10 per cent ) and art or drawing ( 15 per cent ).

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles offers a wide choice of quality vans , pick-ups and passenger carriers including the award-winning Crafter , Caddy and Transporter models .

Offering comfortable cabins with a host of features , from ergoComfort seats which protect against bumps in the road and support the spine , to drinks holders and driver alerts which recommend breaks when driving

behaviour indicates tiredness , Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles always puts busy drivers first .

Other useful extras include a removable multifunction box for the front passenger seat that offers storage , and a cover which can be used as a table , and a multifunction front passenger bench seat which folds to create a table surface with integrated cup holders – perfect to eat that homemade healthy lunch out on the road .

For more information about the range or to find your nearest Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Van Centre please visit www . volkswagen-vans . co . uk