British tradespeople are travelling on average 355 miles a month to get to jobs the length and breadth of the country, according to new research by Direct Line for Business, the equivalent of travelling to New York and back every year.

The distance travelled by tradespeople in 2013 has increased by more than 6% compared with 2012. On average, builders travelled the furthest to do a job – 1,125 miles a month.

Electricians saw the average length of their travel increase by 29%, while plumbers travelled 15% more for an average of 298 miles.

Jasvinder Gakhal at DL4B said: “Our research shows the dedication of tradespeople across the UK to complete jobs. The last few years has 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.”

A consequence of increased mileage can be higher van insurance costs. Now, van telematics can be used to track vehicles and optimise productivity, potentially offsetting this increased cost.