I have returned from holiday and judging by the traffic this morning many people seem to have returned to work, leaving working from home behind. The noticeable difference was the amount of coaches around, complete with chattering school kids. Operators have worked hard to make school coaches safe for use in time for the start of the school year – for what must be as a welcome relief for an industry that has probably suffered most over the past few months.
Going back to school is a return to normal we would expect. Less certain is what normal looks like for the rest of us. Many businesses from beauty salons, restaurants and health providers have adapted their business models during lockdown to include home deliveries or a mobile service offering.
In the short term we could expect this to lead to a rise in demand for commercial vehicles, but it will be even more interesting to see how these businesses maintain their supply chain models as our society evolves to a new normal way of working.